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Poaching Quince Quince is probably my favorite fruit. It is somewhat elusive as the season is short and is rarely available in mass. One must know someone with a quince tree or be lucky to know a farmer at the market that grows it. It resembles a wobbly pear, with hard skin, and is inedible raw. When ripe, the skin turns yellow and smells of a mixture of apple, chamomile, and pineapple. Its scent is intoxicating. It must be cooked and when you do, it becomes one of the most luxurious fruits. Quince is complex and layered – like the most interesting subjects in life. Many of you have asked me how I cook it and how I use it. Below is a list of some ideas that you might enjoy. - Serve the poached quince in a bowl topped with thick buttermilk or yogurt and a sprinkle of toasted nuts. - For breakfast on granola or porridge. - Slice it and add it to your favorite snack cake as you would pears. - Make a frangipane tart with it. Fill a tart pan with pastry dough, spread a layer of frangipane on top, and arrange sliced of poached quince over it. Sprinkle the top with some sliced almonds and bake together (see photo). All these recipes are actually in my book Bakes Simple. - Pan roast the poached quince with a little bit of the syrup until it caramelizes and serve with ice cream. - Puree the poached quince in a food processor with some of the poaching syrup until you have a creamy paste. Similar to quince butter. Spread it on toasted bread or swirl it into yogurt. - Once you have the quince butter mentioned above, make a linzertorte with it in place of the traditional jam (see photo). Recipe for this is also in Bakes Simple. - You can serve the poached quince alongside roasted meats as if you would apple compote. - Sauté onions, leeks, garlic and Brussels sprouts in olive oil until caramelized then stir it finely chopped pieces of the poached quince. - Never discard the poaching liquid. It is fully of flavor, aroma, and sweetness. I use it to sweeten tea or add it to sparkling water along with lemon or any cocktail you would like. - Make quince caramel. Reduce the poaching liquid to caramel consistency. You can keep it like this, which will be a bit more translucent, or make a richer caramel with a little bit of vegan butter (or unsalted butter) and coconut or oat milk (or half and half or heavy cream depending on how thick you want it). I made this recently although I didn’t write down the amounts, but as I remember, it was about 1/2 cup of reduced quince poaching liquid, a tablespoon of vegan butter, and 3 tablespoons of Oatly’s full-fat oat milk. It is so delicious. It thickens considerably when it cools. 1 quart (900 g) water 1 cup (225 g) sugar 1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise and seeds scraped 1 cinnamon stick 2 lemons, juiced 4 medium (2 pounds or 900 g) quince Make the sugar syrup. Combine the water, sugar, vanilla bean and seeds, and cinnamon in a medium saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium heat until the sugar dissolves and the syrup begins to bubble. Fill a medium bowl with cold water and add the lemon juice. Peel (reserve the peels) and quarter the quinces (you can leave the core as it will be easier to cut later). Carve out any brown spots on the flesh. Drop the quince in the lemon water as you cut to stop them from oxidizing. Gather the peels in a muslin cloth and tie ends together to seal. This step is optional but there is so much aroma in the peels that it’s another added layer of flavor you are adding to the syrup. Drain the quince pieces out of the lemon water and transfer them into the pan with the sugar syrup. Add the bag with the peels. Place a piece of parchment over the pan making sure it touches the surface of the syrup and the quince. This will help keep the fruit submerged. Adjust the heat so the syrup has a low simmer. Do not let it boil too harshly or it can crack the fruit. Simmer the quince for 1 to 2 hours, or until fork tender and they take on a rose color. Let the quince cool completely in the poaching liquid. Their color will deepen as they sit in the syrup. Store the quince in the refrigerator in the liquid for up to a week. Remove the tough core before serving or using in another recipe.
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