Quince paste


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.
37K 5 4
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Last modified on: December 3rd 2017

Keywords for this recipe:
For 900 g, you will need:
  • 1 quince 800 g quince
  • 2 lemon ½ lemon
  • 3 granulated sugar 450 g granulated sugar
  • 4 jam sugar 30 g jam sugar
  • 5 orange 1 orange (optional)
  • Total weight: 1,345 grams

Change these quantities to make: 300 g 450 g 900 g 1 kg 800 g 2 kg 700 g
How long does it take?
Time required for this recipe:
PreparationRestingCookingStart to finish
33 min.1 hour30 min.2 hours 3 min.
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Step by step recipe


Stage 1 - 3 min.
Quince paste
Wash and brush 800 g quinces, but do not peel, as the skin add to the flavour.

Stage 2 - 8 min.
Quince paste
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.
Quince paste
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.
Quince paste
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.
Quince paste
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.
Quince paste
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.
Quince paste
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.
Quince paste
Mix well, bring back to the boil and cook for 3 minutes, stirring constantly.

Stage 9 - 1 min.
Quince paste
Add the rest of the sugar all at once.

Stage 10 - 3 min.
Quince paste
Mix well, bring back to the boil and cook for a further 3 minutes, stirring constantly.

Stage 11 - 1 hour
Quince paste
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.
Quince paste
Turn out and cut into pieces about the size of a sugar cube.

Stage 13
Quince paste
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.
Keeping
Several days (weeks, even) in the fridge, covered with plastic film.
Source
From gaston Lenôtre, but dedicated to Isabelle and Patrick who will recognise something of themselves here..
Nutritional information
Whole recipe
Energetic valueProteins CarbohydratesFats
2,492 Kcal or 10,434 Kj8 gr608 gr4 gr
125 %3 %57 %1 %
Per 100 g
Energetic valueProteins CarbohydratesFats
185 Kcal or 775 Kj1 gr45 gr< 1 gr
9 %<1 %4 %<1 %
% are calculated relative to a Recommended Dietary Intake or RDI of 2000 k-calories or 8400 k-joules by day for a woman (change to a man).
How much will it cost?
  • For 900 g : 2.14 €

Change currency:

Note: Be careful, these prices are only an estimate, you can consult the table of prices by ingredients used for this estimate.
This recipe uses (among others)
QuinceQuince: You can check-out other recipes which use it, like for example: Quince compote, Quince and apple compote, Confit of quinces in Macvin, Quince jelly, ... All
Granulated sugarGranulated sugar: You can check-out other recipes which use it, like for example: Windfall apple jelly, Kouign-amann brioche, Galette Charentaise, Candied grapefruit peel, Fruit paste : Blackcurrant, ... All
Jam sugarJam sugar: You can check-out other recipes which use it, like for example: Macarons (the original French macaroons) , Clementine sorbet, Fillings for macaroons, ... All
LemonLemon: You can get more informations, or check-out other recipes which use it, for example: Mixed salad, Pogne de Romans, Strawberries in a thyme and lemon-flavoured red wine reduction, Apple macaronade, Light herb sauce, ... All
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