Quinces are hard not to miss; they resemble giant yellow pears and have the most wonderful delicate scent. Inside their flesh is crisp almost hard which when cut discolours very quickly. This and their tart taste can be forgiven as that same tricky flesh turns into the most beautiful pinky red colour when cooked. This is a fruit so rarely seen in supermarkets and shops yet it has so much going for it. Full of pectin, these fruits are fabulous in jellies and jams. On top of which they are very versatile and can be used in sweet and savoury dishes. Quince is often used with meat dishes. Unlike other fruit it only takes three quinces to produce something truly delicious.
I was beginning to think that I would not see any qunices this year – if it weren’t for a tip off that some had been seen in the greengrocers in the next village. Twenty minutes later I was on my way home with a large bag sitting on the passenger seat filled with quinces. Oh how I long to have a friend who has a large quince tree in their garden with no use for the fruit.
I have a weakness for cheese and love the combination of a slice of cheese with something sweet such as a spoon of chilli crabapple jelly or a slice of the wonderful Dulce de Membrillo. Anything that adds a sweet kick to the cheese is heaven for me.
Dulce de Membrillo comes from the Spanish for ‘sweet quince’. The recipe has few ingredients; quinces, sugar and water. Patience is needed for this simple recipe but it is well worth the effort. The Membrillo will keep in the fridge for months.
Dulce de Membrillo
Ingredients
Quinces
Sugar
Water
Method
Wash the quinces well and place In a large pan (complete with skin) and fill with water to cover them. Place a lid on the pan and gently bring up to the boil. Then simmer for 40-45 minutes. They are cooked when a knife is easily inserted into the centre.
Drain, discarding the water, and set aside to cool. Once cool, peel the quinces and core them. Liquidise the flesh until smooth.
Weigh the quince pulp and whatever the weight add an equal amount of sugar.
Place in a clean pan and return to a gentle heat. Now the patience starts as the the sugar and pulp need to be stirred otherwise they will catch on the bottom of the pan and burn. Keep doing this until the mixture becomes thick and you can see the bottom of the pan when you drag the spoon through it.
Beware of spitting because the mixture can become too hot and will spit. Using a long handled wooden spoon helps to avoid this.
Transfer to a dish lined with greaseproof paper and allow to cool.
When cool remove from dish, wrap with fresh greaseproof paper and store in the fridge.
Note: I made my Dulce de Membrillo with 3 quinces but I could have added less or more it doesn’t matter. 3 quinces produced for me two slabs measuring 12cm x 16cm.
Instead of putting the quinces in a pan of water they can also be baked in the oven.
Footnote
Quinces and quince trees seem to be hard to find and A Taste of Wintergreen posted a link on comments which sums up the problem in a really interesting article found here.
Another Quince fact is that they don’t stop at being a wonderful source of food they were also considered to be an aphrodisiac – probably the reason why seventeenth century London prostitutes were known as marmalade madams. Ivan Day has written about the history of the quince in England with some wonderful pictures and recipes of quince – here
Maria Dernikos 
Wow! I always wondered how membrillo was made. I’m gong to try this. I don’t have a kitchen scale so I may have to guess on the pulp to sugar ratio. Also, how did you get it so perfectly rectangular? Was it the dish you allowed it to cool on? Thanks so much for dispelling the mystery of quince paste!
I usually always make notes of my recipes and I have gone back to see if I wrote down a weight so you would have some idea of how much sugar I used for 3 quinces, but I didn’t write the weight. I don’t see that it would have to be accurate as the pectin in the quince help the setting. I did line a couple of glass dishes and poured the membrillo into them but as it cools it sets, you could have any shape you like. The picture shows a slice so it does look neat!
Patience I have. But do I have your cooking style, Maria?
Quince and Persians have quite a relationship. We love to make preserves, sweets, stuffed, and of course stews from it. When I first came to USA, we could not find any. But now, around this time we can find them in the stores. To be honest, I tried to make preserves from them and did not do a good job. After that, I did not use it anymore. But now, seeing this beautiful, delectable photo and recipe, I like to try to make this dulce de membrillo!
Fae! The lady who can bake a Zebra cake as perfect as yours can do anything.
Quinces have gone back in Greek history too and I was tempted to post a spoon sweet recipe instead I made Membrillo because its more popular with my family!
We love quinces in Australia – they have been made popular by a lovely chef Maggie Beer. Mainly I bake them or stew for hours with vanilla and lemon. The smell is just heavenly!
I haven’t heard of Maggie Beer so I shall go and google her. It’s always nice to learn something new. I agree with you lemon and vanilla do go well with quinces. It seems they are not the forgotten fruit any more.
Your membrillo looks lovely. A Spanish friend used to give me a small box of it from time to time. As you say, it is very good with cheese. Looks well worth making if one can find quinces.
I have two large portions of it, no doubt there will be a slice coming your way shortly!!! Try my new favourite green grocers we went to last time.
I’m not at all familiar with membrillo, Maria, but, like you, I really enjoy a little sweet with good cheese. I had hoped to find quince at the market in the morning so that I could make some jam. Maybe I’ll buy a few more and give your membrillo a try. 🙂
You only need one quince to try this John, as the beauty of this recipe is that what ever quince pulp you have you add the same in sugar. Admittedly the standing and stirring for one quince may seem a lot of work but better to try it with a small quantity than having made for the five thousand!
So interesting, Maria! I have never seen, let alone had, any quince before. Thank you for introducing me to something new!
You are welcome Stefano. On a different note I went to buy a bottle of wine yesterday and some of your wine notes came to my mind, I felt that I had chosen well. So thank you!
I’ve not had quince yet, but I’ll definitely be on the lookout. That colour for yur membrillo is just gorgeous! I’d love to paint my kitchen that colour…
I think that the poor old quince has been forgotten over the last decade. If you do paint your kitchen that colour you would have to post a picture of it!! It would look fantastic.
Such a delicate and delightful recipe, Maria! I am partial to quinces (as you may have guessed, ha ha) and would love to try this sometime. Beautiful post!
Do you know that until you commented it has only just dawned on me the connection!! Quinces like figs are such wonderful fruit and have so much history.
This brings back memories of Australia for me Maria. Alas – I’ve never seen a quince in Canada. But I can imagine this and like you – I love sweets together with cheese. A lovely post. As usual….
Thank you Lindy. It is amazing there are no quince trees in Canada but there again there are not that many in England. They don’t seem to be as popular as apple or plum yet such a lovely fruit. I see a gap in the market opening here!!!!
Maria – I just found this wonderful article. Apparently we did have (and must still have) Quince trees in Canada. I love this article – I think you might too. It’s beautifully written….
http://life.nationalpost.com/2012/10/27/quince-youve-been-gone-a-rare-fruit-and-how-it-became-that-way/
You are absolutely right I really enjoyed reading it and it was so true. It is sad how we are being controlled by the masses. I have read that quinces also had the reputation of being an aphrodisiac – probably the reason why seventeenth century London ladies of the night were known as marmalade madams. I just love the phrase. I am going to add your link to the main paper because it is so interesting.
Such a lovely recipe, Maria! I’m ashamed to admit that I have never heard or seen quinces. Such a great looking fruit! I’m sure the taste must be very sweet. I’ll look for them locally. I would love to try them.
Simply loved your footnote about the marmalade madams!!! 🙂 The link is very interesting too. The perfect final touch to a great post, Maria. 🙂
I wasn’t brave enough to put it in the post the first time, but I too loved the term ‘marmalade madams’ it conjures up quite an image!!
Absolutely!!! 🙂
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