Guava paste

Ingredients

• 8 ripe guavas
• 1 quart water
• 1 cup of brown sugar

Recipe

1. Wash guavas. Peel if skin is too thick. Cut into halves and scoop out seeds.
2. In a thick-bottomed pot, boil the seeds over low heat until the seeds separate and the water is dark.
3. Strain water back into the pot, and eliminate the seeds. Mix with guava halves.
4. Boil until the guava is soft and the liquid has reduced to about a cup. Cool, then blend.
5. Return to pot, add sugar, cook over medium heat, stirring so it doesn't stick to bottom.
   • To make sauce, stop it when it has thickened enough to drizzle. It'll be slightly thicker once it has cooled.
   • To make jam, stop when it has thickened to the consistency of yogurt. It'll be slightly thicker once it has cooled.
   • To make into paste, wait until the paste starts lifting from the bottom, and pour it into an oiled small square mold and let it cool to room temperature. Once cooled, cut into cubes.

Based on Dulce de Guayaba (Guava Jam).