Quince Cheese - Grandmother's Recipe
Quince Cheese – Grandmother’s Recipe is easy homemade quince paste recipe. Goes well with cheese platter but if rolled in sugar makes great Christmas candy!
Ingredients
- 4 quinces, peeled, cored, cut to cubes (4 cups)
- 4 cups water
- 2 cups sugar
- oil for the dishes
- gingerbread spices, optional
- Sugar to coat the cutouts if making sweet version
Instructions
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Wash, peel, core and cut quinces to get four cups. I needed 4 medium sized quinces.
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In medium sized pot, bring quinces to boil. It took me5 minutes. Boil the cubes until soft; at least for 10 minutes. Check with fork if softened.
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Drain quinces and transfer into blender to get smooth paste. I got 2 ½ cups of silky puree.
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Pour quince puree into the pot again and add sugar. Boil for at least one hour, stirring constantly. Your paste should get rich deep crimson colour.
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Lightly oil your dish or two if making both savoury and sweet versions.
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To serve, cut into squares or wedges and serve with Manchego cheese. To eat, take a small slice of membrillo and spread it on top of a slice of the cheese or toast. Store by wrapping in foil or plastic wrap and keep in the refrigerator.
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You may store your sweets in opened boxes in airy place (pantry). Put some rosemary or bay leaves or anise aside.
Recipe Notes
- Once finished, I halved our quince paste and poured one half into the dish to serve with cheeses and added ½ tsp gingerbread spices to the other. Mix it well and pour into oiled dish as well and let both batches cool at room temperature. After cooled completely, transfer them into the fridge, covered with foil. Leave it for two days before consuming.
- Other version to store your sweet version: once coated with sugar, keep up to three months in dark and cool place to have for Christmas.
- To speed the process up, you may dry membrillo paste in preheated oven (50 C / 125) for an hour or longer to help it dry out. Remove from oven and let cool.