tarta de santiago

after making quince paste a while back i was keen to use it in cooking rather than just limiting it to a cheese platter..when i looked on line i came upon the tarta de santiago which i hadn't heard of before..reading more about it led me on a wonderful journey through history and i learned that the tarta is named in honour of saint james who is the patron saint of spain..legend has it that his remains were carried by boat from jerusalem and buried at the site of what is now santiago de compostela in northern spain..

the origin of the tarta is not certain but two suggestions have been put forward..on the one hand it may have been brought to the region by a pilgrim during the middle ages when making the journey to santiago de compostela was one of the most important pilgrimages in the christian world or it may date back to the spanish inquisition when jews in hiding cooked it during passover because it doesn't contain flour..in the second case i guess the icing sugar cross that is stencilled on the tarta would have been a later addition because of its christian associations..

the pilgrimage has become really popular in recent times with each year thousands of people making the journey along various sections of the camino (the road) to santiago de comepostela.. i had the opportunity to walk the camino frances (the french way) with some friends about 12 years ago but lack of funds stopped me going..i was really disappointed at the time but any glimmer of yearning and disappointment that lingered about not going was erased as i learned, in reading about the tarta and its associations with the compostela, about the multitudes, the very flat terrain and the close proximity of busy roads to the walking paths..

there seem to be two distinct varieties of tarta de santiago..one has a pastry base and the other more commonly made one doesn't..the recipe (go here for recipe) i chose had a pastry base, a layer of melted quince paste (dulce de membrillo in spanish) and an almond and citrus layer..one day i might try the other variety but it will be hard to veer from this recipe because the tarta is so so good..

unfortunately the cross doesn't stand out so next time i will
cut out a bigger template

i found this shell along with several others on a beach in queensland recently while on holiday with my brothers adam and tim..i have them lined up on a window sill in my sitting room and they are a lovely reminder of the ocean and our holiday but they are also linked to the tarta..that's because the scallop shell is an iconic symbol of the camino de santiago..

next year on july 25, saint james's day, i'd like to make a scallop dish and a tarta de santiago to celebrate his feast day 

quince paste

my neighbour checked with me a while back to find out if i wanted her quince crop once they were ripe..last week they were looking yellow enough so we duly picked them..unfortunately some were rotting quite badly at the stem end and most were riddled with codling maggot tracts but to my neighbour's surprise i was undeterred..i put them in a bowl to enjoy the scent permeating my house for a few days while i decided what i'd do with them..in the end i chose to make quince paste..i was keen to try making it again since the first and last time i made it was decades ago and i vaguely remember it not being a great success..

carefully arranged so the rotten bits are hidden from view

i made this loaf (with linseeds, chia and sesame seeds), yesterday
 especially to have with the quince paste

quince paste, la luna holy goat cheese and home made bread
straight from the oven

quince paste

tea with hazel

ingredients

organic quinces 

sugar
lemon juice

method

~ cut and core quinces leaving skin on and removing all bruised, rotting and codling maggot infested flesh and place pieces in acidulated water
~ drain water and place quince pieces in a shallow baking tray, cover with foil, and bake at 190 deg c for 1 1/2 hours or until tender
~ put the pieces through a mouli
~ measure the resulting pulp and place in a large saucepan
~ for every cup of puree add 3/4 cup of sugar and the juice of 1/2 small lemon to the pan
~ heat the pan slowly until the sugar has melted and then increase heat to medium
~ stir regularly until the mixture is deep amber and the spoon leaves a trail at the bottom of the saucepan
~ spoon the paste into a shallow baking paper lined tray and put aside for 24 hours to set
~ cut into pieces and store in an airtight container or wrap in baking paper strips and store in cellophane bags

notes:

~ i baked my quince pieces rather than boiling them as is usually done on the premise that the added water needed for boiling would extend the paste cooking time
~ i used a diffuser under the saucepan to prevent scorching and so that i didn't have to stir the pot quite
as often
~ cooking time varies considerably but my quince paste took about 1 1/2 hours..it can take 4 hours or so
~ for a sweeter product add a cup of sugar to each cup of puree
~ the few quinces i had made 24 pieces of paste and, not including the gas and electricity, cost $0.03c/piece

next time i see my former neighbours (who planted the quince tree
about 3 years ago) i will give them some quince paste from 'their' tree

verdict:

i'm so glad i had another attempt at making quince paste because it was such a satisfying experience..i loved the smell permeating my kitchen as i watched the magical process as the paste slowly changed colour from pale creamy yellow/brown to red amber..and i was so happy that it worked out well and that it tastes great..not too sweet with a bit of a tang..now it's almost hard to imagine that the paste was made from rotting and codling maggot tract ridden fruit..