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.
The preparation is rather long, but the result is well worth all the effort.
60 K 4/5 (5 reviews)
2 hours 3 min.
Easy
2.15 €
900 g
5 IngredientsLast 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: 1,345 grams
Times for this recipe
Preparation: 35 min.
Resting: 1 hour
Cooking: 30 min.
All in all: 2 hours 3 min.
If you start now, at , you will finish around : ?.Change start time
To finish around 7pm, you'll need to have started before: .Change end time
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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
| Proteins (gr) | Carbohydrates (gr) | Fats (gr) | Energy value (in k-calories) | Energy value (in k-joules) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Whole recipe | 7 RDI=3 % | 610 RDI=60 % | 4 RDI=1 % | 2,490 RDI=130 % | 10,430 RDI: 130 % |
| Per 100 g | 0 | 50 RDI=4 % | 0 | 190 RDI=9 % | 780 RDI: 9 % |
How much will it cost?
- For 900 g : 2.15 €
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)
Quince
Like these other recipes: Confit of quinces in Macvin, Quince and apple compote, Quince jelly, Quince compote, ... See them all 4
Granulated sugar
Like these other recipes: Windfall apple jelly, Kouign-amann brioche, Candied grapefruit peel, Fruit paste : Blackcurrant, Windfall apple jelly, ... See them all 7
Jam sugar
Like these other recipes: Fillings for macaroons, Clementine sorbet, Macarons (the original French macaroons) , ... See them all 3
Lemon
Like these other recipes: Mushrooms à la grecque, Seared tuna with lemon and lime, Icelandic-style fish and vegetable pie, Apricot jelly, Lemon and lime cakes, ... See them all 125
Other recipes you may also like
Almond cream
Light and delicious, it is used in a lot of desserts like tarts, cakes and pies (epiphany galette). August 31th 2025485 K 25 20 min.
Breton galettes (pancakes)
Of uniquely Breton origin, this is a buckwheat pancake on which you cook an egg with ham and cheese before folding it over. Easy and quick to make, it's an ideal answer to the question "what are we going to eat this evening?". February 21th 2011230 K 23.9 20 min.
How to prevent bad breath after eating garlic
The main problem with garlic, is that even a long while after eating it, you often still have the smell on your breath. February 21th 201178 K 24.3
Chaud-froid of grapefruit, pineapple and lime custard
Cold grapefruit quarters with slices of hot caramelized pineapple, lime custard (crème anglaise) and citrus crunch. December 20th 2010271 K4.5 2 hours 5 min.
Chicken breasts with tarragon
Chicken breasts are slowly cooked in a frying pan, then the sauce is made in the same pan with dry white wine, chicken stock and tarragon, and served with sauté (pan-fried) potatoes. February 21th 2011326 K 15 1 hour 40 min.
News list of cooking-ez.com
Sign up to receive the latest recipes (next batch due to be sent on 2025-11-09)
Note: We'll never share your e-mail address with anyone else.
Post a comment or question
Follow this recipe
If you are interested in this recipe, you can "follow" it, by entering your email address here. You will then receive a notification immediately each time the recipe is modified or a new comment is added. Please note that you will need to confirm this following.
Note: We'll never share your e-mail address with anyone else.
Alternatively: you can subscribe to the mailing list of cooling-ez.com , you will receive a e-mail for each new recipe published on the site.