Quince Jelly / Membrillo

They dined on mince, and slices of quince

Which they ate with a runcible spoon

And hand in hand , on the edge of the sand

They danced by the light of the moon

Edward Lear

Whoever they were they must have been pretty sick after eating slices of quince.  Inedible in it's raw state, much like the crab apple, it's transformed by cooking.  The Spanish make membrillo to accompany Manchego cheese, a marriage made in heaven.  Similar to a pear, this fruit is as rare as hens teeth in Ireland but usually easily got in France and Spain during autumn. 

So imagine my surprise when I came across a large supply of quince in Brittany last week as I killed time waiting for the ferry.  I text Barbara, Travis Bickles wife, and shared news of my bounty.  Yes I'll have some she replied.  So 2 kgs of prime quince were purchased, stored in the boot and transported home. 

To make membrillo I took (weights approximate)

1kg of quinces

1 vanilla pod

Zest of 1 lemon (no white pith)

Sugar, weight to be determined by the weight of boiled quinces (I used demerara sugar)   

Peel, core, and the chop the quinces.  They're tough buggers to core and shop, so a good sharp knife won't go astray. Rince the chopped pieces in the sink.

Place the chopped pieces in a large pot with the split vanilla pod and the lemon zest.  Cover with plenty of water.  Bring to the boil and continue to boil until the quince are soft, approximately 40 minutes.

Drain the water from the pot and weigh the quince pieces.  Note the weight and return to the pot. Puree the quince pieces.  Weigh out an equal amount of the sugar and add to the pureed quince.  Heat over a medium flame stirring continuously until all the sugar has dissolved. Reduce the heat and continue to cook for about an hour until the mixture is thick and deep orange or red in colour.  Stir occasionally to prevent sticking.

Meanwhile heat the oven to 50C / 120F.

Spread the mixture evenly on a non stick baking tray.  Use parchment paper if you don't have non stick.  Place the baking tray in the oven for about an hour to help the settling process.  After an hour remove from the oven, allow to cool, and cut into smaller portions for storing. 

I ladled the mixture directly into glass jars, if doing this be very careful.  The mixture is lava like and spitting.  I made a bain marie in an ovenproof dish, placed the jars in the bain marie and put the whole lot into the preheated oven for an hour to settle.

Membrillo