COUNT YOUR “Q” BLESSINGS

Looking for “Q” blessings, I discovered that they aren’t real common, so I’m going to list only one. Quince.

Now you’re thinking, “Really?” Yes. Let me explain. In Argentina, quince paste, known as “dulce de membrillo” is very common, and delicious. It can be used as a dessert, sliced and served with a slice of soft cheese, or it can be eaten on toast or crackers with cheese. But our favorite way to eat dulce de membrillo is on “Pasta Frola”, a tart made with a shortbread-type cookie crust, a layer of the quince paste, and a lattice top. As a special treat for our “Q” blessing, let me give you the recipe. Try it, and you might have a new “Q” blessing: quince. (if you can’t get quince paste for the Pasta Frola, you can use any kind of jam)

Pasta Frola

300 grams self-rising flour
100 grams sugar
150 grams butter
2 eggs, slightly beaten
1 tsp. vanilla
300 grams dulce de membrillo
1 egg to paint the top of the tart.
Mix the flour and sugar in a large bowl. Cut the butter in until it is in very small pieces, lentil sized. Add the slightly beaten eggs and vanilla, and mix until the dough is consistent. Do not knead or over mix it. Let it rest in the fridge while you prepare the dulce de membrillo. Cut the dulce de membrillo into dice-sized pieces, put it in a bowl with about 2 Tbsp. water, and heat it in the microwave for 1 minute. Take it out and smash it with a fork so it’s spreadable. Set it aside.

Preheat the oven to 375°. Take the dough out of the refrigerator and divide it in 2 parts. You should have about 2/3 of it for the tart and 1/3 for the lattice top. Roll out the larger part on a floured surface and place it on the bottom and about 1” up the sides of a 10” tart pan with a removable bottom or a 9 x 13 pan, previously sprayed or greased. After placing the dough in the pan, spread the dulce de membrillo on it and trim the edges. Roll out the remaining dough using a pizza cutter to cut finger-width strips for the lattice. Place the strips on top of the dulce de membrillo and paint only the lattice with beaten egg.

Bake for about 20 minutes, or until nicely browned. Enjoy your “Q” blessing!