Spring Beckons

There are buds on the quince tree (a quince is un coing, the tree un cognassier).

I’ll need to eek out the delicious quince cheese (fruit paste) made by a friend from our autumn crop - see the recipe below.

It goes particularly well with a strong hard cheese such as Cantal or Comte.

Or if you are visiting Lot-et-Garonne search out Templais Fleuron for a rare treat. A gum-tingler!

Quince cheese Ingredients:

• About 4 large quinces
• 900g granulated sugar

Method:

• Peel and core the quinces.
• Tie the peel and the cores in a square of muslin.
• Chop the quince flesh into 2cm cubes.
• Put the flesh and the bag of peel/cores into a large pan
• Cover with water and bring to a boil.
• Reduce heat and simmer until the fruit is tender.
• Remove the muslin bag and use a stick blender to puree the fruit.
• Continue to simmer, as you would any jam, and be careful as quince tends to spit.
• When you have a deeply golden pink, thick puree, transfer to a baking tin lined with parchment.
• Put in a low oven (160°C) for at least an hour until you can feel it becoming firm to the touch.

Leave to cool and slice into blocks, wrap in grease-proof paper and store in and airtight container in the fridge. The cheese might 'weep' a little during storage or crystalise - that's fine!