quince membrillo recipe

A classic way to eat quince – a paste which is traditionally served with Manchego in Spain. It is easy to make and stores well. Eat it with cheese, on its own, or add a little to flavour casseroles and sauces.

Makes 2kg

  • granulated sugar (for exact quantity see below)
  • 2kg quince (or quince and cooking apples if you are short of quince)
  • a little ground cinnamon

Put the packets or bowl of sugar in a very low oven to warm up for about half an hour.

Roughly chop the unpeeled quinces and put into a pan with 300ml water. Cover and stew gently until the fruit is soft. Sieve or mouli the fruit and measure then purée. For each 600ml of purée, add 350g of sugar. Gently heat in a deep saucepan until the sugar has completely dissolved. Raise the heat and bring to the boil, stirring continuously to prevent it catching. As it reduces, it will spit and splatter, so cover your hand with a cloth.

After about 45 minutes the mixture will have turned a lovely reddish brown and will begin to come away from the side of the pan as you stir. Pour into baking trays lined with non-stick paper or an oiled mold. Leave, uncovered, at room temperature for 2-3 days before cutting into blocks or chunks.

This recipe appears on p380 of Sarah Raven's Garden Cookbook.

quince membrillo