Fruit *cheese* / Quince paste / Cotognata

[Aquitaine]

I have begun research on damson cheese and am looking for any information you might have regarding fruit *cheeses* in general. I understand that it is typically a farmhouse tradition and may generally have gone by the wayside. Damson cheese is similar to membrillo (Spanish) and cotignac (French) quince paste, in that it is sort of a fruit preserve cooked long enough to dry firmly and be cut into slices.

I've started other threads related to this topic:

• In the UK forum: Fruit cheese / Damson cheese, Seeking info: UK tradition -- http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?act=ST...f=9&t=18619&st=
  
• In the Central & Latin American forum: http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?act=ST...T&f=42&t=18627&
  
• In the Spain & Portugal forum: http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?act=ST...8&t=18625&st=0&
  

The cookbook author Joyce Goldstein writes:

Wine and Cheese Pairing…Cotognata, quince paste infused with cinnamon or citron, is a specialty of Apulia, but you can find many Spanish imports as well, sold under the name membrillo. Apulian pear, quince, and fig pastes from the Azienda Agricola Marzano in San Pietro in Vernotico, near Brindisi, are made from only fruit, sugar, and pectin, and they are delicious. [Goldstein, Joyce Esersky. Enoteca: Simple, Delicious Recipes in the Italian Wine Bar Tradition. San Francisco: Chronicle Books, c2001. ISBN 0811828255.]

I know lots about quince pastes -- found all over Italy, and molded into beautiful forms in Sicily, and of course, membrillo in Spain -- and next to nothing about other fruit pastes...

My initial questions are these:

• Are you familiar with the Aziena Agricola Marzano fruit pastes? Where do you buy them, and what do you think? [Available in New York City at Citarella shops and DiPalo’s Dairy at 200 Grand Street in Little Italy -- wonderful people and THE place to buy Parmigiano-Reggiano...]
  
• What is the Italian word or phrase for this item, i.e., generic (pasta di frutta?)
  
• Is this just an upscale consumer’s find, or do you know of a tradition of fruit pastes?
  
• Have you seen it commercially, and if so, where (farmer’s markets, upscale cheese stores, etc.)? Do you remember brands? Is it packed in a pot or sold by the slab?
  
• Do you knowof artisanal sources?
  
• Historical sources?
  
• What do you know about persicata, made with peaches (apparently a specialty of Lombardy)?
  
• How do you eat it? With a fork, or spread on bread, etc.?
  
• Is it eaten with cheese, and if so, which (or once again, the local variant? as opposed to “the best companion” a la Manchego with membrillo?
  
• What seems to be popular?
  
• Know anything about sources for the molds used to make cotignac / quince paste?
  
• Any thoughts about other sources of information about this? I am wearing out the pages of books in the New York Public Library and culinary libraries around me...
  

Thanks in advance!

Edited March 21, 2003 by Aquitaine (log)

[Craig Camp]

I am going to forward these questions to an organic fruit and olive farmer I know in Puglia so that we can get some precise answers. Give me a day to find time to translate it and then a few days for him to get around to responding.

[Aquitaine]

Oh, my goodness, Craig! How lovely. I look forward to hearing the results. And would you be so kind as to e-mail me the Italian when you've translated it? Mine is not fluent and I'd love to know how the translation should read.... And, really, there is no rush. (Although I will be aspettando-ing...)

[Bill Klapp]

In the Piemonte, we have something called "cugna" or "cougna", which, in Piemontese dialect, means "sister-in-law". The reference is actually off-color, since it suggests the attractive, delectable and desirable nature of one's sister-in-law! (They are Piemontese, but still Italian, after all!) Anyway, cugna is made in the fall, usually of grape must (can be Nebbiolo, Barbera, Dolcetto or a blend), apples and hazelnuts, three of the most famous local ingredients. Sugar is rarely added, as only perfectly ripe fruit is used. It is slow-cooked until it turns a rich dark brown, and it is not unlike the American apple butter, only a LOT better. It is traditionally served with the local cheeses, which include a full range of cow, milk, sheep and goat cheeses, and hard, soft and triple creme. It brings out the cheese flavors without masking them. Locals also sometimes serve the excellent local honeys with cheese. A close Piemontese friend also makes a confettura di rose (rose preserves) each year, from an edible species of antique rose that only blooms for two weeks in May each year. It is also served with cheese, and confettura with Gorgonzola makes me weep just thinking about it! (She also makes us a rose petal risotto, but I will break down if I even think about it in March!) In any event, a lightly sweet preserve or honey with the cheese course is one of the greatest Piemontese traditions.

[Aquitaine]

Bill, what you wrote is fabulous! I had heard the word "cugna" at DiPalo's but didn't put two and two together. (Or rather, my Italian doesn't extend to dialects and off-color usage!) Grape must is another one of my interests, so you hit two birds with this stone. Lou Di Palo told me that fruit pastes used to be made without sugar -- and I am still hoping he can put me in touch with someone who can talk to me about this tradition. But he didn't mention grape must; since it was often used as a sweetener, that makes plenty of sense. (And speaking of honey with cheese, one of my favorites is chestnut honey with a pecorino and hazelnuts or fresh pear.)

I think it is possible that this fruit paste may be called *confettura solida* -- at least that's what Azienda Agricola Marzano labels theirs. Does that ring a bell with you?

Is your friend's confettura di rose a firm, sliceable or molded preserve, or is it spreadable? And any chance you could talk with her about what variety of roses are typically used, where she got her recipe, how long she typically keeps the confettura, whether she learned at the shoulder of an older generation for example, whether she knows others who make it or is it simply an idosyncratic or family recipe (or is she online and I could begin an e-mail conversation with my limited Italian)? And even ask for the recipe? (All in the interest of learning, since it is highly unlikely I will ever make it....) Please feel free to e-mail me directly.

Thanks once again.... (and what are you doing in Piemonte -- just a lucky guy?)

[Bill Klapp]

Aquitane: I do not believe that we are talking "confettura solida". Cugna is the consistency of apple butter (not far off applesauce, but cooked down), while the confettura di rose is the consistency of preserves (not as thick as, say, some orange marmalades, but similar to strawberry preserves without the chunks of strawberry). Neither is a paste or solid. You do find a lot of fruit paste candies made with natural fruit in our area, as well as in France, of course. These are similar to American gum drops or orange slices, but much more tender. One word of warning on cugna: it is also (rarely) called moustarda in the Piemonte, but if you go further east (Lombardia, for example), there is also a moustarda made with mustard seed which, while it can be a little sweet, is a accompaniment for meats. I don't believe that there is any hope of getting my friend's recipe on-line, and maybe not at all, but I will gather as much info as possible while I'm there this summer. I am relatively sure that the variety of rose can be grown here. Re: Piemonte, my wife and I have a retirement home there. Bill

[Aquitaine]

Bill,

1) Are these Italian fruit paste candies (since the French "pate de fruit" -- sorry, no accents here -- is my jumping-off-point for the fruit pastes ) mass-produced commercial variety or artisanal? Cut into squares or molded in the shapes of fruits?? Rolled in sugar? Available at confectionerery stores or general food markets or cheesemongers?

2) Never seen the spelling "moustarda" -- believe it or not, another major interest of mine (bee in the bonnet variety) for several years is mostarda (e.g., mostarda di Cremona, but there are a lot of varieties, including a sweet one made in Sicily). Could you be more specific about "cugna" being called "moustarda"?? Specific types of cugna (i.e., fruits) or seasonings? Where in Piemonte, small towns? etcetera, etcetera, and so forth....

BTW, Elizabeth David has written about mostarda, including the note that what one gets nowadays bears no relation to what it should be. (Avoid the Sperlarli brand like the plague!) Artuso Pellegrini has some interesting stuff on it, too...

[jackal10]

I wonder if the rose is Rosa Gallica Officinalis, the Apothecaries Rose.

Claudia Roden in the Book of Jewish Food discusses Sephardic Fruit Preserves. On the same page as Bimbriyo (Quince paste) she mentions Dulce de Rozas - rose petal jam - symbolic of good luck, and mentions it is made by simmering the petals in a syrup made with the same weight of sugar.

Edited March 24, 2003 by jackal10 (log)

[Bill Klapp]

Aquitane: Sorry about the spelling! You have the mostarda of which I spoke correctly identified. Also on the pate des fruits-strictly artisanal in our area, generally in the shape of fruits and rolled in sugar. A couple of local confectionaries in our nearby towns, Alba and Asti, make them in-house, but some of the greatest come from P. Romanengo in Genoa (which is also very famous for its beautiful candied whole fruits-figs, apricots, etc.). Regarding the cugna, it is really a homemade thing, although there are artisanal jars available in local gourmet shops. In point of fact, only those I have seen for sale use the word "mostarda", and not often. The recipe is always more or less the same, I believe, but it does of course vary with the cook. By the way, jackal10 may have answered the rose question, too. I'll check, but I seem to remember something about "apothecary", although a one-to-one syrup (I assume that's what jackal10 meant) seems like it would produce something sweeter than my friend's version. I am relatively sure, however, there is nothing other than rose petals, water and sugar in it. Ciao!

[Jim Dixon]

A chef friend brought back a jar of cugna from somewhere in Peimonte and it was just like Bill described...dark and only slightly sweet. We ate it with pecorino.

I've made my own quince paste a few times. Usually quarter the quince and cook in wine (I've used white table wine and dessert wine, both worked well but the batches were too far apart to note much difference). Then run through the mouli, cook down a little more, spread onto oiled pan, and leave in gas oven to let pilot light heat speed the drying.

Nigella has a recipe called mostarda del something in her How to Eat. It's more like a quince jam and you add mustard powder for heat. Also very good with cheese.

Jim

[Aquitaine]

Jim, interesting that you make your quince paste with wine. I don't think I've seen that variation. I assume you like the additional flavor added? How much flavor, do you think, is added? Doesn't the quince tend to overpower anything else?

Also, was the cugna you brought back in a jar of spoonable consistency, then? Do you remember whether this jar had a commercial-type label, or was it homemade or artisanal?

[Jim Dixon]

Aquitaine,

I'm not sure how much flavor it adds, but mine is less sweet, a little thicker, and more intensely colored than the Spanish canned stuff available here, which is all I can compare it to.

The cugna was brought back by a chef friend who frequently visits winemakers in Piemonte, so it might have come from one of them. But it was spoonable, like apple butter, as Craig said...maybe even a little runnier. It was in a simple jar with a printed label, but the label art and type were hand-drawn.

Jim

[wingding]

I always use some white wine when cooking quince.Reducing and recooking can make for an oversweet,cloying flavor,and the wine adds some acidity to counteract that,but the flavor of quince shines through.All of these products are easy to make when you live in farm country,and there's an overabundance of fruit.When you live in the city,and have to go and buy pounds of fruit,and cook lots of it to get a little jar of jam,it 's a different kind of labor.I'm not sure how this is relevant to the conversation,but I just had to note this fact...

[Aquitaine]

Jim, Thanks for the extra info. Being a not-so-subtle gal myself, I opt for the intensity/richness you describe. The only quince compote I've made was based on white wine, now that I think of it, which did result in a nice flavor.

wingding -- Glad you did....Always good to be reminded of the need for balance (acid and sweet). But you also remind me -- warning! off topic -- that I've been pining for a fruit tree for quite some time. Must be lovely...like having an herb garden into which one can reach and snip a few of this and few of that, instead of having to buy far more than one can possibly use before they all spoil...

Edited March 26, 2003 by Aquitaine (log)

[Jim Dixon]

wingding...

thanks for the explanation...I don't add any sugar when I make the quince paste, and it is still pretty sweet, but not cloying...must be the wine.

I planted a pineapple quince last year just so I'd have a ready suppply. It's blooming now, so I'm hoping for a decent crop.

Jim

[Bill Klapp]

Aquitane: Another twist on cugna for you: I saw a passing reference to a Piemontese cugna made with quince, pears, hazelnuts, walnuts and grape must.

[joancassell]

Does anyone have a recipe that produces something similar to moustarda di cremona? John Ash gives a recipe for cherry-berry moustarda, used to marinate pork tenderloin, it's delicious, but I want to make something like the Italian classic, which I adore and could eat by the jar-ful.

[Eden]

Quince paste has been around in Europe since at least the middle ages. The late 14th c. french household manual 'Le Menagier de Paris' (The Goodman of Paris) includes a quince paste recipe, as do many of it's contemporaries from Italy and other parts of Europe. There are slight variations of course, but the basic concept is to cook the quinces in red wine, puree, and then mix them with honey, before cooking them down to a thick paste and finally adding various spices.

[Kevin72]

Does anyone have a recipe that produces something similar to moustarda di cremona?  John Ash gives a recipe for cherry-berry moustarda, used to marinate pork tenderloin, it's delicious, but I want to make something like the Italian classic, which I adore and could eat by the jar-ful.

←

Is Cremona the kind with the whole fruit or the paste?

There was a discussion on this a few years back on these boards. The main problem is that it requires a mustard essence, if I recall, that is hard to come by (at least in the U.S.). Divina weighed in an recommended using wasabi powder for similar effects. She may also have a recipe available. Otherwise, the only mostarda recipe I've seen is in Molto Italiano by Mario Batali.

[joancassell]

Thanks Kevin. I'm still a relative newbie. How do I contact Divina and/or the previous discussion of moustarda? I'll take a look at Molto Italiano.

[Kevin72]

Previous mostarda thread.

Divina posts frequently here but she's also in the thread linked above, including a link to her website in her sig and you can also PM her by clicking on her name.

[divina]

Ciao.. have been offline!

In tuscany the quince paste is called cotognata and you can also buy a norther version with the mustard essence in it called Senapata ( senape is mustard)

the process for making the candied mustard fruits is long. most families make more of a jam version and the Essenza di Senape is available at any farmacy.

I created the Mostarda Mediterranea that Dario Cecchini sells, which is a riff on the American Red pepper jelly and it is a huge hit in Italy for those that do not like the Mostarda di Cremona

[divina]

I have also seen a thick enough to cut SABA which is made usually from Grapes

as mentioned above, usually eaten with cheeses, mostly pecorino.

Mostarda di cremona is also served with bollito misto, boiled meat dinner.. or the fatty cotechino, boiled sausage.

[joancassell]

Divina, Mostardo di Cremona is difficult to find and extremely expensive. Have you any idea : how I might get some essence of senape, without going to Italy for it? I've tried every Italian website (in English) I could find with no success.

[divina]

I think it is against the law in AMerica... but I hear Indian stores may have it.

It is very expensive, because it takes forever to make!

considering how much one eats... it is not expensive..

in a cost per serving way!

I will surf around some for you and see what I can find.

It takes about 3 days to make it.

Like the french fruits preserved in syrup, but with a kick!

in peoples homes the make a simple cooked fruit, more like applesauce..

not as special I think.