I LOVE AUTUMN-ANOTHER WAY TO ENJOY MALLORCA-HOW TO PREPARE a DELICIOUS QUINCE MARMALADE-«DULCE DE MEMBRILLO»
I don´t care to leave home early in the morning. The sun is shyly rising and painting the landscape with the most beautiful colours. I drive with an open window so I can smell the mixture of fragrances that offer the fruits. The morning mist disappears and lets us enjoy the warmth of the sun on our skins and when the sun disappears in the evening, the island bathes in a golden light. Like Albert Camus said:” autumn is a second spring, in which each leave is a flower”.
Autumn is also the period to recollect the fruits. The tender blossoms of spring grew out to delicious fruits that wait to be recollected and with our culinary magic be converted in delicious marmalades and conserves.
My favourite is the quince. The rather small tree is originating from the Caucasus and his fruit, the quince, has a yellow-green colour. Those fruits are too hard and sour to be eaten just picked out of the tree, but leave them in your house and your place will fill up with an incomparable aroma. The French, masters in the art of perfumes, put them in the wardrobe to perfume their clothes.
Quinces are used to make marmalade, pudding or compote. I made “dulce de membrillo” or “sweet of quince”. There are a lot of different ways to prepare this sweet, but the magic I use is very simple with a delicious result.
First step: take a cloth and clean the quinces. The fruit has a fluffy peel. Don’t peel the fruit and cut it up. Put the pieces in a pot, together with the cores that you put in a grid. Cover the fruit with water, add a glass of lemon juice to it and cook 15 to 20 minutes. When the fruit is soft, take out the cores and let drain the fruit at least an hour.
Second step: Make a paste of the fruit with the food processor and check out the weight. Mix the fruit with white sugar. You should put 1kg sugar for one kg of fruit-paste but I put in a bit less sugar.
Third step: Put the mixture in a pot suitable for microwave oven and let it cook 5 minutes on 700W. Stir with a wooden spoon and cook 5 minutes more. Repeat until you can draw a visible line into the mixture with your wooden spoon. Be careful because the fruit mixture reaches a very high temperature!
Fourth step: Prepare different moulds of different shapes and sizes. Put the fruit mixture in and let cool down a night. The next day, you can easily remove the mould and you will have made a delicious “dulce de membrillo” !
That is how I make my dulce de membrillo, the first among the marmalades. The Greek offered it to the young bride and groom to “perfume” there kiss on their wedding night and the Romans used the quince in combination with honey. The empire Charles loved the quince and ordered to plant the tree in his orchard.
So I have my dulce de membrillo and I have some cheese. Sweet and cheese make a perfect combination. “Sweet and cheese taste as kisses” Thank you quince tree!
Mallorca is an island full of contrasts, and autumn in Mallorca is an experience not to missed, the island is dyed with pretty colors, and our amazing landscapes adopt tonalities varying from yellow to brown, quite an experience for all senses.
The smell of wet soil, the beautiful colors and the most beautiful landscapes that never cease to surprise visitors, and of course the sun crowning this amazing paradise,creates an spectacular set, the» island of Mallorca «, which can not fail to visit…
We want to encourage everyone to discover the Majorcan autumn, enjoy Mallorca and its quince marmalade, with our licensed guides you can enjoy an excursion to discover the beauty Majorcan autumn and to enjoy the great majorcan gastronomy, we hardly recommended you no to miss one of our dining experiences or our workshops to learn how to prepare majorcan specialties, as «dulce de membrillo» , quince marmalade.
Mallorca Private tour guides team welcomes you to discover Majorcan autumn, come and enjoy Mallorca with Mallorca Private Tour Guides.
Mallorca Private Tour Guides Team.
