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 or custard, 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

Ingredients
  • 3 cups castor sugar (660g/1lb 7½oz)
  • 3 cups water (750ml)
  • 2 quinces
Method
  1. Combine sugar and water in a saucepan (for stove-top) or casserole dish (for oven).
  2. Place over a high heat and bring to the boil, stirring until sugar dissolves, then remove from heat.
  3. One at a time, peel the quinces (reserving the peel if making dark quinces) and cut them into eighths, placing each piece into the syrup as you cut it to prevent it browning.
  4. Cover the quinces with a cartouche.

For light poached quinces (stove-top/quick cook):

  1. Place saucepan over a high heat.
  2. Bring to the boil.
  3. Reduce heat to lowest setting and simmer for about 1 ½ hours, turning them in the syrup occasionally, until rosy all over.

For dark poached quinces (oven/slow cook):

  1. Preheat oven to 100°C (215°F).
  2. Add the reserved peel to the quinces.
  3. Place casserole dish in the oven and cook for 8–10 hours, until deeply coloured.

For either light or dark:

  1. Set quinces aside to cool in the syrup.
  2. Cut the hard core section out of each piece.
  3. Strain the syrup.
  4. Store poached quince pieces in the syrup, covered in the fridge until needed.

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