Quince membrillo (quince cheese)

Name: Quince membrillo (quince cheese)
Total time: 1 h 30 min
Ingredients: 4 quinces; 350g of sugar, you may need more or less depending on how much purée you end up with

by GBC Kitchen

Item 1 of 1

Preserve
easy
12
1 hour 30 minutes

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

5.00

This superb membrillo recipe (also known as quince cheese) is just the thing to whip up in time for Christmas and its onslaught of cheeseboards. This paste is pretty versatile outside of the cheeseboard realm, too – it's wonderful spread on toast for breakfast, or baked into sweet pastries.

First published in 2017

discover more:

Quince Recipes

Membrillo (also known as quince paste or quince cheese) is a thick, sweet jelly made from quince. As quinces are very high in pectin, no setting agent needs to be added and the jelly is made from nothing but fruit and sugar. Traditionally from Spain, it pairs delightfully with a nutty manchego, but is an excellent addition to any cheese board.

Due to the high sugar content, which preserves the jelly, this paste can happily sit in the fridge for months, which makes this the perfect recipe to use up a glut of quinces. Get creative and flavour the paste with a squeeze of lemon juice or a vanilla extract.

Ingredients

Metric

Imperial

Membrillo (quince cheese)

4 quinces
350g of sugar, you may need more or less depending on how much purée you end up with

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Equipment

Blender

Method

Peel, core and roughly chop the quinces

Place in a pan, cover with water and bring to the boil. Cook until soft

Drain, then transfer the cooked quinces to a blender and blitz the to a smooth purée

Weigh the purée then scrape into to a heavy-based pan

Add the same weight of sugar as the quince to the purée and stir well

Cook down very slowly for about an hour or until the paste has developed a lovely dark amber colour. Make sure you stir regularly to stop it from sticking and burning

Line a heatproof tub with cling film then scrape the paste into it. Even out the surface with a spatula. Allow to cool to room temperature, then place in the fridge to set into a solid block

Once set, it can be cut into smaller blocks to serve with cheese or charcuterie, used as a thick spread on toast or crackers, or even as a filling for sweet pastries

First published in 2017

DISCOVER MORE:

Quince Recipes

GBC Kitchen

GBC Kitchen is where you'll find accessible, inspiring recipes with a twist, from our in-house team of recipe developers. Perfect for mid-week meals or special occasions alike, GBC Kitchen recipes will help you become a more confident cook, and impress those around you in the meantime! Don't forget to check out our brand new How to Cook guide every month, which focuses on a specific ingredient and ways to use it, alongside four brand new recipes.

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