Quince paste
This traditional French "pâte de fruit" (fruit paste or leather) has a distinctive, firm consistency and is full of flavour, with the characteristic tang of quince.
The preparation is rather long, but the result is well worth all the effort.
7,6083/5
Last modified on: December 3rd 2017
For 900 g, you will need:
- 1
800 g quince - 2
½ lemon - 3
450 g granulated sugar - 4
30 g jam sugar - 5
1 orange (optional) - Total weight: 1,645 grams
How long does it take?
| Preparation | Resting | Cooking | Start to finish |
|---|---|---|---|
| 33 min. | 1 hour | 30 min. | 2 hours 3 min. |
At what time?
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Step by step recipe
Stage 1
3 min.
Wash and brush 800 g quinces, but do not peel, as the skin add to the flavour.Stage 2
8 min.
Cut the quinces into quarters, then remove and discard the core. Cut each quarter into small pieces. Put the quince pieces into a saucepan, add ½ lemon cut into 4 and just enough water to cover.
Note: From 800g of quinces, you should be left with 500 g of cut fruit.
Stage 3
20 min.
Put the pan uncovered on medium heat and cook until the fruit is soft enough for the point of a knife to go through it easily.Stage 4
5 min.
After cooking, discard the lemon pieces and pass the quinces through a vegetable mill on "fine" setting.Do not throw away the cooking liquid.
Stage 5
3 min.
Transfer the quince pulp into a saucepan and weigh it (from 500 g cut fruit, you should be left with about 350 g of cooked pulp).Weigh 30% of this weight in cooking liquid (100 g here), then mix this with the quince pulp.
You can add the zest of 1 orange at this point.
Stage 6
3 min.
Weigh 450 g granulated sugar (this should be the same wieght as the mixture of fruit pulp and cooking liquid).Take out 50 g of this sugar at mix it separately with the 30 g jam sugar.
Stage 7
4 min.
Put the saucepan on high heat and bring to the boil, then tip in the 50 g of sugar with its gelling agent.Stage 8
3 min.
Mix well, bring back to the boil and cook for 3 minutes, stirring constantly.Stage 9
1 min.
Add the rest of the sugar all at once.Stage 10
3 min.
Mix well, bring back to the boil and cook for a further 3 minutes, stirring constantly.Stage 11
1 hour
Pour into a mould or tin, lined with a sheet of cooking parchment.Leave to cool for at least 1 hour.
Stage 12
10 min.
Turn out and cut into pieces about the size of a sugar cube.Stage 13
You can make the paste look more attractive by rolling the pieces in a little granulated sugar, but this is not essential.Remarks
This is a very ancient sweetmeat, particularly appreciated at the French court during the Renaissance. It was apparently a favourite of both Marie de' Medici and the Duc de Guise.
Nutritional information
How much will it cost?
For 900 g : 2.74 €
Source: From gaston Lenôtre, but dedicated to Isabelle and Patrick who will recognise something of themselves here..
More recipes?
This recipe use (among others) | Quince: You can check-out other recipes which use it, like for example: Quince and apple compote, ... All |
| Granulated sugar: You can check-out other recipes which use it, like for example: Windfall apple jelly, Galette Charentaise, Candied grapefruit peel, Windfall apple jelly, Diamond biscuits, ... All |
| Jam sugar: You can check-out other recipes which use it, like for example: Clementine sorbet, Macarons (the original French macaroons) , Fillings for macaroons, ... All |
| Lemon: You can get more informations, or check-out other recipes which use it, for example: Chicken and mushroom brik rolls, Flognarde, Fish fillet in express cooking envelope, Preserved lemons, Mixed salad, ... All |
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