Quince charming
Look for the beauty within this unprepossessing, puckery fruit, says NZ House & Garden food editor Sally Butters.
Poached quinces
Poached quinces can be treated like stewed apples or pears and added to crumbles, spice cakes, pies and pastries – quince tarte Tatin is especially lush. More simply, the chopped fruit can be stirred into porridge or yoghurt. Middle Eastern cuisine uses it as an accompaniment to cooked meats.
The leftover poaching syrup from this recipe can be mixed into club soda for a delicious pink soft drink. 4 cups water
2.5kg white sugar
About 2.5kg peeled, cored quinces, roughly quartered
2 lemons, juiced Pour water and sugar into a large saucepan and bring to the boil, stirring occasionally, until sugar is dissolved. Turn down to low, add quinces and lemon juice and cook at a bare simmer for at least 2 hours.
Turn the quince pieces occasionally if they are not fully covered. They are done when they are tender and pink – their colour will deepen on standing.
Quince paste
The perfect accompaniment to cheese and crackers is surprisingly easy to make. Poached quinces Sugar Puree the poached quinces (minus the poaching liquid) and measure the pulp into a slow cooker. Add 1⁄2 cup sugar for every 1 cup of quince pulp.
Cook on low with the lid off for 3-4 hours, stirring occasionally, until the mixture has dried out to the consistency of stiff mashed potatoes.
Pack the paste into small oiled dishes, then unmould. Store in an airtight container, embedded in sugar; stored this way it will keep for a year. The sugar will gradually become infused with quince aroma – once the paste is gone, use it to give extra flavour to herbal tea or sugar cookies, or use it to poach the next batch of quinces.
Quince streusel ginger cake
This lovely cake is even more delightful served with mascarpone that has been lightly sweetened with quince poaching syrup or ginger syrup. Either syrup can also be brushed over the cake before serving, for a shiny glaze. Streusel
1 cup almonds, walnuts or hazelnuts, toasted and chopped 2 tbsp plain flour
1⁄3 cup packed brown sugar 25g butter, melted Cake
11⁄2 cups plain flour
1⁄2 tsp baking powder
1⁄2 tsp baking soda
11⁄2 tsp ground ginger
1⁄2 tsp salt
125g butter
3⁄4 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1⁄2 cup natural yoghurt 3 poached quinces, sliced Heat oven to 175C. Line a 23cm round cake tin with baking paper. Combine streusel ingredients and set aside.
Sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, ginger and salt.
In a large bowl, use electric beaters to cream butter and sugar. Add eggs one at a time and the vanilla, beating well after each addition.
Fold in half the dry ingredients then the yoghurt then the remaining flour mixture.
Smooth half the batter into prepared tin and arrange half the quince slices on top. Sprinkle with half the streusel. Repeat with another layer of batter, quince slices and streusel. Bake 55 minutes; let cool in pan.
Makes 1 x 23cm cake