Personal

Car Stuff

Extras

Membrillo (Spanish Quince Cheese)

Traditionally eaten in Spain accompanied by Manchego cheese. From Waitrose.

1.5kg quinces
zest of 1/2 lemon (optional)
juice of 1/2 lemon (optional)
750g granulated sugar

Rub any down of the quinces and wash them before chopping. Place the quinces in a large pan along with the lemon zest. Add enough water to the pan so the quinces are just floating. Bring the mixture to a boil then reduce to a low simmer and cover the pan. Continue cooking until the quinces are very soft and have darkened in colour (this can take 30mins to up to 3 hours). Ensure you top-up the water levels, as needed.

Transfer the fruit pulp into a jelly bag and allow the liquid to drain into a bowl over night. Retain the juice to make quince jelly then transfer the solids to a food processor and chop. Pass the resultant pulp through a fine-meshed sieve using the back of a spoon. Measure the volume of pulp then transfer to a large heavy-bottomed saucepan before stirring in an equal volume of granulated sugar.

Gradually bring the mixture to a simmer, stirring constantly to dissolve the sugar then allow to simmer very gently for about 2 hours, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking and burning. Eventually the mixture will become thick enough to allow a spoon to stand up in it.

If using immediately, spoon into well-oiled ramekins. If you want to store then spoon the mixture into well-oiled, sterilized, straight-sided jars and seal. Cut slices of the quince cheese to serve with cold meats and cheeses. Refrigerate the jars after opening. Keeps for up to 6 months.