Candied Quince | A Holiday Treat
“What are your favorite holiday treats?”
When Simon and I first started dating, this is one of the questions I asked him. I don’t know the context for how I asked this, but knowing me, I asked it completely out of the blue (I’m famous for tossing out random questions). It was going to be our very first Christmas together, and I wanted to make it special. Naturally, his favorite treat was something I’d never made before—Candied Quince.
I, however, am always up for a cooking challenge! So come December (when Simon was away for work), I decided to surprise him with a batch of candied quince, just like his grandmother makes. I bought an entire bag of quince from the grocery store, researched recipes, and got to work. Now I’ve made candies and jams before, so I wasn’t too worried about taking on this project, but I also put an extreme amount of pressure on myself. I wanted it to be perfect, only I had never had candied quince before so I wasn’t confident what a perfect candied quince was supposed to taste like. That very first batch felt like it took forever to make. I was constantly checking and rechecking and Googling to make sure my candied quince was looking correct through every step of the process. In the end, it all worked out. Simon gave it his seal of approval and a tradition was born.
The following year, Simon had the same early December work trip, and I decided to surprise him again with more candied quince. Unfortunately, I ran into a massive problem: I couldn’t find quince anywhere! I went to every grocery store in SE Portland (and a few even further) without any luck. It had been so easy to find the year before, it never occurred to me that I’d struggle to find it again. Turns out, I was looking right as the quince season ended. The first year it was just an odd bit of luck that I’d managed to find some so late in the year. Lesson learned, I now always get my quince in November or October, so we never have to go a year without it (good thing too as Simon recently informed me that my ability to make candied quince is one of the reasons he married me). This year we were lucky enough to get two bags of quince from a friend who grows them, but for anyone without a hook-up, I also saw them at Whole Foods just a couple of days before writing this.
If you’ve never seen a quince before, you’re not alone. It isn’t the most common of fruits to grab at the grocery store and it is only available in season. Quince looks a bit little a squatty pear but firmer (like an apple). Unlike Simon, I’d only had it before in jelly or paste. The fruit is native to places like Iran and Turkey but is commercially grown in California (so it’s highly likely if you source yours from a grocery store, it came from the Golden State). While quince is more of a creamy white when fresh, it turns a pretty pink color as it cooks.
When I was researching recipes, I found a lot of different variations on the candy with different traditions throughout Europe. In Spain, there are recipes for Membrillo (a sliced, sweet quince paste). In northern France, there is Cotignac d'Orléans, a fruit candy made with jelled quince, sold in round boxes (legend to be gifted to Joan of Arc when she liberated the Orléans in 1429). The version I make is closer to a Quince Pâte De Fruit, traditionally served around the holidays in the Provence region. This take on the candied fruit consists of letting it sit and dry/set up for a while (no instant gratification here). The more traditional recipe asks you to let it set up for 7-10 days…. I, however, only have mine set up for 12-24 hours. This is just how I learned when I first started making it.
The first steps in making candied quince are a lot like making apple sauce. I wash, peel, and core the quince, then I cut it into small chunks and add water and lemon. I find cutting it up a little smaller helps it cook down faster (the very first time I made it, I left the slices larger and it took a while for it to soften). I don’t add a tone of water. I’ve seen some recipes that recommend only a couple of tablespoons and others that fill the pot to the same line as your quince. I’ve tried both and landed somewhere in-between in my own recipe. I start with about a 1/4 cup of water but keep another 1/4 measured next to me so I can add a bit more as it cooks if needed. Quince browns super fast (faster than apples), so if your pot of sliced quince is turning brown while you prepare the remaining quince, don’t worry about it. It will still taste just as good.
I always keep the pot on medium to medium/low heat and slowly cook the quince until it’s soft. You should be able to mush it a bit with a wooden spoon. I then use my immersion blender to blend it all smooth, like apple sauce (you could also use a regular blender or food processor). Once smooth, you add your sugar. You want about a 1-1 ratio of the quince to sugar. I generally guess about how many cups of quince I think I have (as I’m not going to try to measure out exactly the hot quince puree when it’s already in the pot… that sounds downright messy and a hassle). I typically use around 8 quinces and about 6+ cups of cane sugar. This is the moment when you will need to harness all your inner patience. I then cook down the sugary quince mixture over medium-low heat until it’s pink, about half the volume, and thick enough that when you run your wooden spoon (or spatula) through, the quince parts like the Red Sea. Stir constantly to keep the quince from burning. I find it takes at least an hour, upwards of 2. I like to pop a movie on while I do it—it really does make the time go by so much faster. Once the quince is cooked down to a paste, I pour it into a prepared dish (I use a jelly roll pan lined with parchment) and let it sit overnight or longer. When ready, you can slice and eat it as is, or toss your candied quince in sugar before eating.
I toss a few in sugar to be eaten immediately but keep the rest stored in a container, sans the extra sugar. Simon prefers it without the extra sugar coating. If you are a “toss on a sweater, keep the house a cool 65 degrees” type, you can keep it on the counter, otherwise, I recommend refrigerating your candied quince.
ingredients
8-10 Quince
1 large lemon
water
white cane sugar (I use around 5-7 cups)
You will need a way to blend your quince, like an immersion blender or food processor.
Peel, core, and cube your quince, placing it into a large pot. Add 1/4 cup of water and juice from one lemon. Quince browns fairly fast so don’t worry if your prepared quince starts to discolor while you’re cutting peeling and cutting the rest. Place pot on medium heat with a lid on, stirring occasionally, until quince softens and starts to break down, about 20-30 minutes. The larger the pieces of quince, the longer it takes, so I often cube my quince before cooking to help it cook down faster.
Once quince is soft and broken down, it’s ready to blend. Using an immersion blender (or food processor), blend the quince until it is smooth and has the consistency of applesauce. Add your sugar! You’re aiming for a 1:1 ratio of quince to sugar. When using my immersion blender, I just guess about how many cups of quince puree I have but if you used a food processor, feel free to measure as you transfer your quince puree back into the pot. I typically add around 5-7 cups. It’s okay if it’s not exactly 1:1, just get it in the ballpark.
Cook over low-medium heat, stirring consistently. As you cook, quince will start to turn more of a pinkish/red color. Continue cooking until quince has reduced in volume and leaves “tracks” as you run your spoon through it (basically, as you stir, it parts so you can see the bottom of your pan and doesn’t immediately come back together). It can take 1-2 hours for the quince puree to cook down to the correct thickness. I found using a bigger pot helps it cook a bit faster. Don’t forget to stir to prevent burning. (I recommended turning on a movie or something while you cook and to help the time go faster. I rewatched Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them while cooking my most recent batch.)
Pour your cooked quince puree into a prepared dish. I use a jelly roll pan (about 15 x 10 inches) lined with parchment. The jelly roll is a perfect size for it. Don’t skip lining your pan. The parchment makes removing it a breeze. Leave your quince to set up for 12-24 hours. I let mine sit overnight.* Once set, lift your candied quince from the pan and cut into 1x1 inch squares. You can either eat it as is or toss your candied quince in sugar to coat. I toss about a 1/4 of the batch in sugar to be eaten over the next couple of days but store the rest sans-sugar coating.
*If you have a cool, dry place to set it aside (maybe a basement that stays cool but not too cold) you can let it set up for up to 7 days and then store it in an airtight container on the counter. In my old, cold, and drafty house, I could let it sit out for days as it set up. My current apartment stays much warmer so I only let it set up for 12-24 hours and then keep it stored in an airtight container in the fridge.