Quince paste for a cheese board from alpine pastures

The quince season is short! So, to enjoy their flavour for a long time, make a quince paste. It goes very well with goat cheese, ewe's or Savoy tomme, old Comté and Beaufort d'Alpage!

Pâte de coing

  • 1 kg quinces
  • 750 g light cane sugar
  • about 75 cl of water
  • Drying: a few days

Les différentes étapes :

1Prepare the quinces

Using a cloth, carefully rub the quinces to remove the fine down covering them and make them shine. Cut the quinces into quarters. Remove the core and seeds (and set aside).

2Simmer

Place the quince pieces in a thick-bottomed casserole dish and cover with water. Bring to the boil and continue cooking at a simmer for around thirty minutes until the fruit is tender.

3It's almost ready...

Drain, reserving the cooking juices which will be used to make the jelly! Mash the quinces with a potato masher or blend them. Weigh the puréed fruit and add the same amount of sugar. Pour into a thick-bottomed casserole (or jam pan) and cook over a low heat, stirring very regularly, until the quince paste comes away from the sides of the pan.

4Drying

Line a tray with baking paper and spread the paste to a thickness of 2 cm. Smooth the surface and leave to dry for several days.

5Just enjoy!

As soon as the quince paste is dry, it's ready to eat! Serve with a good selection of quality cheeses.

Aurélie Jeannette

Bonus: the recipe for quince jelly!

Place the quince cores and seeds in a saucepan and cover with water. Bring to the boil and reduce by half. Filter. Add this juice to the juice from cooking the quinces and weigh. Pour into a heavy-bottomed saucepan and add 80% of the weight in sugar. Bring to the boil and continue cooking for around 30 minutes. Check with a cold plate: if a drop of syrup poured onto a cold plate at an angle does not run off, then the jelly is ready. Stop the cooking. Fill the pre-sterilised jars. Cover as soon as the jelly sets.