Long time readers of this blog will know I'm a fan of quince. The two trees we've planted in our orchard here at Struan Farm are just starting to fruit properly after many years (6), so I'm optimistic we'll harvest a reasonable quantity of the fruit in years to come. In the meantime I manage to get some fruit from friends and the Piopio Community Fruit & Veg Stand.
A box of nice looking quince was left at the stand a week or so ago. Some of the fruit was taken but not much. I eventually decided it was coming home with me to be put to use, with some if not all of the byproducts recycled back to the stand. You see, I'm on a mission to demystify quince. People just don't know what to do with them, especially since they cannot be eaten raw. Quince fall into the "too hard basket" when they shouldn't be there at all.
And so I made quince jam, quince jelly, and "membrillo," or quince paste.
I used the "membrillo" recipe from "The Modern Preserver," but this one is quite similar. I used a lined, greased bread tin this time, but you can also use ramekins, jars, whatever you'd like. Once slow baked I cut the paste into slices, wrapped them in baking paper tied with string, and put them out in the Piopio Community Fruit & Veg Stand for people to sample.
I will say that if everyone just tried Nigel Slater's Roast Quince recipe my mission would be done and dusted! It's extraordinarily delicious.
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