As soon as I spotted quinces at my local market a couple of weeks ago, I had a plan in my mind: make dulce de membrillo (also called carne de membrillo / quince jelly) like they make it in Spain, where I ate it for the first time, accompanied with some good requesón or queso de Burgos.

Autumnal delight

During the past year I’ve become quite a pro for jams and marmalade but I’ve never made jellies. Normally I’d use far less sugar when cooking a jam because I’m not that much of a sweet tooth. So, when I made quince jelly for the first time, it didn’t come out exactly how it should (which is hard enough to be able to cut it into cubes). What I got was more like a thick jam, although the taste was very good. However, I didn’t find peace until getting my hands on quinces for the 2nd time again – this time I was happy with the result.

So, what do you have to consider when making a quince jelly? Here’s what I learnt through the process:

- you can either cook whole quinces, with the skin on, and peel them afterwards, or you can peel them right at the beginning and slice them (I tried both).
- quinces oxydize within no time, before you even notice it. Therefore, as soon as you peel one, place it in water to which you added some lemon juice. Same goes for the quinces cooked with skin on – squeeze some lemon juice in the cold water, then place the washed quinces inside.

- purée the cooked, peeled and sliced quinces, using a blender. Then you are ready to proceed and make the jelly.
- use at least 50% sugar in relation to quinces. Like I said, I didn’t do so the first time and ended up with jam (which is one very tasty jam, by the way).

- use 1 lemon per 1 (big) quince
- using blond cane sugar works just great
- cook the jelly in a big pan, covered with a lid (!). Namely, the jelly tends to splash terribly all around while cooking, therefore you should consider wearing an apron and use a lot of care when stirring/checking the jelly.

- for checking the consistency of the jelly, place a teaspoon of it on a plate and let cool in the freezer (it will take a few minutes). If it’s solid enough, your jelly is ready.
- store the jelly in the fridge and let it sit at least during the night. If you want it to have the rectangular form, spread it on an appropriate sized dish, cover with some cling film and place something heavy on it (e.g. an other dish etc.)
- serve it with queso de Burgos (a type of fresh cheese, made either of sheep or cow milk, that is made in the Spanish province of Burgos) or requeson – fresh, good quality ricotta works great as a substitute.

Quince at its best – makes a great dessert, snack or breakfast