Quince Paste
Quince Paste or quince cheese is a firm, sliceable preservative made out of the golden apple. This amber - ruby-colored delicacy is also one of the oldest sweet treats in Hungary. It's aromatic, chewy and you won't stop after just one bite.
Servings 1 pan
Equipment
- Food Mill
Ingredients
- 4.4 lbs Quince
- 6 cups Sugar
- 1 Lemon
- Water
Instructions
- Wash the fluffs off of the quinces. It's easier if you use a clean sponge.
- Carefully with a sharp knife, dice the quinces. You don't need to peel them or cut out the cores, it contains more pectin, which will act as a gelling agent.
- Add the diced quinces to a large pot and pour just enough water to cover them.
- Cook them until the pieces are soft.
- Strain them.
- Blend them with a hand blender.
- Press the fruit pulp through the food mill. Be very careful, because it's gonna be hot!
- Add the sugar to the strained quince paste, mix it well.
- Add the lemon juice to the mixture.
- Put it back on the stove and cook it on low heat for 1.5-2 hours. Stir it frequently.
- Be careful as the paste starts to thicken it tends to bubble which can burn you, but at this stage, the paste burns easier too, so stir it frequently!
- When you can see the bottom of the pot while stirring, you can carefully pour the paste to a larger non-stick baking pan.
- Leave the paste in the pan for 1-2 days, then turn it out onto a large piece of baking paper. To avoid getting any dust or any other thing on your paste, you can add a piece of baking paper on the top too. Let it dry, turn it every other day. It depends on your taste (or patience) when you decide it's ready. Personally I prefer it on the drier side, so I left mine for 2-3 weeks.