My mum brought me these quinces from her tree. Aren’t they so very beautiful?
I love the way something so hard and pale when in its raw state (and frankly a bit confronting at this angle)
transforms into this deep-pink and firm but at the same time meltingly-soft paste after the application of nothing more than sugar and heat.
Quite the metamorphosis.
We are almost into the truly wintry weather (today was the coldest in Melbourne for 4 years) and through Autumn I have been cooking up thick, filling soups of cauliflower and broccoli and serving them at the table with warm, fresh bread and a cheese board that includes a slab of this quince paste.
A thin slice of quince paste on blue cheese, an oozy washed rind cheese or any kind of cheese really, is so delish.
It’s not quick to make but nor is it tricky and the results are so lovely. Plus it lasts for years in the fridge.
My mum used to make it every year and drive around with trays of it on the parcel shelf in the back seat of the car where the sun would gently warm it and dry it out to just the right consistency.
What? Didn’t everyone’s mother do that? Whaddya mean you didn’t get strands of your childhood hair stuck in trays of quince paste when the car windows were down?
These days I have a bit of a secret weapon in the quince paste making stakes which I’ll tell you more about in a little bit. In the meantime, I like this recipe.
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WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS (imagine those words are lit up and flashing like a Las Vegas casino)
The first prize winner in the twirling betty Hat Shop giveaway is: Stefanie Warreyn.
Second prize winner is Nancy.
Congrats gals. I’ll be in touch very soon.
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