Quince Spoon Sweet (Kydoni Glyko)
Shown served as a topping for yogurt.
Ingredients
3.5 pounds quince
1 TB lemon juice
4.5 cups water
4.5 pounds sugar
scented geranium or vanilla
cloves
Cook it!
The recipe says to peel and core the quince. I say, peel the quince, hack the woody bastards into submission, then hack out the cores. Next, grate the quince. You can use a box grater but you’ll be much happier using a food processor.
Put in a pot with the water and lemon juice, and cook till the quince are almost soft. How long this takes probably depends on how ripe the quince are. My quince started out pretty soft as they were a bit overripe, so I boiled them for only about 10-15 minutes.
Add sugar and simmer for another 15 minutes.
Cover and leave overnight.
Boil again until the syrup thickens, then add vanilla and cloves. When cool, put in clean jars.
Here’s another recipe for Quince Spoon Sweet that uses bite-sized pieces of quince rather than shredding it: Quince Spoon Sweet from Ivy at Kopiaste
And here’s a quince dessert that’s not a spoon sweet, from Peter at Kalofagas, Poached Quince with Manouri
Comment by Laurie Constantino
I could never quite warm up to spoon sweets until I started putting them on yogurt where they are exactly the right thing. Thanks for calling a spade a spade – quince really are woody bastards!
Comment by Ivy
I made quince three times this year and it disappeared in no time. Sounds perfect even for breakfast. Thanks for adding a link to my post.
Comment by Lulu
Hi Laurie, what can I say, but “yep!”
Hey Ivy, no problem, I like to offer other resources, especially from a trusted source!
Comment by maria v
woody, yes, but when they are cooked, they really are divine, especially in the sweetened form (haven’t yet been game enough to use them in a savoury dish)
Comment by Lulu
That’s true Maria, and I suspect that if they didn’t start out woody they wouldn’t cook up as nicely.
Comment by James
I keep meaning to make something like this – quince is just the best, and I know a few people who are always giving out quinces when they have a glut, but they always seem to be when I’m most busy.
Great to see you back by the way!
Comment by Peter
Lulu, I now adore quince (savory and sweet) and the glyko would good as a topping..a little goes a long way.
Thanks for the link-luv! 😉
Comment by Lulu
James, I’m glad to be back, thanks! Don’t you just hate having lovely ingredients show up when you’re too busy to use them?
Peter, my pleasure! I agree about a little going a long way. After all, glyko is really glyko!
Comment by katie
I had a quince tree in Andorra and not a clue what to do with them. All the neighbors knew was membrillo…
Oh well, next time! Looks delicious!
Comment by Lulu
Well, Katie, membrillo is close enough to this spoon sweet. I’m contemplating a quince version of applesauce, but that’ll have to wait till next year.
Comment by Paula
Okay, I’m gonna have to find me some quince! I love that mountain of sugar! And the color of the finished product is gorgeous! I want some spoon sweet!
Paula’s last blog post..Incredible and Flexible … Savory Breakfast Muffins!
Comment by maria
I am such a bad Greek as I have only made a spoon sweet once.I love to eat them, but never make them. I am looking to change all that this year. Thank you for your yummy and inspiring quince recipe!
Comment by Lulu
@11 Paula – Actually, when I put the mountain of sugar in, my first thought was, “Why can’t I ever pick a pot that’s big enough?”
@12 Maria – Too bad we don’t leave near each other. I love to make them, but never eat them.
Comment by Tobias Cooks!
I love quince. The season is kind of over here, but in fall I will try a gliko tou koutaliou for sure.
Comment by Tina
Hello
Im a bit confused recipie says vanilla & cloves how much ? thank you
Comment by Lulu
@15 Tina: I think I used about 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla. As I was packing the quince into jars I tossed a couple of cloves in each jar. I’m glad you asked about this, I should really have quantified it.
Comment by heni
I have seen this frit here but never knew to do with them, but your method is ingenius! I am going to try it, thank!
Comment by deni
Another way to do this is to prepare the syrup first, add lemon juice and then grate quince pieces into it. After this cook them for a shorter time and pour them immediately into the sterilized jars. This way much less water is released from the fruit, the cooked fruit has much better texture and the syrup is perfectly congealed. I would also recommend using geranium instead of vanilla/cloves combination. The quinces are perfectly paired with geranium, if it is properly dosed. It is enough to add one or two smaller leaves per 700ml jar.