Homemade Quince Cheese: A Little Pot of Autumn Magic
This year, my little quince tree finally came up trumps. Sixteen beautifully perfumed quinces, all mine. I was rather pleased with myself, if I'm honest. There's something deeply satisfying about watching a tree you've planted reward you with its own little harvest.
And then, just as I was admiring my modest quince collection, a neighbour turned up and offloaded two baskets of the things on my doorstep. Two baskets!!
Apparently, I had been promoted from someone with a quince tree to the village quince drop off centre ... Now, I love a seasonal glut. Give me apples, blackberries, figs or a glut of courgettes and I'll happily start plotting. But quinces are a fruit that demand a little thought. They smell absolutely divine, all floral and honeyed, but you can't simply bite into one like an apple and expect a happy outcome.
So, with quinces piling up in my kitchen, it was time to get cooking.
What on earth is quince cheese?
Despite the name, there's no cheese involved. Not a scrap of cheddar, not a drop of cream. Quince cheese is a traditional fruit paste, made by cooking quince pulp with sugar until it becomes thick, deeply coloured and firm enough to slice.
Think of it as the quince's answer to a really good fruit preserve, only you can cut it into neat little pieces and serve it alongside cheese, crackers and a few pickles.
It's particularly lovely with a sharp cheddar or a creamy, characterful Somerset cheese. It also happens to be rather good with Brie, as we'll discover another day.
The magic is in the transformation. Those pale, fragrant quinces gradually become something altogether more dramatic: a glossy, burnished red paste with a wonderful sweet-sharp flavour.
Making quince cheese
I took inspiration from Mary Berry's approach, chopping the quinces before cooking them until completely soft. After straining the cooked fruit, I puréed the softened quince and weighed it.
Then came the useful bit: an equal weight of sugar to purée. No complicated calculations, no guessing games. Weigh your pulp, match it with sugar, and you're ready for the patient part.
The mixture goes back onto the hob, where it needs to be cooked slowly, stirred regularly and watched as it thickens and darkens. This isn't a job to rush. As the moisture evaporates, the paste becomes increasingly thick, and the colour deepens into that gorgeous red-amber shade we're after.
Eventually, the mixture reaches the point where it will set firmly once cool. For moulding, I used a humble foil baking tray. No fancy quince moulds, no elaborate preparation, and no lining. I poured in the hot paste, left it to cool and set, and discovered that it came away from the tray beautifully.
Sometimes the simplest kitchen solutions are the best ones.
Quince Cheese - The recipe
Ingredients
Quince fruit
Water, enough to cover the chopped fruit
Granulated sugar, equal in weight to the finished quince purée
Method
Prepare the quinces. Wash the fruit and chop it into manageable pieces. Remove any damaged areas and discard the cores and seeds as appropriate.
Cook until soft. Place the chopped quinces in a large saucepan and add enough water to cover. Bring to a simmer and cook until the fruit is completely tender.
Strain the fruit. Drain the cooked quince, allowing the excess water to run off.
Make the purée. Purée the softened fruit until smooth.
Weigh and sweeten. Weigh the purée and return it to the saucepan. Add an equal weight of granulated sugar and stir well.
Cook the paste. Cook over a low heat, stirring frequently, until the mixture becomes very thick, glossy and deeply coloured. Take care as it thickens, as hot fruit paste can spit.
Test the consistency. The paste should be thick enough to hold its shape and leave a clear trail when you draw a spoon through it. It needs sufficient cooking to set firmly once cool.
Pour into the tray. Carefully transfer the hot paste into a clean, food-safe foil baking tray and spread it evenly.
Cool and set. Leave to cool completely, then allow it to set until firm enough to turn out and slice.
Jo's Kitchen Notes
Don't waste the fruit. If you've been lucky enough to have a quince harvest, or a neighbour has presented you with a couple of baskets, quince cheese is a wonderful way to make the most of it.
Weigh your purée. The equal-weight rule makes the sugar quantity easy to calculate, whatever your harvest produces.
Be patient. The final cooking stage takes time, and the mixture becomes much thicker as it loses moisture. Stir regularly and keep the heat gentle enough to prevent scorching.
Keep your equipment simple. I used a foil baking tray without lining it, and my quince cheese released easily once set.
Serve it proudly. Cut into little slabs or cubes and serve with a selection of good cheeses, crackers and pickles. It makes a cheese board feel particularly autumnal.
A little piece of autumn to keep
There's something rather lovely about preserving a harvest. The quinces that began as a fragrant little collection from my own tree, followed by two baskets from a generous neighbour, have become something that will last far beyond the season.
And now, of course, having made quince cheese, I'm already wondering what else I can do with it.
You know how this goes in my kitchen. One minute we're preserving fruit, the next we're finding excuses to put it on Brie, fold it into desserts or turn it into something entirely unexpected.
But that's the joy of seasonal cooking, isn't it? You start with what the garden and the people around you provide, and you see where it takes you ... Come on in, put the kettle on, and let's make the most of what's in season.
Continue Cooking With Me
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