Quince Jam or Poached

For jam: 

Simmer quince and two litres of water in a deep saucepan until tender, about 1½ to 2 hours. 

Purée the quince, then pass it through a sieve into a saucepan and bring to a simmer. 

Add sugar, stir to dissolve, and cook until the jam turns dark pink, thick, glossy, and sticks to a chilled plate when dripped, about 1 to 1½ hours. 

Add thyme and 1 teaspoon of cracked black pepper. 

Transfer to a sterilised jar and store in a cool place. 

Cloudy quince jam will keep for up to 2 months.

 

Or: 

Poached quince is a delicately light dessert with a fragrant flavour and a deep amber hue. It is made by poaching halved quinces in sugar syrup. Traditionally, it’s served with a scoop of kaymak, a rich Turkish clotted cream, and crushed pistachios or walnuts.

 

Ingredients:

- 2 medium-sized quinces

- 6 cloves

- 180 g white granulated sugar

- 400 ml water, at room temperature

- 1 cinnamon stick (optional)

Garnish:

- 100 g clotted cream or mascarpone cheese

- 1 tablespoon crushed pistachios or walnuts

 

Method:

- Wash and peel the quinces with a peeler or knife, saving the peels for later use.

- Cut the quinces in half horizontally, then remove a small slice from the bottom of each so they can sit upright when serving.

- Core the quinces with a spoon, reserving the seeds for future use.

- Arrange the peeled skins at the bottom of a large saucepan or deep pan with a lid. Place the quince halves on top, cut sides facing up, ensuring they do not overlap.

- Add a few seeds and a clove to each quince, then evenly distribute the remaining seeds and cloves throughout the pan.

- Sprinkle the sugar over the quinces evenly. Cover with the lid and leave at room temperature for 8 hours or overnight.

- Add a cinnamon stick and pour water into the pan. Cover and gently bring to the boil. After 10 minutes, remove the cinnamon stick.

 

Tips & Suggestions:

- Don't: eat it raw. Do: slow-cook it in these sweet and savoury recipes.

- The skin and seeds of quinces contain lots of pectin, so saving them for later during preparation is essential. This helps achieve a thick syrup and vibrant colour.

- After peeling and cutting, quinces will brown through oxidation. If cooking cannot start immediately, place them in acidulated water with the juice of half a lemon to prevent browning.

- Cutting quinces in half horizontally creates a flat, round surface, making the final dish more attractive. Also, trimming the bottom allows them to sit balanced on a plate.

- Soaking quinces in sugar overnight helps the fruit retain its shape during cooking. You can skip this step if pressed for time.

- Serve the dessert at room temperature to prevent the clotted cream from disintegrating.

- Leftover quince syrup can be used in a ginger beer and dark rum cocktail, perfect for hot summer days.

**What is the best way to eat quince?**

The best way to enjoy quince is by gently poaching it until it turns a deep ruby-red colour. This colour indicates that its texture has transformed from starchy to juicy and sweet. Simmering quince slowly with vanilla, cinnamon, and a splash of dessert wine creates a luscious, jewel-toned treat. It can be enjoyed on its own, topped with ice cream or cream, or folded into a winter pudding.

For a more rustic option, you can roast quince with honey and serve it alongside sharp cheddar as a delightful snack with drinks. Alternatively, you can emulsify it into a glaze, which pairs perfectly with pork chops. Regardless of how you prepare quince, remember that patience is key: treating it gently will yield delicious results all season long.

 **Do quinces need to be peeled?**

 Quinces generally need to be peeled before cooking because their skin is quite tough and can remain chewy even after long cooking times. However, if you are roasting or baking them, you can sometimes leave the skin on, as it softens slightly and adds a rustic texture.

 

If you are making jam or jelly, the skin of the quince contains natural pectin, which helps with setting. In this case, it can be cooked with the fruit and then strained out. Ultimately, whether to peel or not depends on your chosen preparation method and the dish you intend to make.

Sweet roasted quince.

We've been tucking into quince cooked in honey and spices since the middle ages – try these, and it's easy to see why.
They're delicious served hot with good vanilla ice-cream.
Serves six.

18 cloves
3 quinces, unpeeled, halved and cored
Juice of ½ lemon
200ml port (or sweet red wine)
5 tbsp runny honey
3 cinnamon sticks
2 star anise (optional)

Heat the oven to 180C/350F/gas mark 4.
Press three cloves into the skin of each quince half, and place the fruit cut-side down in a roasting tin.
Whisk together 400ml water, the lemon juice, port and honey, and pour over the quinces.
Place the cinnamon sticks in the tray, along with the star anise, if using.

Bake for about an hour, until sticky and golden.
Now turn the quince right-side up and continue baking until very tender – about 15 minutes more.
Carefully remove the cloves from the skin.

Remove the pan from the oven and let the quince cool slightly.
If there is lots of liquid in the tin, strain it into a small pan and simmer to reduce to a thick syrup.
Put a quince half on each plate, spoon over some of the cooking juices (or syrup) and serve with ice-cream.

- Quince recipes | Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall | Life and style | The Guardian

Sticky quince and ginger cake.

This makes a pretty, moist cake studded with poached quince and stem ginger.
Save any leftover poaching syrup – it will solidify into a jelly and is delicious spread on toast.
Makes one 23cm cake.

150g butter, softened, plus a little more for greasing
2 large-ish quinces (about 600g)
160g caster or vanilla sugar
160g runny honey
1 small thumb fresh ginger, peeled and finely diced
Juice of ½ lemon
250g plain flour
2 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp baking powder
Good pinch of salt
180g caster or vanilla sugar
3 eggs, plus 1 egg yolk
100g creme fraiche
1 tsp vanilla extract
3 balls stem ginger in syrup, drained and chopped

For the topping
3 tbsp syrup from the ginger jar
3 tbsp quince poaching liquid
2 tbsp granulated sugar

Heat the oven to 170C/325F/gas mark 3.
Grease a 23cm x 5cm round, spring-form cake tin, line the base and sides with baking parchment, and butter the parchment.

Peel, quarter and core the quinces.
Cut each quarter into 1cm slices.
Put the quince into a large saucepan with 600ml water, the sugar, honey, ginger and lemon juice.
Bring to a boil and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the quince is very tender and has turned a deep, rosy amber colour – about an hour and a half.
Drain, reserving the liquor.
Leave the quince to cool, and in a small pan reduce the liquor until thick and syrupy.

Sift the flour, ground ginger, baking powder and salt into a bowl.
In a separate bowl, beat together the butter and sugar until pale and fluffy.
Add the eggs and yolk one at a time, beating well after each addition.
Mix in a few tablespoons of the flour, the creme fraiche and vanilla, fold in the rest of the flour, then the poached quince and chopped ginger.
Spoon into the prepared tin and smooth the top with a spatula.
Bake for about an hour and a quarter (check after an hour – if the cake is browning too quickly, cover with foil), until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean.

While the cake is cooking, whisk together the ginger syrup and poaching syrup to make a glaze.
As soon as the cake comes out of the oven, pierce the top a few times with a skewer and brush on the glaze, letting it trickle into the holes.
Sprinkle over the sugar and leave to cool in the tin for 20 minutes.
Remove from the tin and leave on a wire rack to cool completely.

- Quince recipes | Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall | Life and style | The Guardian

Hot lamb and quince salad from Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall.

The zingy sweetness of the quince goes beautifully with the rosy lamb.
If you like, add a handful of rocket and/or coriander leaves to the salad, but it's delicious just as it is.
Serves four as a starter, two as a main.

1 tsp coriander seeds
1 tsp cumin seeds
Zest of 1 orange
¼-½ tsp chilli flakes
3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
500g lamb leg steak, butterflied (ask the butcher to do this for you), trimmed of excess fat
1 large quince, washed but unpeeled
2 tbsp runny honey
Juice of 1 lemon
1 sprig fresh rosemary
Flaky sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

In a small, dry frying pan over a medium heat, toast the coriander and cumin seeds until just fragrant – about a minute.
Grind roughly with a pestle and mortar, and combine in a bowl with the orange zest, chilli flakes and oil.
Add the lamb, rubbing the marinade well into the surface; cover and marinate for two to four hours, turning over once or twice.

Halve the quince lengthways, remove the core, then cut each half into four segments.
Put these into a small pan with the honey, lemon juice, rosemary and enough water just to cover.
Bring to a simmer, partially cover and poach gently until tender – depending on the size of the quince, about 30-45 minutes.
Remove from the poaching liquid with a slotted spoon and place in the marinade with the lamb.
Turn everything over with your hands so the quince slices are well coated.

Warm up a small griddle pan or frying pan over a high heat.
Fry the seasoned lamb steak for a couple of minutes a side, then leave on a warmed plate to rest for five minutes while you cook the quince.
Griddle or fry the quince segments on both sides until starting to caramelise.

Cut the lamb into thin slices and arrange on plates with the quince.
Deglaze the pan with some of the poaching liquid, then pour the pan juices over the meat and fruit, sprinkle on some flaky sea salt and serve immediately.
- Quince recipes | Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall | Life and style | The Guardian

Lamb and quince tagine.

Traditionally the meat for tagines is not browned (Moroccans would no doubt frown on this) but I think it gives the dish a better flavour and appearance.

Preparation time: 25 minutes
Cooking time: 90 minutes
Total time: 1 hour 55 minutes 60 minutes 55 minutes
Serves: 4

Ingredients
half tsp Cumin seeds
half tsp Coriander seeds
100g Unsalted butter
4 Lamb shanks
1 tsp Ground ginger
half tsp Cayenne pepper
3 Garlic cloves, crushed
2 Large onions, roughly chopped
400ml Lamb stock
half Cinnamon stick
4 tbsp Clear honey
20g Fresh coriander leaves, coarsely chopped
1 Quince, peeled, quartered and cored
1 Lemon, juice and 2 strips of rind
half tsp Saffron, dissolved in 2 tbsp boiling water

Method
Grind the cumin and coriander together.
Heat 75g butter in a large casserole and brown the lamb on all sides.
Remove the meat and set aside.
Add all the spices (except the saffron), and the garlic and onions; cook for 2 minutes.
Season and add the stock.
Add 2 tbsp honey and about a third of the coriander.
Bring to the boil, return the lamb to the casserole, then turn down to a simmer.
Cover and cook over a low heat for 1.5 hours until meltingly tender.
Meanwhile, put the quince in a small saucepan and cover with water.
Add the lemon rind, juice and the remaining honey.
Bring to the boil, then simmer for 15–20 minutes until tender.
When the lamb is cooked, remove the shanks and cinnamon stick and keep warm.
Add about 4 tbsp of the quince poaching liquid, the saffron and its water.
Bring to the boil and reduce to a thickish sauce. Taste and season.
Slice the quince and heat the remaining butter in a frying pan.
Sauté the quince slices until golden.
Return the lamb to the casserole and heat everything through.
Gently stir in the remaining coriander and add the quince.
Serve immediately with couscous or bread.
Drinks recommendation
The Corker recommends- The rich exoticism of a Spanish blend melds seamlessly with the complex spicing and sweetness of such a subtle tagine.

- Quince recipes | Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall | Life and style | The Guardian: Hot lamb and quince salad.
- Lamb and quince tagine

Quince.

- Quince | SimplyRecipes.com