Medlar Cheese
Traditional fruit ‘cheese’ made by cooking sieved bletted medlars with equal weight sugar until very thick, then cooling to sliceable firmness.
Instructions
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Prepare the medlars by squeezing to break the skin and scooping the insides out with a spoon. Press the pulp through a sieve to remove seeds and skin. Weigh the pulp.
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Place the pulp in a heavy-bottomed pan with an exactly equivalent weight of granulated sugar and heat over low heat, stirring well until the sugar is dissolved.
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Turn up the heat and continue stirring until the mixture becomes really thick. During the process it will “plop” and gurgle; take care to avoid splashes as it is very hot. Continue until the mixture is so thick it won’t drip off the wooden spoon.
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Pour the hot mixture into a lightly greased pan (cupcake pan or loaf pan).
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Once cooled—this may take a few hours or overnight—the loaf will become hard and can be sliced into chunks.
