Top 10 Luscious Quince Recipes For Fall (2024)

FAQs

What flavors go well with quince? ›

To add to all this romance, warm and exotic spices and aromatics such as cardamom, cinnamon, vanilla, and ginger are often used in recipes for cooking quince. They're sometimes simmered in syrups flavored with Sauternes, Riesling, or honey.

Quinces are commonly used in jams, jellies, and marmalades. A popular use for quince is to make it into a paste called membrillo, which is commonly served with firm bread and on cheese plates. Quince is commonly poached with honey and vanilla, similarly to pears, and served with a sweetened syrup.

Peel the quince, then cut into quarters. (Some cooks leave the skin on; I do as well if I'm making jam or mebrillo where it will just melt into the cooked mixture.) Carefully remove all of the tough core from each quarter with a knife. The quince sections can now be used to make poached quince, quince jam…or frozen.

Quince is a fall fruit that looks similar to apples and pears, but tastes quite different. It's yellow in appearance, short, somewhat round, and has a relatively tough texture. Whole quince fruit is not available everywhere, but quince paste is commonly sold in stores.

The 'Champion' cultivar is well known among quince enthusiasts for its delicate and lemon-like flavor. The fruit is pear-shaped and has a fuzzy, golden skin. It produces fruit later in the fall.

Delicious with hard cheese such as cheddar, comté or gruyere and especially hard ewes milk cheeses such as Berkswell.

Diarrhea. Coughs. Stomach and intestinal swelling (inflammation). Skin injuries, when applied to the skin.

Contains powerful antioxidants Antioxidants reduce metabolic stress, reduce inflammation and protect cells against damage by free radicals. Quince is a rich source of antioxidants. Studies show that some of the antioxidants in quince, including quercetin and kaempferol, reduce inflammation and prevent chronic diseases.

The plant has been used in Iranian folk medicine for a variety of diseases. The seed is a mild but reliable laxative, astringent and anti-inflammatory.

Perhaps the most important thing to know about quince is that you can't eat it raw unless, of course, you like your fruit hard, woody and astringent. You'll know a quince is ripe once it's fully yellow and its intoxicating fragrance is already in the air.

Can I freeze quinces? ›

The longer you can poach quinces the better the flavour and deeper the colour. Cool, then pack into freezer bags or boxes, cover with the cooking syrup and freeze for up to a year. Defrost and use in pies, tarts, fruit sauces, compotes and sorbets.

The raw flesh of a quince is creamy white, with a core inside just like an apple or pear. Cooking changes the color: Heat causes the formation of natural pigments called anthocyanins, which will turn the fruit anywhere from light pink to deep, dusky red.

Quinces are an ancient fruit with a unique flavor and several potential benefits. They may help treat digestive disorders, allergies, and high blood sugar, though more research is needed. Unlike other fruits, quinces aren't eaten raw. Instead, they're best cooked or turned into jam.

Fresh quince fruit can be shipped from farms in the fall, but they are often quite expensive.

Don't bite into one raw. Raw, quince are hard, sour, astringent and so high in tannins if they are eaten raw you'll feel like you're choking. Once cooked the tannins break down, and the flesh which was once coarse and white becomes tender, pink and beautifully fragrant.

The tropical notes in quince make it a good match for pineapple, mango and even banana, try serving it as an ice cream or sorbet with caramelised fruit.

The taste of quince is citrusy, but gentler and without the sharpness of a lime or lemon, so it can be a brightener of other flavours – the fruity component in a tagine, the lemony note in an apple pie – or can stand alone, baked mellow and pink (as the yellow flesh turns on slow cooking) with the spices of the season.

Quince paste is the perfect accompaniment with traditional French Brie, strong French Camembert, Parmigiano Reggiano, and mature vintage cheddar.

However, quince turns fragrant and sweet when cooked, releasing its natural sugars and developing a beautiful rosy hue. Some describe the taste of a cooked quince as the perfect mix between an apple and a pear.