The other tasty treat on this week's Gobbet is quince paste, one of my absolute favorite medieval foods.
The quince is a yellow, fragrant fruit that somewhat resembles an apple (they are in the same family). They can smell like anything from roses to pineapples, and were believed at one time to have been the infamous fruit in the garden of Eden. You can't really eat them raw, they are very sour and astringent. They contain huge quantities of pectin.
Quinces can be a little tricky to find. I buy them in late fall at the farmers market, and I've also seen them at big gourmet / natural food stores (New Seasons in the Portland area is a good bet). They also seem to turn up in grocery stores that cater to Latino people. Otherwise, I suggest seeing if anyone in your area has a tree.
I've found quince paste recipes in quite a few medieval sources, but it was most popular in Elizabethan England. It was often molded and then allowed to dry, and apparently under the right conditions you can keep it for a while.
To make quince paste, chop and core your quinces, then weigh them. Put them in a shallow pan with enough water to just barely float the quince bits. Simmer until the quince is very soft. At this point, you can either be very medieval and pass the quince through a strainer (careful! it's hot!) to goop it and get the peels off, or you can be speedy and use a stick blender to goop it peels and all. It turns out better with the authentic method, by the way. Put the goop back in your pan and add sugar equal to the weight of your quinces back when you started. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until the paste becomes gummy (you will notice that the tracks left by your stirring don't disappear). You can cook it until it is fairly soft and pink and delicate or until it is very firm and red. Pour the hot paste onto parchment paper and use a spatula to smooth the top. Let it cool and cut into pieces. If you want to mold it, I use a metal mold that is lightly oiled.
By the way, if you don't want to actually make quince paste, fancy grocery stores sell it imported from Spain, it's called "membrillo" and it's usually kind of pricey.
I have also made quince paste in period pottery in my fireplace. If you start here and move forward in my photostream you can see the process in photos.
