Membrillo (Quince Paste)

Name: Membrillo (Quince Paste)
Prep time: 45 min
Cook time: 45 min
Total time: 45 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: Global
Ingredients: 2 kilograms quince, washed, peeled, cored, roughly chopped; 1 vanilla pod, split; 2 strips (1/2 inch by 2 inches each) of lemon zest (only the yellow peel, no white pith); 3 Tbsps lemon juice; 946 milliliters About of granulated sugar, exact amount will be determined during cooking

Membrillo (Quince Paste) is a gluten free, dairy free, lacto ovo vegetarian, and fodmap friendly recipe with 4 servings. This side dish has 1038 calories, 2g of protein, and 1g of fat per serving. This recipe covers 11% of your daily requirements of vitamins and minerals. Head to the store and pick up quince, lemon juice, granulated sugar, and a few other things to make it today. From preparation to the plate, this recipe takes approximately approximately 45 minutes. Membrillo (Quince Paste), Empanadas de Membrillo (Argentinian Quince and Cheese Empanadas), and The Secret Ingredient (membrillo): Apple And Pear Membrillo Tur are very similar to this recipe.

Instructions

Place quince pieces in a large saucepan (6-8 quarts) and cover with water.

Ingredients you will need

Quince

Water

Equipment you will use

Sauce Pan

Add the vanilla pod and lemon peel and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer, cover, and let cook until the quince pieces are fork tender (30-40 minutes).

Ingredients you will need

Vanilla Bean

Lemon Peel

Quince

Make quince purée: Strain the water from the quince pieces. Discard the vanilla pod but keep the lemon peel with the quince. Purée the quince pieces in a food processor, blender, or by using a food mill.

Ingredients you will need

Vanilla Bean

Lemon Peel

Quince

Water

Equipment you will use

Food Processor

Blender

Measure the purée: Measure the quince purée. Whatever amount of quince purée you have, that's how much sugar you will need. So if you have 4 cups of purée, you'll need 4 cups of sugar.

Ingredients you will need

Quince

Sugar

Heat purée to dissolve sugar, add lemon juice: Return the quince purée to the large pan.

Ingredients you will need

Lemon Juice

Quince

Sugar

Equipment you will use

Frying Pan

Heat to medium-low.

Add the sugar. Stir with a wooden spoon until the sugar has completely dissolved.

Ingredients you will need

Sugar

Equipment you will use

Wooden Spoon

Add the lemon juice.

Ingredients you will need

Lemon Juice

Cook on low heat until thick and dark pink: Continue to cook over a low heat, stirring occasionally, for 1-1 1/2 hours, until the quince paste is very thick and has a deep orange pink color.

Ingredients you will need

Orange

Quince

Put in low oven to dry: Preheat oven to a low 125°F (52°C). Line a 8x8 baking pan with parchment paper (do not use wax paper, it will melt!). Grease the parchment paper with a thin coating of butter.

Ingredients you will need

Butter

Equipment you will use

Baking Paper

Baking Pan

Wax Paper

Oven

Pour the cooked quince paste into the parchment paper-lined baking pan. Smooth out the top of the paste so it is even.

Ingredients you will need

Quince

Equipment you will use

Baking Paper

Baking Pan

Place the membrillo paste in the 125°F oven for an hour or longer to help it dry out. (If you have a convection or fan setting for your oven, use it.)

Equipment you will use

Oven

Remove from oven and let cool.

Equipment you will use

Oven

Serve: To serve, cut into squares or wedges and present with Manchego cheese. To eat, take a small slice of the membrillo and spread it on top of a slice of the cheese. Store by wrapping in foil or plastic wrap, an keeping in the refrigerator.

Ingredients you will need

Manchego Cheese

Cheese

Spread

Wrap

Equipment you will use

Plastic Wrap

Aluminum Foil

Note: The first time I made this the top part set, but the bottom had not. To fix, I emptied the quince paste into a large pyrex bowl and put in the microwave. I cooked it on high in 5 minute increments for 20 minutes. During the last minute one of the edges started to caramelize and turn brown. This you don't want to have happen, as the caramelized parts destroy the flavor, but in this case it was a good indication that the rest of the quince paste was ready. I discarded the browned parts and returned the rest to a newly lined baking dish. Back into the oven for an hour and it was done to perfection.

Ingredients you will need

Quince

Equipment you will use

Baking Pan

Microwave