I’m not much for sweets, so the holidays start to weigh on me pretty quickly. But even for those who live for pie, this time of year can get to be a bit heavy.
This is where winter quince comes in. Stewed in a light caramel syrup with all of the spices (or a lot of them), this recipe hits somewhere between apple pie and mulled wine.
But before we get to the recipe, a bit on this under-appreciated fruit.
The Quince
The quince is a weird and ancient cousin of the apple. Some scholars believe it was first cultivated in the fertile crescent, while others say it hails from the Caucasus and northern Persia.
Wherever it came from, the quince plays a powerfully seductive role in European and Abrahamic mythology. It may have been the fruit that started the Trojan war, for one. There is even some speculation that it was a quince growing in the Garden of Eden – not an apple – that Eve could not resist.
It’s possible that this mythical allure was why quince marmalade was considered an aphrodisiac in Shakespeare’s time.
The Romans cooked with it, as did almost everyone else in the northern hemisphere, from England to Japan. And when Europeans colonized the Americas, they continued to eat quince. Thomas Jefferson himself cultivated the fruit in Montecello and had a recipe for quince pudding.
Cooked or Raw?
Contrary to what many Americans believe, uncooked quince is totally edible – although it does need to be cut into slices first.
“It’s sandy,” my boyfriend, who grew up eating raw quince, told me. “It’s really earthy, that’s how I’d describe it. You can’t eat a lot of it, but I kinda like it.”
Still, I prefer it stewed with lots of aromatics and a kick of whiskey at the end, which is what recipe below will give you.
Serve this warm after a heavy meal, or cold with a cheese plate. If you must have something buttery and crunchy, crumble an oatmeal cookie on top.
Winter Quince
Ingredients
450g (1 lb) quince (about one large fruit)
⅜ cup granulated sugar
⅛ tsp salt
2 ½ cups boiling water
Peel of one small orange
1 inch ginger, peeled and sliced into rounds
1 cinnamon stick
5 allspice berries
⅛ tsp ground nutmeg
⅛ tsp ground cloves
1 tbsp whiskey (optional)
Instructions
1. Peel, deseed, and slice the quince into eights. Set aside.
2. Make the caramel: in a saucepan, melt the sugar and salt on high and cook until it turns a light shade of brown.
3. Add the boiling water and aromatics to the sugar (orange peel, ginger, cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg, and cloves), and simmer for a few minutes before adding the quince.
4. Cover and cook on low heat until the quince slices are soft, about 15 minutes.
5. Remove from heat and add the whiskey, if using. Let it cool for about a half hour before serving or storing.*
*Flavors will intensify after storing, so make this a day or so ahead if you like things extra heavy on the aromatics.
Serves 3-4
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