Quince paste

Method

1. Fill a large bowl with cold water and add the juice of 1 lemon. Quarter the quinces, then remove and discard the cores, dropping the prepared fruit into the water as you go. Drain, put in a pan and cover with 2 litres cold water.
2. Add the lemon zest, bring to the boil and simmer for 40 minutes until very tender. Drain, then whizz in a food processor until smooth. Rub through a sieve into a bowl and weigh the purée (it should be about 1.5kg). Return to a clean pan and add the same weight of sugar. Stir over a low heat until the sugar has dissolved, then add the juice of the remaining lemon. Cook gently, stirring every 5-10 minutes, for 1-1½hours, taking care that the mixture doesn’t catch on the pan, until it’s a thick, deep pinky-orange paste (this may take an extra 15-20 minutes, depending on the quinces).
3. Pour into a loose-bottomed 20cm square x 5cm deep cake tin lined with baking paper, then smooth over the top. Press another square of baking paper onto the surface and leave to cool and set. Store by wrapping, still in its paper, in foil or cling film. Keep in an airtight tin or the fridge.
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