The quince is a fruit similar to a large and somewhat deformed pear that is inedible in its natural state. In order to be able to taste them, the Greeks and Romans cooked and sweetened them with honey and more or less the same technique is used today, substituting honey for sugar.
You can buy quince paste in any supermarket, but making it at home has a plus that is worth it.
INGREDIENTS :
- 1 Kg (2.2 lbs) of quinces
- 500 grams (1.1 lbs) of white sugar *
- Lemon juice
* The amount of sugar must always be the same as the effective weight of the quinces without skin or seeds. From 1 kg of quinces you get around 500 of "usable" pulp, but it is best to adjust the weight to obtain the exact equivalence.
First we peel and remove the seeds and the center of the fruit that is harder. The pieces that we are obtaining must be dipped in lemon to prevent them from oxidizing.
Then we pour the pieces into a pot and cover them just enough with water. Let it boil for half an hour or so.
When we have the fruit cooked, we extract it and take it to the mill. Then it is convenient to pass it through the blender so that it becomes a very fine puree.
We pour it back into a casserole without water over very low heat - minimum - and add the sugar. We must stir with a wooden spoon until the sugar dissolves and the mixture thickens. The exact point will be the one where the spoon is stuck vertically and is firmly attached to the dough.
Next we make a mold of any shape and wet it with a little oil so that it is easy to unmold (do not use butter).
We fill the mold with the quince paste, let it cool down to room temperature and put it in the refrigerator for 24 hours. Then we unmold and ready to eat.
