Quinces

[Peter the eater]

Here are some quinces from my tree:

They are very hard and very tart but nothing an hour of simmering and lots of sugar can't fix. I cranked the soften fruit through a hand mill and froze small amount in plastic containers for future fun.

[Jensen]

I made a quince and apple crisp for dessert on Monday (Thanksgiving for Canadians). The recipe is on my foodblog: Quince and Apple Crisp

[viva]

Ooh. Quince and apples is one of my favorite combinations. In a pie, with raisins and a reduced sweet wine...

[Abra]

Wow, Peter, I've never seen a red quince. Those are beautiful.

I made membrillo today and it's drying in the oven right now. I also started a quince liqueur. I've really no idea how it's going to turn out, but soaking fruit in alcohol and then sweetening it almost always produces something wonderful.

[Peter the eater]

Wow, Peter, I've never seen a red quince.  Those are beautiful.

I made membrillo today and it's drying in the oven right now.  I also started a quince liqueur.  I've really no idea how it's going to turn out, but soaking fruit in alcohol and then sweetening it almost always produces something wonderful.

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The side of the quince that faces the sun goes red by early October, the ones on the north side of the tree stay totally green. I tend to pick the redder ones but it doesn't seem to affect the colour of the mash, the way red skin apples do for applesauce.

I replaced the HP camera with a $150 Canon Powershot and I'm likin' it!

BTW just checked out FRENCH LETTERS - very nice. It reminded me I keep not-visiting my cousin in Aix. Now that I've seen your blog I think I'll float the idea for a one-month home-swap.

[Abra]

Thanks for the compliment on French Letters.

The French are really into quince, and although it's a little past quince harvest time here, they're still easy to find. I'm thinking about making something else quincey this year, since it's a rare treat for me to have them so available. Hmmm, maybe some sort of quince mince for a pie? A quince upside down cake?

[willows]

I also started a quince liqueur.  I've really no idea how it's going to turn out, but soaking fruit in alcohol and then sweetening it almost always produces something wonderful.

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I did one of these last year with lime leaf added, by combining chopped raw quinces and quince mash (like halfway to membrillo) with a high-proof vodka. It's got a wonderful aromatic character, but it took a lot of filtering to get it to presentable appearance. For some reason my quinces turned brown-gold instead of that elegant dusky ruby.

[Romaney O'Malley]

I am lucky enough to have a quince tree in my front garden. We picked all the fruit from it today and I reckon I have about 30 quinces. I am going to make membrillo tomorrow morning and also a batch of quince and orange jelly. I think I'll stew some and freeze them and keep some in a bowl until I decide what to do with them

I am so happy

[Abra]

Thanks for the heads-up on the filtering, willows. Mine too are turning brown-gold in their alcohol bath. In France the grocery stores sell "alcohol for fruits" which is only 80 proof, so that's what I'm using. In the US I couldn't get Everclear, but used the highest proof vodka I could find, so this will be different but I'm not sure how yet.

I think the ruby color only develops with cooking.

[Adam Balic]

Here are some quinces from my tree:

They are very hard and very tart but nothing an hour of simmering and lots of sugar can't fix. I cranked the soften fruit through a hand mill and froze small amount in plastic containers for future fun.

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Those are unsual looking quince, judging from the relative size of the seed they look like small fruit. Do you know what variety it is or if is a regular quince (Cydonia oblonga) at all and not something like a flowering quince (Chaenomeles spp.)?

[Peter the eater]

Those are unsual looking quince, judging from the relative size of the seed they look like small fruit. Do you know what variety it is or if is a regular quince (Cydonia oblonga) at all and not something like a flowering quince (Chaenomeles spp.)?

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I'm pretty sure I have a Chaenomeles hybrid. There are a bunch here in my neighborhood and people have been long been using them for preserves. One "village elder" says as a kid she ate them in jam form with rose hips. "Loaded with vitamin C" she says.

[andiesenji]

I was recently gifted with a basket of quince and decided to prepare quince jam.

The process itself went fairly well, however the jam turned out much too sweet, in fact, it was what my grandma called "tooth-achingly" sweet.

To make it palatable, something had to be done and I decided to try an experiment with a portion of the batch.

I brewed a pot of quadruple-strength lapsang souchong tea and added it to the jam, stirring while it was incorporated, then allowing it to gently simmer as the liquid reduced.

It is not yet finished but I am allowing it to cool so that I can taste it but so far the flavor is more than I expected and the sweetness has been tamed and the slight smokiness complements the quince flavor.

I am anticipating this being an excellent jam to pair with cheese.

[helenjp]

From the spotted look of the fruit and the way it has no visible stem, I think it's Chaenomeles x superba (the C. japonica I've seen weren't spotted).

This makes wonderful clear red jelly, one of my grandmother's favorite preserves (add the juice of a lemon to keep the color bright and if there is any doubt about pectin content). C. x superba doesn't seem to have the problem of bitterness that plagues Pseudocydonia sinensis (Chaenomeles sinensis)

Photos of P. sinensis in this thread in the Japan Forum.

[Valancy]

Hi all. I am working my way through a box of quince, and have tried twice now to make quince paste. I'm not happy with the results and am hoping for some tips.

I diced up quince and cooked them with water. I drained and used the liquid for jelly and put the fruit through a food mill. I used equal weights of puree and sugar, then cooked it down. I added spices to the first batch, and left the second plain. Both batches turned out thick and more like quince butter than the clear, jewel-like paste I saw a page or two back. As both batches got thickened, I hit a point where I had trouble keeping them from sticking and caramelizing. The second batch went into the oven on low, and then caramelized quickly once I wasn't stirring. I have plenty of puree and would like to try again, but I'm not sure where I'm going wrong.

I made jelly, poached quince, and spoon sweets without a problem. They all turned out a beautiful pink color with a clean, bright quince flavor. I want the same thing, but solid enough to roll in sugar.

Would adding more liquid help? What about drying it in the food dehydrator instead of the oven? Any other ideas? Thanks!

[KatieLoeb]

There's a delicious looking recipe in November's Gourmet magazine for a Cranberry, Quince and Pearl Onion Compote. I'll be making a variant of this recipe next week (I'll be substituting Asian Pears for the quince and cutting down the sugar) for Thanksgiving. After years of making Cranberry-Orange Sauce with Grand Marnier, I decided it was time for a change.

Quinces are difficult to find and expensive when you do around here. Also, I find them to be difficult to peel so I'm being lazy, I guess. But I like the idea of Asian Pear instead, especially since there's an orchard nearby that has a stand at the Sunday Farmer's Market and has three different kinds of heirloom Asian pears. They're my absolutely favorite fruit in the whole fruit world.

I recently melted some membrillo in apple juice on the stove and made a delicious cocktail out of it that may end up on my drink menu at work. An aged Applejack Membrillo Manhattan. Damned tasty and very autumnal.

[Jim Dixon]

It's taken me a few tries to get membrillo from my quinces, and it's not the "clear, jewel-like" variety, but it tastes good.

I quarter, core, and peel the fruit (this year, about 10 lbs or roughly 50 of the damn things), then simmer it in some white wine until it starts to break down. I added about a quart of honey and the zest and juice from a half dozen Meyer lemons. Then I turned my gas burner as low as it would get go and cooked away (all this took place over about 3 days....I just leave the pot on the stove, with the heat off, between steps).

After a few hours of simmering, I let it cool. The volume had been reduced by about half as the liquid cooked off. I ran the chunky, jam-like fruit through the Cuisinart (maybe 3 loads), then back in the pot on low.

My experience is that when it gets to what I call the mud-pot phase, a slowly building burp that can fling hot quince paste to the ceiling (I left a small spot up there form last year as a reminder), it's just about ready. At this point I'm careful to use the pot lid as a shield (I leave it on the pot, but slightly ajar) to avoid burns, and I stir regularly to prevent burning. After a couple of hours at mud-pot, I let it cool.

At this point I I spread it onto a sheet of oiled parchment (oil side down) on a sheet pan and let the drying start. I'll leave it on the oven of my old Wedgewood where the pilot light keeps it warm to speed it up. After a few days, the paste has hardened enough that I can use another sheet pan (and more parchment) to flip the whole thing and let the bottom dry.

When it's pretty firm, I cut it up, vacuum pack it, and store in the freezer.

Jim

Edited November 22, 2008 by Jim Dixon (log)

[formula400]

at work we poach them in champagne and white wine, with blueberry's, raspberry, 1 bay leaf spring of thyme, cinnamon stick and star anis, poach them slow, the berry`s with help them go a pink- deep red depending on how many you put in. then blend them up really well. and with the puree we make parfaits, mousse`s and souffle base`s. then with the poaching syrup we do sorbet and jelly.

[piazzola]

I like the traditional South American (East Coast) way which is paste eaten with or without nuts and creamy fresco or mild brie cheese on crusty bread accompanied with a glass of red.

[nhamilto]

The reason Peter's quinces are spotted is because the "spots" on the fruit are fungal lesions produced by either Cedar Apple Rust or Hawthorn Apple Rust.

These diseases stunt the tree by causing premature leaf drop and disfigure the fruit as seen in Peter's photo.

Control of these fungal diseases require either spraying with fungicide or removal of the alternate hosts (usually eastern red cedar) in a several mile radius.

Unfortunately trees in the Apple/Pear/Quince family require care to prevent or treat their numerous insect and disease problems.

[Kouign Aman]

Are these quinces ?

If so, should I harvest them green or wait til they go yellow, like the largest one?

[cats2]

Are these quinces ?

If so, should I harvest them green or wait til they go yellow, like the largest one?

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They kinda look more like a guava (see bottom of page) or this picture.

[Kouign Aman]

Are these quinces ?

If so, should I harvest them green or wait til they go yellow, like the largest one?

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They kinda look more like a guava (see bottom of page) or this picture.

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Why, yes they do. Thanks for the great links.

Now to find a guava thread!

[John DePaula]

Quince. I love quince and had a bumper crop this year. I’ve been making all sorts of things with them: quince purée (for use in my chocolate business), quince jelly* (from making the purée), sliced quince for use in Apple-Quince pies, Poached Quince and Quince Tarte Tatin from David Lebovitz’ site. Can’t get enough!

After making puree with the food mill**, I had a moderate amount of pulp remaining that is not at all unpleasant. Any suggestions for using the leftover pulp? Or favorite uses for quince?

*I made 2 batches of jelly: one with peels and cores and fruit, and one without peels and cores. I think the one with peels and cores actually came out better, to my surprise. Do you use peels and cores when you make jelly?

**I followed Kerry Beal’s suggestion and got a Rosle food mill – really excellent.

[highchef]

John, what is quince paste made of? I don't know the texture etc. of your pulp, but if you strained and added pectin? Wow, homemade membrillo would be an awsome christmas gift...especially paired with a good manchego. Or a more curd like substance..for tarts? What a great day to play in the kitchen (rain..lots and lots of it), I wish I could get my hands on some, I'd love to experiment.

[andiesenji]

Several additional ideas may be found here: http://bbq.about.com/rsrch.htm?zIsPG=gSrch&zIsT=Barbecues%20&%20Grilling&zIsD=bbq&terms=Quince

In the topic mentioned by mkayahara I posted about my experience with making a batch of quince jam that turned out way too sweet - and my solution.

I was recently gifted with a basket of quince and decided to prepare quince jam.

The process itself went fairly well, however the jam turned out much too sweet, in fact, it was what my grandma called "tooth-achingly" sweet.

To make it palatable, something had to be done and I decided to try an experiment with a portion of the batch.

I brewed a pot of quadruple-strength lapsang souchong tea and added it to the jam, stirring while it was incorporated, then allowing it to gently simmer as the liquid reduced.

It is not yet finished but I am allowing it to cool so that I can taste it but so far the flavor is more than I expected and the sweetness has been tamed and the slight smokiness complements the quince flavor.

I am anticipating this being an excellent jam to pair with cheese.

The results turned out so well that I have since prepared the "smoked" version and people (especially my daughter and her family) love it. I am planning on preparing a batch for canning to include in my holiday gift baskets.

I have also used the same process with fig jam and that too has been a hit. I canned 21 half-pints of smoky fig jam - made with brown turkey figs - last month.