Pear-Quince Fruit Spread

Pear-Quince Fruit Spread. Orchard fruit from Wankendorf, mild in taste and amber in the jar.

Pear-Quince Fruit Spread by FrüchteMeer combines 37% pear with 13% quince juice, both from the manufactory's own orchard. No pure quince jelly, no tart berry variety and no spread with spices.

Pear-Quince Fruit Spread is an autumn spread from the FrüchteMeer preserves manufactory, which combines juicy pear with the aroma of quince. In autumn, the quinces shine in the Thiesen family's orchard, while the pears ripen beside them. The manufactory describes this time itself as the harvest season for quinces, Zwetschgen plums, apples and pears. This jar is made from both fruits. The pear is added as fruit, the quince as juice. The result is an amber-colored, almost translucent spread with a soft texture.

Juicy pear, floral quince and a subtle tartness

The Pear-Quince Fruit Spread tastes mild and juicy of ripe pear, overlaid by the floral-perfumed aroma of quince. A fine tartness holds the sweetness together without coming to the fore. A hint of honey and yellow apple remains on the finish.

The composition is well thought out. Pears provide body and sweetness with 37 percent. The quince juice brings the typical aroma with 13 percent, without the grainy texture of raw quince flesh. This keeps the consistency delicate and spreadable. A little citric acid and pectin ensure freshness and binding.

Those who love strong fruit tartness like blackcurrant or sour cherry will find the variety too mild. Sugar is first on the ingredients list, with 57 g per 100 g. It is therefore not intended for a low-sugar diet. It contains no spices; those expecting cinnamon or vanilla will not find them.

With Comté, in pumpkin soup and in black tea

The manufacturer calls cheese the preferred partner, and the combination is convincing. With a young Comté, a Brie de Meaux or a mild soft goat cheese, the pear forms a sweet bridge. One teaspoon per slice of cheese is enough. For a quick appetizer, top Pumpernickel slices with soft goat cheese and add a dollop of spread and half a walnut to each. On a cheese platter, the jar replaces the usual fig jam accompaniment.

The variety can also be used in savory dishes. One teaspoon in pumpkin soup, stirred in just before serving, rounds off the sweetness of the pumpkin. In the north, pear is already part of savory dishes, as shown by the traditional dish of pears, beans and bacon. For a lattice-topped crostata, one jar is enough as a filling. Those who want to try quince without pear should choose the Quince Fruit Spread from the same manufactory. For breakfast, the variety tastes good on raisin bread with quark or on a warm scone with a little butter.

From experience: Stir one teaspoon into a cup of strong black tea instead of taking sugar. This is common in Eastern Europe with fruit preserves, and the quince gives the tea a floral note. For desserts with strong chocolate, the spread is less suitable because its delicate aroma gets lost.

Fruit from the manufactory's own orchard

The label states the origin of both fruits: the manufactory's own orchard. It is cooked down in the manufactory in Wankendorf, halfway between Kiel and Neumünster. The manufactory was founded by Susanne Lucht-Thiesen in 1996; today she runs the house with Karsten Thiesen. At FrüchteMeer, the own harvest therefore lands directly in the cooking pot.

Quince, botanically Cydonia oblonga, is one of Europe's oldest cultivated fruits. Depending on the fruit shape, they are distinguished as apple quinces and pear quinces. Raw, it is hard, tart and covered with a fine fuzz. Only by cooking does it develop its aroma. Because it contains a lot of natural pectin, it is excellent for jelly and spread.

A side note: pear and quince both belong to the pome fruit family and are closely related. In the cooking pot, they therefore naturally complement each other. The pear provides sweetness and volume, the quince its aroma and additional binding power.

A mild autumn spread with its own orchard history

What sets this spread apart is the combination of orchard origin and restraint. It does not impose itself and lets bread, cheese and pastries have their own stage. This makes it suitable for people who like preserves but avoid strong tartness. Alongside the manufactory's spiced Christmas varieties, it is the quiet counterpoint for everyone who likes a calm morning.

Those who are invited to a dinner in autumn can bring the 210-g jar and a piece of Comté as a harmonious guest gift. Friends with their own orchard will immediately recognize the orchard origin. Those who want to combine two autumn varieties should place the tart Sloe Jelly beside it.

A jar of orchard autumn from Schleswig-Holstein that feels at home at breakfast, on the cheese platter and in the tea glass alike.