Making Membrillo in Mendoza
What do you get when you cross an apple/pear/peach-like fruit, cook it down, throw in some sugar, form it into squares and hand it to a traveler? Well, we mostly get looks of confusion.
Contrary to popular belief, this sweet treat is not at all related to the gummy bear family of products, not by a long shot. Membrillo (Mem-bree-sho) is the Spanish word for quince, an underrated fruit and the protagonist of this traditional Argentine snack and natural remedy for stomach aches.
Membrillo is made from a fruit called quince, a softball-sized fruit with a pit, hard pulp, and furry outer skin. Most varieties of quince are too hard and acidic to eat raw, and therefore require some form of cooking before they become palatable.
Once the fruit is cooked, it changes from pale yellow, to a rich brick orange and releases a sweet floral aroma.
As the weather in Argentina begins to cool, throughout April and May, the quince orchards become laden with these large yellow fruits. That´s when the harvest begins. Though the harvest certainly doesn’t cause the same frenzy as the grape harvest, quince is a popular treat in the form of jams, jellies, marmalades and desserts.
Because the pit of the fruit contains high quantities of pectin, a gelling agent, membrillo naturally sets up firm after being cooked, acting almost like gelatin.
These small loaves and squares of membrillo are popular treats in Argentina, and can be found in convenience stores, kiosks, bakeries and on dessert menus across the country. Though it can be eaten alone, most people enjoy it with a thick slice of manchego cheese – a rich tangy cheese that interplays with the sweet, floral flavors of the cooked quince.
This popular dessert, is known as Dulce de Membrillo.
Traditional Dulce de Membrillo
Recipe
4 lbs. quince, washed, boiled, peeled, cored, roughly chopped
1 vanilla bean, split in half
Peel of one lemon (no white pith)
Juice of one lemon
4 c. granulated sugar (more or less)
- Wash the quince under running water to remove any dirt or leaves
- Place into a large pot of boiling water and boil until the fruit becomes quite tender (30-40 minutes).
- Remove from the boiling water, and allow to cool slightly. When the fruit is cool enough to handle, use a paring knife to peel the skin and remove the pit. Chop the fruit into roughly chopped chunks.
- Purée the quince pieces using a food processor or meat grinder. Pour this pureed mixture into a large sauce pan and add an equal quantity of sugar (if you have 4 cups of quince, you will add 4 cups of sugar). Add the vinalla bean, lemon peel and lemon juice.
- Turn onto medium-low heat and stir with a wooden spoon until the sugar has completely dissolved and the color has darkened to a pumpkin orange or light brick red.
- Cook over low heat, stirring occasionally, for 1- 1½ hours.
- Pour the cooked quince into a baking pan, and leave in a clean dry place until it forms into a solid. (If you find that the membrillo isn´t firming up, you can bake at 125°F until it does.
- To serve, cut the membrillo into squares or slices. You can serve with a walnut, manchego cheese or roll the pieces in sugar and serve with all (or none) of the above.
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