Quince Paste by Foodland Recipe Kitchen

Preparation Time: 20 minutes
Cooking Time: 10 hours (30 minutes + 2 hours + setting time)

Ingredients

• 4 Quinces
• Water
• Sugar
• Cheese platter and crackers, to serve

Equipment

• Large Saucepan
• Food Processor
• Strainer
• 20 x 30cm Lamington Pan
• Air tight Container

Instructions

Quince paste is a labour of love requiring a lot of patience, the trick is to cook it low and slow. But don’t be put off by the commitment, it’s definitely worth the effort!  This classic sweet quince paste is the perfect partner to cheese, especially goat’s, blue or an aged and crackers.

1. Wash, peel and core quinces. Chop quince flesh coarsely and place in large saucepan.
2. Add enough water to cover the quinces and boil, covered 30 minutes or until fruit is very soft and drain into a strainer.
3. Push the fruit through a fine sieve into a bowl. Alternatively, you can use a food processor to puree the fruit until very smooth (to an applesauce consistency).
4. Weigh the fruit puree, then add it back to the empty saucepan. Weigh out an equal amount of sugar and add it to the quince.
5. Combine sugar and fruit pulp in the same cleaned saucepan. Cook, stirring over a low heat until the sugar dissolves. Cut the vanilla bean down the centre and add to the puree, or use vanilla extract.
6. Continue to cook, stirring every 5-10 minutes, you will notice the colour of the quince will continue to darken and the mixture will get thicker the longer it cooks. At this stage a wooden spoon drawn through the paste will leave a very distinct trail across the bottom of the pan. This will take approximately 1 hour.
7. After about an hour of cooking, remove the vanilla bean and stir in the lemon juice. Continue to cook, stirring frequently, for an additional hour.
8. Transfer cooked paste to a lightly greased and lined 20cm x 30cm lamington pan. Spread paste flat.
9. Place in fan-forced oven with only the fan working (no temperature set) overnight or for several hours to dry out. Alternatively, you can refrigerate the paste in for a few hours until it sets.
10. To store, keep the quince paste wrapped in plastic or in an airtight container and store in the fridge. Your quince paste should keep for over a year. It should be cut into small wedges or squares to serve.

Notes

When buying quince, make sure they are firm, with a little give.

To make unmoulding the prepared quince easier, either butter or line the tray with baking paper first, alternatively, you could use a silicone container.

The longer you cook the quince puree, the deeper the colour and flavour will become.