French Jellied Quince Flavored with Piment d'Espelette
As featured in The New York Times by the fabulous Florence Fabricant. One of the ways she loves to enjoy it? "Use a slice of it instead of jelly in your PB&J, and that sandwich will never be the same."
This French-style membrillo is the brainchild of Kitty Keller, founder of KL Keller Foodways, and third generation Provençal confectioner F. Doucet. Beloved for their pâtes de fruits, F. Doucet puts the same care in their quince paste, starting with peak-season fruit and cooking it slowly in copper bain-maries with sugar, pectin and a touch of Bourbon vanilla.
It was Kitty who dreamed up the brilliant combination of quince and Piment d'Espelette AOP. This classic Basque pepper—known for its food-friendly heat—adds a gentle, smoldering spice, finding perfect harmony with the sweetness of the fruit.
Ingredients: sugar, quince from Provence pulp, wheat glucose syrup, Piment d’Espelette AOP, gelling agent (pectin) and Bourbon vanilla.
How to use
F. Doucet's Quince Paste with Espelette Pepper is the ideal mate for cheeses of all kinds—from creamy, bloomy rinded cheeses like Brillat Savarin, fresh goat cheese and blue cheeses like St. Agur and Colston Bassett Stilton.
This French fruit paste also makes a sweet 'n' spicy ingredient in the kitchen. Melt over medium low heat and use as a glaze for smoked pork ribs (brush over the ribs during the last few minutes of cooking to ensure the sugar doesn't burn), toss with crispy chicken wings or brush over slow-roasted duck legs as they are coming out of the oven.
