These were absolutely delicious! TF and I both had seconds. I really loved the combination of flavours and textures. (Even if I did undercook my caramel slightly.) This is definitely my new favourite thing to do with quince!

I did cheat slightly on the syrup for these quince. Recipe as written, it's meant to be made with an entire (750mL) bottle of Riesling, 1 c. of sugar, and a few spices. But I still had a bunch of syrup left over from making the quince poached in vanilla syrup the day before, so I just added the spices and a bit of white wine to that and called it a day. This does mean that my final syrup was a bit different than the recipe called for though:

• The original recipe called for a 1:3 ratio of sugar to liquid (by volume); my starting syrup was 1.25:1 sugar to water (which I then diluted with wine to bring it closer to 1:1.5)
• The original recipe used Riesling as the liquid; mine had a mix of water and white wine
• The original contained star anise, cinnamon, and black peppercorns; mine had those, but also the residual vanilla and lemon zest from the previous recipe

I was quite happy with the overall result. And I was pleased that I was able to reuse the vanilla syrup from the first recipe. The catch is that this does make it somewhat difficult to write up accurately.

I've written up the recipe below based on how I'd do this next time if I didn't have the pre-existing vanilla syrup to build on. I haven't had a chance to test it yet, but I think it would give good results.

Poached Quince with Mascarpone, Caramel, and Gingersnaps

Slightly adapted from Dessert of the Day by Kate McMillan

Ingredients

Quince

• 750mL Riesling
• 1 c. sugar
• 2 (7cm) cinnamon sticks
• 1 star anise
• 1/2 tsp. black peppercorns
• 1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise
• 1/2 Tbsp. grated lemon zest
• 3-4 quince, peeled and halved¹

Caramel

• 1 c. sugar
• 1/4 c. water
• 2/3 c. heavy (35%) cream
• 3 Tbsp. unsalted butter
• 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1/4 tsp. coarse sea salt

Assembly

• 225g mascarpone
• 6-8 Tbsp. crushed gingersnaps

Directions

1. Combine the Riesling, sugar, cinnamon sticks, star anise, black peppercorns, and vanilla bean and bring to a boil over medium heat.
2. Add the lemon zest and quince and reduce heat to medium-low.
3. Simmer until quince are tender (~1 hour).
4. Meanwhile, combine sugar and water for caramel, cover, and bring to a boil over medium-high heat.
5. Uncover and continue cooking, swirling (but not stirring) often until sugar turns a rich caramel colour².
6. Remove from heat and carefully whisk in the cream. Stir until smooth.
7. Stir in the butter, vanilla, and salt. Set aside.
8. Once quince are tender, remove from heat and allow to cool in poaching liquid.
9. Use a spoon or melon baller to scoop out the cores.
10. Mix 3 Tbsp. of the poaching liquid into the mascarpone.
11. Place a quince half in each bowl and top with a generous spoonful of mascarpone.
12. Drizzle with caramel, sprinkle with crushed gingersnaps, and serve.

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¹ The original recipe calls for poaching the quince first and then coring them. I found this quite tricky to do. Next time I'd be tempted to try coring them before poaching. (With the obvious caveat that I have not had a chance to test this approach yet.) ^Back
2 I ended up burning the last batch of caramel I made, so I was a little paranoid this time and took mine off the heat a bit too soon. The flavour was fine, but the colour was very pale and unappealing. I think it needed another 30 seconds or so to properly darken. ^Back

I believe that I mentioned in a previous post that one of TM's friends had given us a bunch of quince recently. TM recommended a quince and lamb dish that she had made with her share of the quince. And it did sound delicious. I would like to look it up and give it a try sometime. But I really wanted to try some of the quince recipes from Dessert of the Day. And they had the benefit of being quick and easy and letting me check off a few more recipes from books I already have. So I started with this very basic poached quince recipe.

For this recipe, the quince are sliced and poached in a simple syrup flavoured with vanilla and lemon. It's a pleasant way to enjoy fresh quince if you happen to have some on hand. The results are not earth-shaking, but they are good. And I appreciate that it's simple and comes together relatively quickly. And if you wanted something a bit more substantial, I could see this being a great topping for rice pudding or waffles.

Quince Poached in Vanilla Syrup

From Dessert of the Day by Kim Laidlaw

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 c. sugar
• 2 c. water
• 1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise
• 2 Tbsp. lemon juice¹
• 3-4 quince, peeled and sliced
• 1/2 Tbsp. grated lemon zest

Directions

1. Combine the sugar, water, and vanilla bean and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Boil for 10 minutes.
2. Reduce heat to medium-low and add the quince, lemon juice, and lemon zest and simmer until quince is tender (20-25 minutes).

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¹ I somehow missed the lemon juice in this recipe when I made it! I still got a nice hit of lemon from the lemon zest, but the juice would have given it some extra tang. Whoops! ^Back

Koromb wa Safarjal (Baked Red Cabbage with Quince & Walnuts)

We've started making use of the Lebanese cookbook, and made this as a side dish to go with a rice and lentil main that is also due for a writeup. The recipe as written calls for quince, which we almost never have, but you can swap in apples 1:1 and get good results.

The kidlet was not a fan, unfortunately, but symbol and I both liked it.

Koromb wa Safarjal

Lebanese Food & Cooking, p. 133

Ingredients

• 1 red cabbage, quartered, cored, and chopped into bite-size pieces
• ¼+¼ C butter, melted and divided
  
• 1+1 tsp ground cinnamon, divided
• ¼ tsp salt
• ¼ tsp pepper
  
• juice of 1 lemon
• 2 tsp pomegranate molasses
• 2 quinces, cored and sliced into wedges
• 2 tbsp sugar
• 2 tbsp walnuts, roughly chopped

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. Arrange cabbage in a greased lasagna dish and pour over half the butter.
3. Toss with 1 tsp cinnamon, salt, pepper, lemon juice, and pomegranate molasses.
4. Cover the dish with tinfoil and bake for 30 minutes.
5. Remove the tinfoil (carefully) and top with quinces.
6. Sprinkle over sugar, walnuts, and remaining cinnamon.
7. Re-cover and bake for another 20 minutes.
8. Remove tinfoil and bake for 10 more minutes, until lightly browned.