#quinces

Quinces on a wooden fruitbox - Rutger Hiemstra

Dutch , b. 1975 -

We've had some quinces sitting in the kitchen window since @dduane made Quince and Golden Plum Tart...

...for the Food & Cooking of the Middle Kingdoms project.

That was back in mid-October, and though the quinces showed no sign of deteriorating or even getting much softer - quinces are extremely solid fruit - we both decided it would be better if they didn't see in the New Year with us.

So DD went looking for another recipe, found this one - Quince Crumble Tart - and lo!

That delicate rose pink occurs naturally when quinces are cooked, and becomes darker with longer cooking - see marmelo / mimbrillo / quince paste / quince cheese for an example of how dark it can get.

A few notes:

This recipe doesn't mention peeling the fruit. Using a stick-mixer then sieve may negate any need to peel, perhaps even adding extra pectin to make the filling set firmer. However, we both agreed that our quinces were past their best, so peeling was a good idea.

DD decided to cook them in half-water / half white wine rather than mere water, Just Because.

175g is a lot of sugar, and seemed likely to drown the delicate quince flavour. We used 60g and should have used even less.

However, these old quinces may have been sweeter than fresh ones, so "use less sugar" is a suggestion, not an instruction. As with any seasoning, TASTE FIRST. You can always add more, you can't subtract too much.

Still life with pumpkins, and quinces Oil on cardboard

Rosehip and Reishi Overnight Oats with Quince Compote from The Wondersmith

"There’s nothing wrong with going slow. The ingredients available to us this time of year dictate the pace at which we move, too; woody medicinal mushrooms need to be warmed for long periods at a low temperature to offer up all of their healing polysaccharides; the firm and tannic flesh of quince melts into a fragrant sunset-colored softness if it’s allowed to stew for long enough; oats turn delightfully creamy if they’re allowed to soak even as you sleep.