Best 6 Quince Paste And Cheese Appetizer Recipes

MANCHEGO QUINCE SKEWERS

Steps:

• Cut the quince paste into 1-inch cubes and roll them in the crushed almonds. Cut the cheese into 1-inch cubes.
• Put a quince cube onto a toothpick, then a watercress leaf followed by a cube of cheese. Place on a platter and serve.
• Note: Parmigiano-Reggiano can be substituted for the Manchego. Quince paste can be found in cheese shops or Latin markets.

CROSTINI WITH BLUE CHEESE, QUINCE PASTE AND CRACKED BLACK PEPPER

Steps:

• Preheat a grill, grill pan or oven to medium-high heat.
• Toast the bread until lightly golden brown on both sides-the bread should be crisp but still tender on the inside, not brittle. Brush one side with olive oil and season with salt. Top each slice with a thin slice of cheese and a slice of quince paste and season with cracked black pepper.

QUINCE PASTE

Steps:

• Wash and rub the quinces to remove any fuzz and leaves and cut them into quarters.
• In a medium saucepan, combine the quince pieces, lemon half, and water and cook over medium heat, covered, until the quince is tender, about 1 hour. Remove from the heat and discard the lemon half.
• With a melon baller or spoon, scoop out the quince seeds and discard them. Pass the quince pieces and the cooking liquid through a food mill or press them through a coarse-mesh strainer. You should have 3 to 4 cups of purée.
• Put the quince purée and the sugar in a large heavy-duty saucepan or wide skillet and cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture forms a thick, shiny, solid mass, 30 to 40 minutes. (Be careful as you stir because the hot mixture will sputter and pop.)
• Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or oil it very lightly. Spread the quince paste into a layer 1/2 inch (1.5 cm) thick on the prepared baking sheet and let cool slightly. Once cooled enough to touch, wet your hand and smooth the surface of paste, then let cool completely.
• Using a sharp knife, cut the paste into 1-inch (3-cm) squares. If the paste is sticky, dip the knife in hot water and wipe it dry between each cut.
• Serving
• Serve the quince paste by itself, or with slices of a dry, sharp cheese, such as Manchego or Cheddar.
• Storage
• Stored in a container in a cool, dry place, quince paste will keep for at least 3 months. Do not store it in a very tightly sealed container or it will become soggy. Some folks layer a bay leaf between squares of the quince paste, which gives it a unique flavor.
• Variation
• You can make APPLE PASTE by using 3 large baking apples (about 2 pounds/1 kg). Cook the quartered apples in 1 cup (250 ml) water until soft, purée them, then cook the purée down to a paste with 2 cups (400 g) sugar and 1/4 vanilla bean, split lengthwise.

QUINCE PASTE

Steps:

• Wash, peel, and core the quinces, reserving the cores and peels. Coarsely chop the flesh and transfer the fruit to a large pan. Wrap the cores and peels in cheesecloth, tie the bag with kitchen string, and add it to the pan. (The peels contain most of the fruit's pectin, which contributes to the firmness of the quince paste.)
• Pour in enough water to cover the quinces and boil, half-covered, for 30 to 40 minutes or until the fruit is very soft. Remove the bag of peels and pass the quince flesh through a sieve or food mill. (For best results, don't use a food processor as it will result in too fine a texture.) You should have about 2 1/2 pounds of fruit pulp.
• Transfer the quince pulp to a saucepan and add the sugar (ideally, you should add the same amount of sugar, by weight, as the fruit pulp). Cook and stir over low heat until the sugar is dissolved. Continue cooking for about 1 1/2 hours, stirring frequently with a wooden spoon, until the paste becomes very thick and has a deep orange color. Draw the wooden spoon along the bottom of the saucepan: it should leave a trail and the quince mixture will stick to the spoon.
• Lightly grease a 9x13-inch baking dish or line it with greased parchment paper. Transfer the quince paste to the baking dish, spreading it about 1 1/2-inch thick. Smooth the top and allow it to cool.
• Dry the paste on your lowest oven setting, no more than 125 degrees F (52 degrees C), for about 1 1/2 hours. Allow the quince paste to cool completely before slicing. (In Europe, the traditional method of drying the quince paste is to leave it in a cupboard for about 7 days. The remaining juices will continue to evaporate and render a drier paste.)
• Store quince paste in an airtight container in the refrigerator; the color will deepen with age.

MANCHEGO QUINCE PASTE NAPOLEONS

Steps:

• Square off curved side of cheese wedge with a knife so it fits slicer, then slice cheese into generous 1/8-inch-thick rectangles (about 8). Arrange in 1 layer on a sheet of parchment or wax paper.
• Cut quince paste into 1/16-inch-thick rectangular slices with slicer or a knife and put on top of Manchego slices, piecing quince-paste slices together to cover cheese evenly. Make "napoleons" by stacking 2 cheese/paste layers together. Press almonds decoratively into quince paste on top.
• Cut stacks into serving pieces (about 1 1/2- by 1/2-inch rectangles or 1-inch squares), trimming edges.

QUINCE PASTE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F and lightly oil a 1-quart terrine.
• Scrub quinces and pat dry. In a small roasting pan bake quinces, covered with foil, in middle of oven until tender, about 2 hours, and transfer pan to a rack. When quinces are cool enough to handle, with a sharp knife peel, quarter, and core them.
• In a food processor puree pulp with 1/4 cup water until smooth (if mixture is too thick, add remaining 1/4 cup water a little at a time, as needed). Force puree through a large fine sieve into a liquid cup measure and measure amount of puree. Transfer puree to a 3-quart heavy saucepan and add an equivalent amount of sugar.
• Cook quince puree over moderate heat, stirring constantly, until it is thickened and begins to pull away from side of pan, about 25 minutes. Pour puree into terrine, smoothing top with an offset spatula, and cool. Chill puree, loosely covered with plastic wrap, until set, about 4 hours.
• Run a thin knife around sides of terrine and invert quince paste onto a platter. (Quince paste keeps, wrapped well in wax paper and then plastic wrap and chilled, 3 months.)
• Slice paste and serve with cheese and crackers.