Membrillo Quince Paste

Membrillo Quince Paste

Membrillo Quince paste is a great alternative to jam, containing within it over to the pulp real pieces of this fruit is not only tasty but very important for their nutritional value.

Membrillo Quince paste can be used in different recipes, from desert to tasty savory dishes where the sweet and sour taste is skilfully combined with typically aged cheeses from Puglia.

Membrillo Quince paste has smooth unique consistency. Their consistency makes them unsuitable to be eaten raw, but if they are cooked and used as an ingredient in desserts, they are truly delicious! It can be used roughly like honey: you can use it to give a personal touch to the preparation of desserts, you can accompany it with dried fruit or, or combine it with cheeses.

This fruit originating from the Middle East has a pleasantly acidic and astringent taste that becomes a real delicacy of the cold season if transformed into a fragrant jam! It seems that already in the Middle Ages this jam was used to perfume and flavor meat, especially fatty, poultry and game. 

Properties

Quinces contain 26 kilocalories per 100 grams of product, fiber, fructose, they are a source of vitamins A, C, B1 and B2 and mineral salts, including potassium, phosphorus, sulfur, calcium, and magnesium. The main quality of quince is the richness of pectin, a soluble dietary fiber, with thickening, stabilizing and gelatinizing properties. An excellent vinegar, a pleasant grappa, and a characteristic cider are also obtained from quinces. 

The quince tree has a shrubby bearing and normally does not exceed 8 meters in height. The leaves are slightly hairy and can have a different shape depending on the position on the plant. The large, white to pink flowers showy sprout at the end of the year. They give rise to fruits of different shapes, yellowish in color and covered with dense hair. The pulp is hard and very consistent, the typically astringent taste and intense smell.

Quince harvesting usually takes place between September and January, that is, during the colder months.

Once collected, the quince has a capacity of up to three months. The most common is to buy them green (unless you want to consume them that same day) and let them ripen at room temperature.

As it is a fruit that you can not buy at any time of the year, what we recommend (if you love it and can not wait for the next season to eat them) is to buy a few that are green and keep them in your house. How? You have several options:

• In the fridge: you can individually wrap them in foil or transparent film and store them in the fridge. In this way, they will endure without spoiling for about three weeks.

• In the freezer: you can resort to freezing them, but for this, you will first have to peel them, clean them, cut them and sprinkle them with a little lemon juice so they do not oxidize. 

Quinces are normally not eaten raw, just because of the characteristics of the pulp, if not when they are very ripe. That is why they are used to prepare Membrillo Quince Paste based on the fruits; a quince added to a kilo of other fruit helps to thicken the jam without the need to use other gelatin products. It is, therefore, a valid ally for those who want to completely natural jams.

Use in the kitchen

Membrillo Quince Paste, in addition to being used in the preparation of cakes, pies or simply spread on rusks for breakfast, can also be used to accompany meats, especially poultry and beef. Quince has Middle Eastern origins and its use alongside meat dates back to the Middle Ages.

It has a sour and slightly sweet taste, for this reason, the fruit is hardly consumed fresh, but it is cooked so that it takes on a sweeter and more intense flavor and gives off a pleasant smell, very similar to honey.

The pulp of the fruit is very rich in pectins which makes it particularly suitable as a thickener, for the preparation of Membrillo Quince Paste, mustards, liqueurs, spirits and jellies. 

Storage

Membrillo Quince Paste can be kept for several months, if the vacuum has been created well, in a cool and dry place away from sources of light and heat.

Once the Membrillo Quince Paste is opened, however, this should be consumed within a few days and will be placed in the refrigerator to keep it at its best.

Membrillo Homemade Quince Paste or “Mele Cotogne” Produced by Paiarrop S.L. which is famous in Spain for producing delicious treats just like Grandma used to make. We import it regularly to ensure its freshness and fruitiness.

Suggestion: Pairs harmoniously with cheese and is excellent as a dessert.

10 ounce (250 gram)

Ingredients: Quince paste, sugar, lemon

Packaging: Plastic Tray

Product of Spain