Ripe quince is naturally perfumed like beautiful rose petals. An immaculate sweet scent which wafts through the air when left out at room temperature penetrating the nostrils like white truffles do. At the Greenmarket on Saturday I could not stop inhaling the beautiful aromas of these weird fruits. Hard and somewhat astringent when eaten raw - meaning they have to be cooked.
(Grilled quince with venison and lavender)
Pear-Apple, Apple-Pear?
Related to apples with somewhat of a pear shape, cooked quince will definitely remind you of eating pears but combined with apple flavor. They also have a core with seeds. Compared with apples or pears quince will take longer to cook because of it’s hard texture. The fruit is golden yellow in color when ripe and greenish when unripe with a white fuzz on its skin. It’s perfectly quirky.
(right picture: quince close-up)
Hard Texture – Gentle cooking
I like to cook quince gently by peeling it, cutting it in half then with touch of good honey and a piece of cinnamon placed in a Zip-loc style bag immersed in a pot filled with hot water. Cook it this way at 186 degrees Fahrenheit (keep pot of water on very low flame and check temperature with kitchen thermometer) for 2-2 ½ hours or until soft when pierced with a knife. Quince cooked this way will have a silky flavor and just tastes lovely bringing out all its fragrant qualities.
The Old Fashioned Way
If you like to cook them the old fashioned way here’s what I suggest: cover quince in a pot (peeled and halved) with water then add sugar (with a ration of 4:1) and a cinnamon stick. Cook quince on a low flame until soft (45- 60 minutes or so). Cooking quince this way will dilute the fragrant taste somewhat, more reminiscent of canned pears.
(quince cooked in Zip-loc style bag with a touch of honey)
Cooked Quince Combos … Cheese, Cake or Savory
-Quince are delicious with cheese and nut bread – In my opinion they have a very satisfying texture which complements soft or hard cheeses.
-Small cooked quince cubes keep their shape when baked in a cake -- not only lovely to look at but also delicious when you bite into it.
-Cooked then grilled quince is a perfect match with game foods like deer or pheasant. The soft-silky quince texture sooths the rather strong flavor of game.
-Keep quince in mind for Thanksgiving - quince compote makes a great friend next to cranberry jelly and it’s unexpected.
