After supper in a beautiful room with new and old friends, I was given these quinces - very generously - from a walled garden in Cape Town's city bowl, where it climbs on steep streets the lower slopes of what becomes Lion's Head.
I am turning a handful of them into membrillo. The rest I shall keep a little while longer, for their good smell.
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I love the smell, and Iove membrillo. One day I will have a quince tree, or maybe a whole hedge like they always have in Portugal...
ReplyDeleteWhat is membrillo? Thank you for taking precious time during your sojourn in South Africa to post these delightful photographs and anecdotes, Leslie
ReplyDeleteIt's a reduced quince paste, often served with cheese. Turns out like jellified candy. In Hispanic food aisles in supermarkets look for something similar in a round flat can (Goya), made from guavas - guayabate.
Delete"Ate" (AH-tay) is the word you're looking for; "mebrillo" is just the Spanish word for quince. There are ates made of quince, apple, guayaba, etc. But I believe quince is common to all of them because of the especially high (if I'm remembering correctly) pectin content. I haven't had homemade ate de membrillo for a long time, and now I am craving it!
DeleteThank you. Membrillo is short of dulce de membrillo, or, as you say, ate de membrillo, but as it's best known as "membrillo," and sold commercially under that name, I find it's easiest.
DeleteMe again. It sounds so strange to me to call ate "membrillo" but then I don't usually purchase it or consume it or even talk about it with non-Mexican people. :) So I didn't know it was referred to that way. And I just found this interesting etymologic tidbit on Wikipedia that definitely supports that use, from way back: "Historically, marmalade was made from quinces, and the English word "marmalade" comes from the Portuguese word marmelada, meaning "quince preparation" (and used to describe quince cheese or quince jam; "marmelo" = "quince")"
DeleteHalved and baked and served with custard. Ruby quince jelly on toast. Thin slices to nibble on. Memories memories.
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