Quinces come into season in autumn: they are strange, hard, knobbly, furry fruits and rather unappealing at first glance. They do have a beautiful perfume though – and they’re cheap, probably because most people don’t know what to do with them. To me, they smell pink, which might sound strange, but makes more sense when they are cooked, because they turn from a pale yellowy green to a deep, glossy ruby. It’s the kind of alchemic kitchen magic that can make you fall in love with a fruit, and I am definitely in love with quinces.
This recipe is a basic ‘first date with quince’ recipe but no less alluring or sustaining for that. You’ll start with wan, hard, shy wedges and end up with luscious, lolling, eat-me succulence.
Here are some fun quince facts!
- Some say Eve ate quince, not apple
- Ancient Greek brides would eat quince to perfume their breath as they entered the bridal chamber
- It’s a truly seasonal fruit, which is good in this FIFO (fly-in-fly-out) age. When it’s gone, it’s gone till next year
- Quince can play sweet and savoury – cook it with roast lamb, quince paste with cheese is magic and keeps forever
Pot-roasted Spiced Quinces: Before and After
Pot-roasted Spiced Quinces
Serves 6-8
Ingredients:
- 800 g quince (3 medium)
- 1 cup raw sugar
- 2 Tbsp fragrant honey
- juice of 1 lemon
- 2 cups water
- 2 cardamom pods
- ½ vanilla pod
Method:
- Preheat oven to 120ºC degrees.
- Peel quinces and cut into quarters. Cut out the cores but keep them. Place the quinces, including cores, into a casserole with a lid. (If you have muslin, you can wrap the cores into a bundle; if you don’t, just put them in loose.) Pour over the sugar and water and add the honey, lemon, cardamom and vanilla. Cover with a lid (or a couple of layers of foil, tightly crimped). Place in oven for 8 hours (or overnight) until ruby red.
- Pick out cores and discard. Eat pot-roasted quinces with cream, yoghurt, on muesli or as a base for fruit crumble. Roasted quinces can also be added to cakes.
The leftover syrup is delicious swirled through yoghurt or over ice cream. You can also use it as a cocktail base and add ice, vodka and soda.
Once you’ve tried this, it’s an easy step up to making quince paste. I love quince paste served with cheese or spread on toast like jam. For a great, simple Thermomix recipe, try Jeff Brady’s Quince Paste from my first book, In The Mix: Great Thermomix Recipes.
Photo: Greg Elms
What about you?
Have you ever cooked quinces? I’d love you to share your favourite recipe ideas.
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My Nan used to cook quinces and they are my favourite fruit. I could never get that great colour like she used to (maybe I’m not patient enough so will try this recipe!). I used to pick them from the side of the road, but my late father gave me a tree several years ago and this year it has the best crop it has ever had.
I’ve been stewing them and using the cores and peels to make quince paste – so there’s no waste!
Can’t wait to try your recipe :).
It’s hard to believe that this knobby fruit turns into a great dessert. I know I was “blown away” when I first cooked them and their beautiful scent filled my kitchen. I just brought them to the boil and then stewed them. We ate them with home made custard. It was many years before I heard about quince paste and eating it with cheese. They have always been a rather ignored fruit in my part of Australia.