Membrillo

I spent a couple of hours yesterday at my neighbor's home.  She's been a great neighbor!! Helping me in times of need and giving me a look into Spanish culture.  And we've had some fun chats!

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.

source

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!