Quince upon a time...
... there was a sour thing with a tough exterior. You wouldn’t want your lips to meet a raw one but, after cooking, says Nicola Galloway, quinces live up to the promise of their heady scent.
Ihave been rather enamoured with quince recently. Although they are trickier to prepare, compared to apples, with their tougher skin and denser flesh, quinces have a more pronounced, tart flavour, so need a little extra sugar, and turn a glorious amber once cooked.
Today, I share two sweet recipes that could be prepared for some special mothers this weekend – an ultimate comfort pudding and a spectacular rustic tart.
This is the kind of dessert I would love to be served.
If you can’t find quinces, then use firm pears, such as beurre bosc or packham.
Vanilla-poached quince with creamy rice pudding
Preparation time: 15 minutes Cooking time: 40 minutes Serves 4
For the poached quince
2 cups water
1⁄3 cup (70g) sugar
2 tbsp mild honey or extra sugar
1⁄2 lemon, juice and zest peeled
into strips
1⁄2 vanilla pod, split (or 1 tsp vanilla
extract)
3 large quince, peeled
For the rice pudding
1⁄2 cup medium grain white rice
2 tbsp sugar or honey
1 cup (250ml) water
11⁄2 cups (375ml) milk – I used oat milk 1⁄2 tsp vanilla paste, or 1 tsp extract 1 cinnamon stick
Pinch of salt
Prepare the poached quince. Combine the water, sugar, lemon juice and zest, and vanilla in a saucepan. Slice the peeled quince in large chunks around the core, then slice into 1cm wedges. Add the quince to the pan as you go to prevent browning. Cover with a lid and simmer over a low heat for 20-25 minutes, until the quince is tender.
Use a slotted spoon to scoop the cooked quince into a bowl – discard the lemon zest. Crank up the heat and cook the syrup until it has reduced by half, about 10-15 minutes. Pour the syrup over the quince.
Make the rice pudding while the quince is cooking. Place all the ingredients into a saucepan and bring to a simmer. Cook, uncovered, over a low heat for about 20-25 minutes, until the pudding is thick and creamy. Stir occasionally.
Serve warm topped with poached quince and syrup.
Quince (or apple) tarte Tatin
This is possibly one of my favourite desserts to make, as I love the surprise when the tart is flipped out of the pan to serve.
Using quince results in a stunning amber colour and unique flavour that pairs well with the caramel. Cooking apples can also be used, such as granny smith or braeburn.
Preparation time: 20 minutes Cooking time: 40 minutes Serves 6-8
4 large quinces or apples Lemon juice
1⁄2 cup (100g) sugar
75g butter
1 sheet of butter puff pastry,
thawed
Peel and core the quinces (or apples) and cut into 1cm wedges. Place in a bowl with a squeeze of lemon and half of the sugar, toss to evenly coat.
Heat an oven-proof frying pan
(I used a 25 cm cast iron pan) over a moderate heat. Add the butter and, once melted, scatter over the remaining sugar then remove from the heat. Carefully arrange the quince wedges in the base of the pan in two even layers. Return the pan to a moderate heat and cook, without moving the fruit, for 8 minutes. Turn up the heat and cook until the butter and sugar caramelise in the base of the pan, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and cool for 15 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 190C (170C fan bake).
Cut the pastry into a circle, then lay it over the caramelised quince in the pan using a spatula to tuck in around the sides. Bake for 20 minutes, until the pastry is golden.
Cool for 10 minutes, then invert a large plate over the pan, hold with oven gloves and quickly flip over. Give a gentle shake to release the quince from the base of the pan (if some stay put, rearrange them on top of the tart). Slice into wedges and serve warm with yoghurt or cream.