Quinces are a wonderful old-fashioned winter fruit. Unlike their sweet cousins – apples and pears – they’re virtually inedible raw. They come into their own when they’re slow-cooked, turning a beautiful rosy colour. The longer they’re cooked, the deeper the colour. Depending on how dark I want my poached quinces, and how much time I have, I cook them in one of two ways: in a saucepan on the stove-top for about 1½ hours or in a casserole dish in a low oven for 8–10 hours. I prefer the deeper colour and slightly firmer texture the longer cooking time produces and often cook them overnight this way. My friend Janni taught me how to poach quinces when we were writing his cookbook Wild Weed Pie and he recommends leaving the cores in until they’re cooked to help hold them together. Janni adds ginger to the poaching syrup for pale quinces and cloves, star anise and cinnamon to the dark quinces. Vanilla beans are also often added, so take this recipe as a starting point and add whatever spices you like. Serve poached quinces with ice cream, as an accompaniment to cheese, for breakfast, or in a delicious fruit crumble (see video below). Whatever you serve them with, a glass of Pikes First Cut dessert riesling from the Clare Valley takes them to the next level.
Serves 2–4
For light poached quinces (stove-top/quick cook):
For dark poached quinces (oven/slow cook):
For either light or dark:
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