Poached quince porridge
A quince takes some fighting with to make full use of its potential. Using a heavy kitchen knife is probably best, as well as a huge amount of caution, as the peel has an infuriating habit of being glued to the fruit. Quince is most commonly transformed, almost miraculously, into a dark red paste called membrillo. It’s tricky to make and often doesn’t produce a huge amount, so I save membrillo for the rare occasions when I have time on my hands.
This recipe makes more quince than needed for the porridge, but for the effort involved, it’s worth bulking up. Enjoy as a pudding with crème fraîche or on top of the Aran granola
(see previous pages). It can also be mixed with custard and churned into a delicious ice cream.
SERVES 2
250g water
150g Scottish rolled oats
250g milk – whole or almond work best
Small pinch of salt
Yogurt, to serve
FOR THE QUINCE
750g water
150g caster sugar
150g honey or maple syrup
1 lemon, strips of rind only
1 vanilla pod, split lengthways, or
1tsp vanilla bean paste
1tsp ground ginger
5 large quince
1 For the quince, heat the water with the sugar, honey or maple syrup, lemon rind, vanilla and ginger in a large saucepan. Bring to the boil.
2 Meanwhile, peel and core the quince. Remove everything tough and fibrous. It will feel as though you’re removing a huge amount of the core, but it’s important nothing firm or difficult to cut is left attached. Slice into 1-2cm wedges and add to the syrup. Quince tends to brown quickly once cut, so the sooner you get it in the syrup the better.
3 Cover the pan with a lid to prevent the syrup from reducing too much. Simmer the quince for roughly 1hr or until cooked through. Pierce with a knife to check it’s soft. The cooking time will vary, depending on the quince.
4 Remove the fruit from the syrup and set aside to cool. Sieve the lemon rinds and vanilla pod, if you’ve used one, out of the syrup. Crank up the heat and reduce the syrup by half or until it has thickened. Allow to cool a little, then return the fruit to the syrup. Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 1 week, making sure the fruit is always covered in the syrup.
5 For the porridge, place all the ingredients in a small pan and bring to the boil, stirring regularly. It should thicken within 3-4min. Divide between 2 bowls. Top with yogurt and the poached quince, spooning over some of the syrup. I like my porridge with a little more milk on top, but enjoy it however you fancy.