Quince Paste Recipe – Spanish Special

Begin by washing, peeling, and coring the quinces, setting aside the cores and peels. Coarsely chop the flesh and place it in a large pan. Bundle the cores and peels in cheesecloth, tie with kitchen string, and add to the pan. (The peels contain most of the fruit’s pectin, which helps give quince paste its firmness.)

Add enough water to cover the quinces and bring to a boil with the pan partly covered. Cook for 30 to 40 minutes until the fruit is soft. Remove the bag of peels and pass the quince flesh through a sieve or food mill. (Avoid using a food processor for a coarser texture.) You should have approximately 2 1/2 pounds of fruit pulp.

Transfer the quince pulp to a saucepan and add an equal weight of sugar to the fruit pulp. Stir over low heat until the sugar dissolves. Cook for about 1 1/2 hours, stirring frequently with a wooden spoon, until the mixture thickens and turns a deep orange color. When you draw the spoon along the bottom of the saucepan, the quince mixture should leave a trail and stick to the spoon.

Lightly grease a 9×13-inch baking dish or line it with greased parchment paper. Spread the quince paste in the dish to a thickness of about 1 1/2 inches, smoothing the top. Allow it to cool.

Dry the paste for approximately 1 1/2 hours in the oven at the lowest setting, not exceeding 125 degrees F (52 degrees C). Let the quince paste cool completely before slicing. Alternatively, in Europe, traditionally leave the paste in a cupboard for about 7 days to allow further evaporation of juices for a drier texture.

Store the quince paste in an airtight container in the refrigerator; its color will deepen with time.