Puerto Rican Guava Paste

Ingredients:

2.25kg fresh guavas
180ml water
400g white granulated sugar
150g powdered sugar
1 fresh lemon
6 strips of lemon peel, pared with a peeler and finely shredded

Method:

To prepare the guavas, cut off the stem section, peel off the skin and any brown bits from the fruit. Chop the guavas into chunks.

Combine the guavas in a pan with the water. Bring to a low boil then reduce to a simmer over medium-low heat and cook for 30 minutes, or until the guavas are fork tender. At this point mash the guava flesh with a potato masher until the mixture is mushy.

Tip the mixture into a fine-meshed sieve set over a bowl. Press the guava pulp through the sieve with the back of a spoon, leaving the seeds and any solids behind. Note that this process will take some time to extract all the pulp, so be patient.

Scrape the guava pulp back into a pan then combine with the sugar, lemon juice and lemon zest. Mix well to remove any clumps then place over medium heat and cook, stirring often for another 30 minutes, or until the mixture thickens and significantly darkens in colour.

The paste should start to come away from the sides of the pan to form into a solid mass.

Pour into a mould (a lined or silicone loaf tin is good), level with a spatula, cover and allow to cool to room temperature before transferring to your refrigerator to chill overnight, or until solid.

Slice into chunks and store individually in the refrigerator, wrapped in plastic for up to 1 month.