We were talking in her kitchen waiting for the coffee to brew when I looked over and saw something interesting on her counter, so I thought I'd ask what it was. They call it membrillo. They explained the process of cooking it down with water and sugar and it turns into a kind of hmmmm, well, it's hard to explain so take a look instead.
A jelly? A paste?
It's thick enough to slice, normally. They said this batch wasn't stirred properly and it was too soft, but the flavor was the same. It is usually eaten with a sheeps milk cheese.They didn't know the English word for membrillo. We looked it up later and learned that it is called quince. Still, I had no idea what that was. I looked it up online thinking maybe it wasn't the American-English translation. Sure enough it is, but it's not something we normally eat. It looks like a cross between an apple and a pear. You cannot eat it raw as it's really hard.
As for the flavor, well, it's ok. My tutor and I discussed it today and she insisted that you must eat it with cheese. I can't say that I'm a big fan of fruit and cheese together, but if that's your thing then give it a try!
I even found a recipe at Simply Recipes. And there you have membrillo!
