Pleasures of the Season: Quince

“Pleasures of the Season” is a series of posts which appear from time to time.  They focus on something special that occurs only seasonally, often fleeting, and something we anticipate.  The posts are sometimes food related, sometimes not, but highlight moments of what I’ve learned about living with the seasons since moving to Southern France.

A quince or coing (k-wǎ) in French, is a strange looking fruit.  It looks and tastes like a cross between a tart apple and a pear.  It’s extremely hard, cannot be eaten raw, and its pulp changes from white to bright orange when cooked.  It is an autumnal fruit and its production is limited, so it truly is a seasonal pleasure that passes quickly.  It is used to make jams, eau-de-vins, or pâte de coings.  Pâte de coings is a combination of fruit pulp and sugar cooked for a long time and then dried.  In Spain, it is known as membrillo and commonly paired with manchego cheese.  Basically, it like a thick fruit bar without the cereal jacket.

I’ve never had the pâte de coings – cheese combination, but I have eaten it for breakfast.  It is easy to make, but takes about a week a dry before it can be served. 



Pâte de coings, pain perdu avec groseilles

Quince pâte on French toast with red currants

Pâte de Coings
I don’t specific how many quinces to use because it all depends on what you get.  The important issue here is to use equal parts sugar and boiled quince.

1.      Wash the fruit; make sure to gently scrub away the light fuzzy jacket.

2.      Leaving skin on, cut fruit in quarters and remove the core and seeds.  Discard any damaged part of the fruit.

3.      Place clean, cut fruit in a large pot, cover with water and boil over high heat until the fruit it soft.  This takes 45 minutes to one hour and the fruit is ready when a knife easily pierces the skin and can be removed without force.

4.      Drain fruit; discard water.

5.      Pass the boiled fruit through a food mill using the medium or large grate.  The end result should be a thick “mash” or paste.

6.      Weigh the paste and then place it into a large cooking pot.

7.      Add to the pot an equal weight of sugar.  This is why the paste is weighed.  The fruit – sugar combination needs to be 50-50.

8.      Cook on high heat, stirring regularly.  This step can take anywhere from 45 to 90 minutes.  This is where the quince’s color starts to change.  The pâte is ready when it easily lifts up from the bottom of the pot when stirred.  The pot should look “clean” when this occurs.  It is crucial not to undercook the pâte because it will not firm up later, so error on the side of a longer cooking time.

9.      Line 9x13 pan with lightly greased wax paper and pour cooked pâte over it.  Smooth to a uniform layer.  Cover pan with a clean dish towel, making sure towel does not touch pâte.

10.  Let dry 5 to 7 days.