Roasted Quinces, Purée and Syrup
I just roasted the last of my quinces, using a favourite Maggie Beer recipe from https://www.stephaniealexander.com.au/books/the-cook’s-companion/
I pureed two of them, and stirred the the deep pink puree into vanilla ice cream. I then reduced the cooking liquid to a syrup, to serve with strawberries and meringues for a family dinner. We’ve resumed our ‘special occasion family dinners’ on Sunday nights during lockdown, when every family member prepares a dish. It’s fun to see the kids getting involved, pouring over recipe books and collaborating with one another. ‘The Cook’s Companion’ by Stephanie Alexander, is a hefty tome, and a cookbook I often turn to when I’m not sure how to cook something. Do you have a copy on your bookshelf?
This recipe is very simple as you don’t need to peel or cut the quinces before cooking – they’re pretty hard to cut. I love to add spices such as cardamom and cloves. They’re also good with cinnamon sticks or star anise.The purée is delicious stirred into yoghurt or porridge for breakfast. Or you could try making a curd. So many choices with so much time on hand!
If you’re a fan of cooked fruit in winter, you might like to try this recipe: Poached Rhubarb with Orange and Cinnamon
Best wishes,
Amanda
PS: If you’ve tried these roasted quinces or any other recipe on At Amandas Table, please let me know how it turned out in the comments below! And if you’d like to read more, please subscribe to my monthly newsletter for stories, recipes and tips for simple, nutritious meals.
Roasted Quinces, Puree and Syrup
Ingredients
- 4 quinces, washed well, left whole
- 1 litre water
- 1/2 cup sugar
- juice of 2 lemons
- 1 tbsp cardamom pods, crushed with a mortar and pestle optional
- 1 tsp cloves optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 150°C (130°C fan-forced).
- Pack the quinces into a casserole dish. Add the water, sugar, lemon juice and spices.
- Bring to a boil, stirring to make sure all the sugar has dissolved, then put a lid on the dish and transfer to the oven. Cook for 4 hours. By this time, the quinces will have transformed to a beautiful deep pink, their skins blistered and ready to eat.
- Serve whole with ice cream or cream, or puree the cooled quinces to serve with yoghurt or porridge.
Quince Syrup
- Strain the cooking liquid through a sieve to remove the spices. Cook over a medium-high heat until the liquid has reduced by half. Use it as a syrup for fruit or ice cream, or as a refreshing addition to soda water, gin or vodka.
Quince Ice Cream
- Stir 1 cup of the quince puree into 1 L of good quality vanilla ice cream.
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