MOONINSPAIN

One of my favorite sayings in Spanish is  “uvas con queso saben a beso” or “grapes with cheese taste like a kiss”.  My daughter even learned this in her Pre-school at snack time.  The combination of grapes and cheese really do bring to the mouth the taste of a (nice) kiss.  But in reality, here in Spain there is another flavor that is most typically combined with a nice cured Manchego cheese.  Dulce de Membrillo. Quince turned into a firm jelly brick.  Sounds strange I know, and even I thought it was pretty odd the first timed I was offered a piece. The truth is that a chunk of quince paste with a slice of cured cheese accompanied by a glass of Ribera del Duero is an absolute delicacy.

I was just finishing my Part 2 on Toledo when I was completely distracted by gifts of fall fruits.  Luna and I helped an older gentleman, Miguel, with his car the other day and so he showed us his gratitude with a bag of walnuts and pomegranates.  Then, my friend Ofelia handed me a huge bag of quince last night as I left her house.  Luna sat happily at the table and attempted to crack nuts while I cleaned and cored the quince hoping for some possible chance of producing  “dulce de membrillo”.  And so I cut and I peeled without losing a finger and then I boiled and cooled and rinsed and boiled again forever and ever with sugar, lemon, and vanilla.  And now it is supposed to harden a bit.  I left it chunkier than it is supposed to be because I thought it might be nice that way.  We will see. Tomorrow I will have a bit with some cheese and wine.  It hasn’t hardened quite yet but the flavor is amazing!!!!