Quinces into Butter
By Gaius Robinson, Sonoma County Master Gardener
A friend gave me a cook book called,” Simply Quince" by Barbara Ghazarian. Some of the recipes are great, some not as good. BUT her basic premise is super. I make her "pate' de coing" every year. A traditional dessert served in Provence at midnight after Mass on Dec. 24 every year includes fruits, nuts, special bread, nougats and this quince paste.
The Spanish, traditionally, have used "membrillo”, another form of quince paste, with Manchego cheese and bread for breakfast. I like it with soft cheese, like Brie, for hors d’oeuvres. Marmelo is the word for quince in Portuguese. They made jam called marmalade out of quince. It was not until 1790, in Dundee, Scotland that orange rinds were used to make "marmalade".
Quince Butter
Ingredients:
3 cups water
1 cup sugar
1 1/2 pounds quince, cored, peeled, and quartered
1 stick cinamon, 1 star anise
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
Preparation
Bring the sugar and water the boil and cook for a minute or two. Add the cut quince, and cook over medium-low heat 45- 60 minutes or until very tender. Set off the heat to cool for 20 minutes or so. Remove the quince from the pan with a slotted spoon, reserving the syrup. Place the quince in a food processor; process until smooth.
Cook reserved cooking liquid over medium-high heat, without stirring, until candy thermometer registers 234°. Remove from heat; stir in pureed quince and juice. Cool, then pour into an airtight container.
Will keep refrigerated in an airtight container for up to about two months.