Quince on a Whim

My son has a quince tree, and I grabbed a market basket full on a whim.  I have been busy for the last 24 hours quincing up a storm.
The final products are quince jelly and membrillo.

Membrillo is quince "cheese" and is served with manchego sheep cheese.

My quince were quite buggy and much had to be cut away.  But they are organic!  So we shall celebrate that aspect.

buggy quince

cut up and pared.  It is very laborious to pare quince, let me warn you!

water added

mash drained

juice for jelly

quince jelly- but alas this batch did not set and will have to be boiled down again.

This is the mash that was drained for jelly juice, cooked down and put through a food mill.  Membrillo is a confection that dates back to Roman times.  It is eaten with Manchego sheep cheese.  I purchased some from Amazon to go with it.  Membrillo lasts for six months or more in the refrigerator.  I have about five pounds of it and I am going to share it with friends and serve it as an appetizer or dessert at the holidays.  This red kettle will be inverted, and I will wrap it in wax paper and store it in a plaster container.

This is the successful quince jelly after I purchased a candy thermometer.  Making jelly with out added pectin is very tricky.  You have to watch the temp and even if you do it can get over done.    Quince are naturally rich in pectin.  When making jelly or membrillo it is about equal parts fruit to sugar.  I found recipes on line.  Membrillo cooks with lemon rind.  I tried the membrillo with some white cheddar, which was quite tasty.