Adventures in Fall: Quince

They dined on mince, and slices of quince,
Which they ate with a runcible spoon;
  - taken from The Owl and the the Pussycat by Edward Lear

Right now I’m reveling in the many delights of Fall. The smell of spiced cider & eucalyptus leaves has been floating around my office, and today I had my first pomegranate of the season! I find harvest season to be subtly seductive, and I’m constantly finding new aspects of the season to appreciate. My most recent discovery is the Quince.

Let me just say that there is no fruit that smells better than the quince. It has this wonderful ambrosia-florally- luxurious scent to it that simply beckons you to pick it off the tree. There have been several moments at work this week when I’ve found myself wandering aimlessly towards the quince trees, or in the kitchen with my nose next to the fruit bowl enjoying the aromas rather than working. If it were a perfume, I’d bathe in it, and when I close my eyes and go to a happy place, it smells like quince. It’s a cruel cruel joke then, that something this delightful smelling cannot simply be picked off the tree and eaten immediately.  The quince has often been thought to be the “forbidden” fruit from the Garden of Eden, due to its alluring scent, but bitter taste.

For the past few weeks I’ve been trying to figure out what the heck I can do with a quince. It is such a perplexing little nugget of a fruit. This vibrant yellow, squatty, and oddly shaped fruit, somewhat resembles a cross between a pear and an apple, but is much more sassy. Personally, I like my food to be on the playful side, and I find unusual fruits to be much more enjoyable to eat. Quince is the epitome of a playful fruit, and kumquats, pomegranate, and persimmons are a few of my other favorites. Typically quince is too bitter and acidic to eat raw, though I’ve snuck a few bites here and there. Thankfully the tannins that fill the fruit with its bitterness tend to calm down a bit when the fruit is cooked, and this week I’ve been trying a few recipes to see if I can coax out something delightful.

 Quince, little nuggets of fruit

And so began my quest to find something delicious to make with quince. Apparently it makes a wonderful addition to apple pies, and produces a rather heavenly jelly… but as I am still getting settled into my new place, I don’t feel like undertaking a large baking experiment just yet (give me time), so I decided to do something a bit more simple, and promptly decided to poach the fruit.

 The skins in simple syrup

I read through a few recipes and then began to improvise. First I blended water and some brown sugar and began to simmer. I then skinned the quince, and put the peelings in my simple syrup mixture, since I wanted as much of the quince flavor as possible. I added a cinnamon stick and a few cloves, and let the chunks of quince simmer for about 45 minutes. The end result was like applesauce to the nth degree. The complex flavors of the quince added the perfect amount of tartness. It’s tangy yet sweet flavor kept me coming back for more.  I’ve tried a few different variations, one with red wine (so good), one with less sugar, which I then blended into a quince “butter” and paired with manchego cheese.

                                  Poached Quince

                                   Quince "Butter"

Mere moments ago, I stumbled across a recipe that I know will be on my table in the near future.  Quince with rosemary pine nut topping, and Rum Lime glaze….  Yes please.