Quince paste

Membrillo

Serve this home-made quince paste with a selection of hard and soft cheeses.

MAKES 500 G (1 LB 2 OZ)

1 kg (2 lb 4 0z) quinces

1 kg (2 lb 4 oz) sugar

Peel the quinces and remove the cores. Set the flesh aside and chop the cores into chunks. Cook the core in enough boiling water to cover, until soft, then discard the cooked core and reserve the water.

Chop the quince flesh into chunks and put in a saucepan with water over high heat and boil until soft. Drain. Weigh the cooked quince then put it into a food processor. Measure the same weight in sugar and add to the food processor, along with the reserved cooking water. Blend until smooth.

Cook the purée in a heavy-based saucepan over gentle heat for 1–1½ hours, until reduced to a thick caramel. Decant into sterilised jars and refrigerate when cool.