Quince Paste

Quince paste is often paired with hard, salty cheeses like Manchego, but at the Bakery we use it more in desserts like stollen or panforte. You can also fold it into rice pudding or just cut it into small pieces, toss it in sugar, and serve it as dessert on its own.

• Line an 8 by 10-inch baking sheet with parchment paper. Brush the paper with the oil.
• Split the vanilla bean lengthwise with a paring knife, scrape out the pulp with the back of the knife, and put the pulp and the pod into a large pot. Add 1 cup water and the wine, orange juice, and cinnamon stick. Add the quince and cook over high heat until tender, about 15 minutes.
• Remove and discard the vanilla bean and the cinnamon stick. Purée the quince, with the cooking liquid, in a food processor or blender. Weigh the resulting purée and put it back in the pot. Add an equal amount of sugar to the quince purée in a one-to-one ratio—as in 1 pound sugar for every 1 pound purée.
• Cook the quince purée over medium-low heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until the paste is very thick and the quince has turned from a light pink to a translucent burnt orange, 45 minutes to 1 hour. (Be careful—the mixture will bubble and spurt like a volcano and can leave nasty burns. We recommend wearing a long-sleeved shirt and an oven mitt.) Spread the paste onto the prepared baking sheet and refrigerate it until the paste is firm, about 2 hours.
• Once the paste has set, invert the pan over a cutting board lined with plastic wrap and lift off the parchment. Cut the paste into 1-inch squares or into your desired shapes.
• Store the paste in an airtight container in the refrigerator; it’ll keep for months