I forgot how much good eating inspires good cooking. I recently saw this video (vegetarians beware) for some good Spanish food and decided that I needed tapas, and I needed to try El Colmado. Well, El Comado led me back to Tertulia, which led me back to D’espana, which led me to finally purchasing the Hero Food cookbook and back into my kitchen.
The excitement that comes to me through Spanish food and the same passion it inspires in other people reveals to me that the world that beats within our hearts spins in a bigger universe with other hearts just as complex and hungry as our own. Never for a moment is my excitement dulled or the narrative of Spain’s rich history lost when I am sinking my lips into a paella, letting jamon serrano melt in my mouth or when I’m devouring albondigas. Clearly, Spanish food is what made me want to ser cocinera, to be a cook.
So with Valentine’s Day approaching, I thought it would be best to make these sweet ruby red jewels to pair with manchego cheese, another fave. To create this sweet paste, you must fittingly allow the quinces to boil and simmer, then mix with sugar, creating a chemical reaction as impressive as love and passion itself. The two ingredients heat up together transforming the knobby, pale green, unpalatable quince, from its raw state to a beautiful rose, its astringent taste becoming sweet, citrusy and floral. Tell me love doesn’t transform in the same way.
Like all great loves, the quince’s history is rich: Paris awarded Aphrodite a quince, a gesture that incited the Trojan war; the ancient Greeks, who equated the golden fruit with love, marriage and fertility, ritually offered quince at weddings. Quinces were also considered to be an aphrodisiac, an avenue to passion – possibly the reason why seventeenth century London prostitutes were known as marmalade madams.
This recipe is another excuse to indulge in sensual pleasure where patience simmers away at a slow boil to create this magical reaction. Break the Valentine’s Day mold where sweets have become the province of romantic love. Make this for everyone you love. Reclaim the day. For me, the heart shaped boxes from my parents when I was a kid, were the most romantic of days. The days gone by, the days with my family, when we were all together in a tiny house with nothing but hope ahead of us. But now, in the thick of things, with life unfolding around us, our hearts are capable of so much more. So indulge. Enjoy. Love yourself. Stir until you can’t take it anymore. Make membrillo! Wishing you all the love your hearts can hold.
Quince Membrillo
Inspired by a similar recipe by the lovely Maria Dernikos.
Ingredients:
Makes 1/2 Sheet Pan
6 quinces
1 lemon
3 cups sugar
Directions:
Wash quinces and remove any stickers, fuzz or leaves. Cut straight down around the core to remove the flesh, then cut into big chunks and discard the core. Place quince pieces in a large pot and cover with about 6 cups water. Cut lemon in half and juice into pot. Gently simmer until the pieces are very tender.
Drain the quince pieces. Pass through a food mill. If you don’t have a food mill, purée in a food processor. You should have about 3 cups of purée. While you don’t have to, it’s helpful to measure the amount of purée you end up with as you want to add an equal amount of sugar in the next step.
Transfer purée to a large non-stick sauté pan. Add about 3 cups of sugar (depending on the amount of purée you measured) and cook over low heat, stirring frequently for about an hour. Then stir and stir and stir. If you get impatient, it’s OK to turn the heat up to medium, but keep a close watch on it and stir frequently. Make sure it doesn’t caramelize. The mixture will thicken and will be rosy in color. It will start bubbling almost as a complete mass and will be shiny when done.
Line a sheet pan with parchment paper. Spread the quince paste so that it is about a half-inch thick. Smooth with a spatula and try to form into an even rectangle—it most likely will not cover the whole surface area of the pan. Set aside to cool completely. Some people like to bake at 185F for an hour to help it dry, but it’s not necessary.
When cool, transfer parchment paper-filled membrillo to a large cutting board. Fill a large vase or cup with hot water and have a clean towel by your side. Line a glass storage vessel with parchment paper. Cut membrillo into 2 x 4-inch pieces approximately, dipping the knife into the hot water and drying it off as necessary. Fill one layer of the storage vessel with cut membrillo, top with another layer of parchment and continue filling in this manner until all of the membrillo is cut. Store in the refrigerator for months. Bring to room temperature before serving.
Love yout idea for reclaiming the day. Since I don’t have much of a sweet tooth, these treats would suit me just fine.
Thanks, Jovina! Yes, this is a perfect balance of sweet and tart. Paired with the cheese you’re golden. Happy Vday!
One of the best uses of quince in my opinion
Thanks, Sally. It just takes a ton of work. It gives you time to contemplate :O)
Lovely words and recipe, Amanda. I really love quinces but must admit I have never tried membrillo, and the association of it with Manchego is a classic, but I have yet to try that too! It looks quite delicious, and I love cheese + jam/marmalade so I am sure I would love this. Unfortunately, I doubt whether I can find quinces in France at this time of the year to try your recipe, I will just have to hope that by next fall my parents’ tree yields more fruit than it did last year! 🙂
Hi Darya! That is so cool that your parents have a tree. I didn’t think I could find quinces either so when I saw them I grabbed a few. There’s no picture of them because they were a little bruised, but I couldn’t believe they were here! You would love membrillo. It takes such a long time to make, but it’s well worth it!
Beautifully written. I love the ‘marmalade madams’ fact, had never heard that! Never tried membrillo, but want to now… Oh, the joy of quince…
Thank you! I think you’d really like this. Quinces really are wonderful arent they. And so rare these days.
Beautiful post. Thank you so much for the mention. Having made this I know what you mean about ‘the stirring’! How beautiful it looks though.
Anytime, Maria. I love your blog and everyone should see it. Yours came out much more ruby red. Mine might have caramelized a bit.
If I could have cut myself a slice of yours with a nice piece of cheese I would have done. If I was in your kitchen with you I would ask; did you keep yours on a low as heat as possible? Standing there stirring it for all you are worth to stop it catching allows you to cook a little longer getting that deeper colour. Also don’t forget quince’s come in different varieties and some don’t colour as deeply as others. That’s the beauty of cooking for yourself, you can change it each time to suit!! In a restaurant you have to produce the same dish the same way every time at home you can play around. The taste is the most important.
Very good points! Thanks, Maria. It was low heat, but at the end, I got a little impatient, which got the best of me. Your blog is such an amazing resource. I’d love to come into your kitchen and observe. I definitely will try this again since I ate most of it already. The next time i see quinces I’ll see if it comes out differently.
If ever you are in London. Not everything I make turns out as I would like it. I have learnt over the years to keep a notebook and add little reminders because by the time next year or season comes round I have forgotten, I think I won’t but I do every time.
Hmmm lovely you made your own quince paste? I have to say I love making jams etc, but I buy my membrillo because tis so easy to get good membrillo here in Spain (and so hard to get fresh quince). As in your picture it goes so well with Manchego cheese, Spanish fresh cheese, and I recently had this thing for throwing in some membrillo sometimes in what I’d be cooking. Have a lovely evening!
Omg that sounds lovely. I can get good membrillo here too in the specialty stores, but I wanted to try it just once. It’s labor intensive. But i really do love it. We have the quince scarcity problem here too. This was a random find so I felt like I just had to. Thanks so much for your comment!
So good. This brings me back to sitting at a bar in Salamanca, watching Madrid v. Barcelona on TV and enjoying a 2 euro glass of wine that came with a simple toast topped with Manchego cheese and membrillo. What a classic, awesome combination the evokes great memories.
Thanks, David. I know, it brings me back too. It’s so unfair how good wine is so much cheaper in Spain and how good food is everywhere. This was definitely a nostalgic endeavor. Thanks for commenting. I love that you guys are enjoying Jerusalem over at the NYFJ.
Love this post Amanda. Very exciting you found quince this time of year. Beautifully narrated and photographed. We have a quince tree (as well as an apple and pear) in our playground at the school where I used to teach and it was quite a site to see the young children play with the fallen fruit in the fall. They would “play cooking” with them, and smash them into what resembled applesauce! Thankfully we did get some off the tree to take home before the little ones got to them! Didn’t realize Manchego was so photogenic! It certainly is!
Thanks so much for your thoughtful comment as always. What a wonderful thing to have a quince tree. I love that. I had crab apple trees growing up, but I never thought to do anything with them. That’s so cute that the kids played cooking. Maybe one day they’ll read your blog 🙂
Very nice indeed
Gracias! Happy Vday!
And to you my friend!
I love membrillo (and the Chocolove dark chocolate in your picture!). Manchego is the best accompaniment to the quince paste! I have a post about this, too… Great minds think (and munch) alike! Nice, Amanda – lovely photos and prose.
Thanks, Shanna. OMG I have to see your post on membrillo. I honestly never would have thought to make it myself if I hadn’t seen it around the blog world. How decadent right, chocolate, membrillo and manchego…there’s also an open bottle of wine there too. Best. meal. 🙂
This is too mean. You are making me VERY hungry! 🙂 It’s tapas time, Amanda. 🙂
🙂
Yes! Manchego and Quince Paste! Especially after a rich dinner this is just the thing–the sharp salty flavor of Manchego with the sweet flavor of the quinces. I applaud your ambition. Happy Valentine’s Day! Ken
Thanks, Ken! You guys too. How you brave the storm well!
I was drooling over Maria Dernikos’ Dulce de Membrillo/quince. And now, yours. Why do you call it paste?
Aw. It’s more of a paste than a jelly. They always describe it as a paste when you are stores or restaurants. It’s semi hard. That’s the best explanation I have. Very tasty no matter what you call it.
wow, what a post! stunning, all of it 🙂
Thank you, Liz!
Gorgeous – we love dulce de membrillo but didn’t make any this year as we weren’t in Spain for the autumn when we overflow with quince. Your method is lovely…very patient! We do it the cheat’s way 😉 http://chicaandaluza.com/2011/11/14/dulce-de-membrillo-quince-jelly/
Wow so you get that much mush out if then without boiling? In totally going to try it this way. Yours looks perfect!
Hi Amanda, great post! Thanks for your note which let me know of our similar Valentine’s Day posts! Membrillo is fantastic, I too ate my quince paste with Manchego, a wonderful pair! But,, for the “Romeo and Juliet” pastries I needed to use a soft cheese, like goat. I wondered about trying the pastries with other soft cheeses (like brie, for ex.) pairing it with either the quince or the guava pastes, but have not tried either combination yet. That’s the fun about cooking and baking, there’s so much room for exploration! 🙂
Thanks for checking it out. I was impressed by your guava paste and the similarity of our sentiments. Oh I wound love any of those combos right now! Brie is definitely a favorite too. I’m coming over when you experiment! Last night out of nowhere I made madeleines at midnight just fir fun.
Hi Amanda, you’re invited and would be welcome anytime to try experiments “en mi cocina”! Madeleines at midnight, how fun! I love them–so cute, elegant and cheery. 🙂 Have a great day!
Lovely post, beautiful pictures, and i followed your link to Hero Food and it looks an amazing – I’m very tempted!
Thanks, trixi! It’s worth it for the photos alone. Ive been on a Spanish kick recently. Though I also keep making batches of madeleines (post to come)
Maria Dernikos IS lovely. And so are you. And so are quinces. And so is this recipe! And how interesting that quinces were given as ritual presents in weddings in Greece. And thanks to you I finally put two and two together re Lady Marmalade!
Thanks, Azita! I found the quinces Thanks to you! I understand your affinity for them completely!
It’s kind of odd that, although I’ve been all over Spain and lived in London with several Spanish people, I’ve never tasted membrillo before. Or at least I don’t remember trying it. And I can’t find quince where I now live. Even in the superstores. I’ll just have to live vicariously (yes, I’ve read it several times on blogs!) through your post.
Aw. Well you must try it at some point! It really is fab. Quinces are tough to find this time of year everywhere. I think you’d actually like this.
Your blog is an authentic “joya”, Amanda 😉
Muchas gracias. I only wish I were writing it in Spain! I’m overdo fir a trip to where my heart is!
Hermosa receta!!!
Gracias, Nena!