Membrillo – Quince Jelly

1 Wash and core the quinces and then chop into 3-cm pieces. You should end up with about 2 kg of prepared fruit. Put in a large heavy-based pan with the sugar and place over a medium to high heat. Stir the fruit from time to time so that it doesn’t catch on the bottom of the pan. Quinces are quite hard and unlike other fruits such as strawberries, peaches or oranges, don’t soften or release any liquid as quickly.

2 After about 15 minutes you will see the quince start to caramelize – at this point reduce the heat to low. Continue to cook at this low heat, stirring occasionally, for 1½ hours. After half an hour the quince will start to soften; after another hour it will become more like a paste. It should be dark brown in colour and have reduced to a quarter of the original amount. Add the lemon juice and water and cook for a further 10 minutes.

3 Your jelly is now ready. Pour into clean, sterilized jars; if properly sealed you will be able to keep for at least a year. Alternatively, you can pour into a baking tray lined with greaseproof paper. Once it has cooled and set firm you can turn out and slice into squares.

SUGGESTION
You can also make a softer, more spreadable paste, instead of this firm jelly. Simply add 2 glasses of water to the paste along with the lemon juice and purée with a hand blender until smooth. Continue to cook for another 5–10 minutes and then pour into sterilized jars as before.

OMAR’S NOTE
Membrillo goes very well with cheese – in particular our famous Spanish Manchego cheese. I also like to eat membrillo with fresh cottage cheese and olive oil and often use it in cheesecakes too.