I've wanted this delicacy since I moved, and after numerous unsuccessful attempts to find it somewhere, I decided to make it myself.
I adore quince for a variety of reasons. Its aroma transports me back to my childhood, when I would visit my grandmother during the winter holidays and she would keep them on the cabinets, their aroma required to fill the cold room, and we would warm ourselves with freshly prepared quince compote. My first swing was placed beneath a quince tree, and because it was not a tall tree, I enjoyed its shade until I outgrew it.
If you thought until now that I use too much sugar in my diet, this recipe will prove you right.
To prepare this, I can say, antique delicacy, you need a kilogram of cleaned quinces. They should be peeled, free of all seeds and hard parts, cut into cubes, put in a pot, and covered with just enough water to soak them.
We need the pieces whole, so don't overcook them.
Watch out now - 750 g of sugar. After the quinces have done cooking, drain them but keep the juice they released; after that, puree the quinces using a hand mixer.
Bring back the puree to the pot along with sugar and half a squeezed lemon's juice, pour in that juice you left on a side, around 150ml.
The cooking time for this dessert exceeds 3 hours, it has a texture that is very reminiscent of jelly beans and Turkish delight.
After three hours of continuous stirring, you'll notice a mark on the bottom when you drag a spoon, it is a sign that it is cooked. The pectin in quince, as well as the extraordinary amount of sugar, aid in hardening.
At the same time, sugar and lemon juice enables long-term storage without the need for preservatives or additives.
In France, it is poured into blocks and then cut into bars; it does not have a "must be like this" shape to be recognizable. Mine are of course in the shape of muffin (as mu challenge is still running).
An intriguing fact is that this dessert is only truly ready after several weeks of air drying. During the process, the jelly darkens and almost becomes ruby in color.
Since I spent hours messing around next to the stove, I decided to take the final photos outside. Previously kept a few pieces in a closed bowl with pieces of orange peel, also you can add chopped walnuts or hazelnuts to the mixture, and some roll them in sugar after cooling.
Except for pouring it into New Year's molds, I skipped all the experimenting, though the idea of dipping it in dark chocolate after it matures well is buzzing in my head.
Sweetness 10/10, too sweet even for my taste; honestly, I would cut back on the sugar, but I'm not sure how that would affect the texture and firmness. It's great for breakfast with a slice of fresh bread spread with butter, and you can easily spread the Quittenkäse on top with a knife.
Basically, this is like a well-packaged jam, so you don't need the jars.
Aside from the aesthetic food of photography, I had a strong desire to throw myself in a huge pile of dry leaves. Day was just perfect for it, people were staring at me.
But I just did what I love as if no one was watching.
Bon appetite!
