Thursday 15 September 2016

Yes, them again.



I'm looking for a recipe that involves a combination of Quinces, Figs, and Grapes. We have mountains of each, yet we only grab the occasional Fig as we pass by one of our numerous trees. 

In the past I have fried thin slices of Cinnamon dusted Quince in butter, then glaze them with honey, and serve with thick cream. They were OK; no more. Otherwise I roast slices with Pork or Chicken, which is very good. Usually, however, I take a wheelbarrow-full down to Haddock's and place them 'meaningfully' on the compost.

Just look at the size of the wretched things. The lower one in my photo weighs a smidgen under 700 gms.

Oy vey.



50 comments:

  1. I've never tasted a Quince. As for figs and grapes, I'd make preserves and jelly. :)

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    Replies
    1. We're not really sugar eaters; every time I make such things, no-one eats them.

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  2. I have only had Quince jam with cheese and it was very good.

    cheers, parsnip

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    Replies
    1. Membrillo is good with cheese, but again (as I said above) no-one will eat it.

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  3. Strange looking fruit aren't they? There is a tree nearby that no one picks.

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    Replies
    1. I'm not surprised. They're one of those trees that one planted because 'it seemed like a good idea at the time'.

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  4. They are so hard to peel and cut. The quince cheese is good but the jam sits on the shelf. I add it other jams for a tart now and again. Otherwise compost! Why do these darn things and the grapefruit always do so well and others we want like our apricot tree just give up the ghost?

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    Replies
    1. Sod's law. Tons of the things we don't want, and none of the things we do.

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  5. Those cooks of old would have had a few tricks up their sleeve to use such bounty, if I find a decent recipe I'll let you know.

    Meanwhile, I'll swap you a giant puffball mushroom for a couple of quince..

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    Replies
    1. We have a HUGE ring of Giant Puffballs here (none at the moment); it must have a diameter of 50 metres. I was hoping it would show-up on Google Earth, but it doesn't. Pity.

      I expect we'll roast some Quince slices as usual, but the rest will probably go to the compost.

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    2. I've just had a look at Google Earth, and they have a new picture. I may well put it up on here sometime.

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  6. We were given a load of quinces last year. Could find nothing useful to do with them other than put them on the compost, .... it was the hardness of the fruit which put me off....too much effort to get them prepped! No figs here this year so do with coming to 'borrow' some of yours. Jam and fig chutney, both are staples in our larder.

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    Replies
    1. You have to be very careful when cutting them.... if the knife slips!

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  7. Mrs Beeton has quince blancmange and quince marmalade and figs stewed with lemon juice.

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    Replies
    1. The same old problem for us... no-one eats sweet things. We'll stick with 'roasted'.

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  8. Having read your post and comments I am on high alert, nay, PANIC station.

    Please please please don't put them on the compost heap yet. Will be in touch later.

    U

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  9. Poach your quinces in a vinegar/sugar/dry wine melange.... then use chunks of the quince with dried ham.
    Fig chutney, using quinces rather than apple, is a much more savoury version... but allow cooking time for the quinces BEFORE adding the figs.
    Portugese quince marmlade is also wonderful with cold meats.
    Please note, these will only use a small proportion of your quinces and figs... the rest of the quinces will need to be sold to the arms trade!!
    And don't forget... if you like the roasted flavour, you can always roast the quinces before trying any of the above! That never harms the final flavour.

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    Replies
    1. I'll certainly try the poached version; I like the sound of that. Otherwise your final suggestion is probably my favourite; roasted with either Chicken or Pork.

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  10. Every year, I envy you with your quince glut. What used to be the quintessential Elizabethan fruit is becoming a rarity here, probably because it is such hard work to make anything with them, and we have become lazy. In the house where I was brought up, we had a small quince tree, and we would just leave the fruit sitting around for the Autumn because we loved the aroma.

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    Replies
    1. I seem to remember my own mother bringing the fruits into the house for the aroma. She also always made Quince Jelly which I adored as a child.

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    2. Me too. Crab apple jelly as well.

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    3. I didn't know about the aroma. I'm off to pick some to try that out.

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  11. I shall look in my cookery books, although as they are all 'English' and we don't see quinces here, I don't hold out much hope.

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    Replies
    1. Usually it's Quince Jelly, and not much else.

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  12. We had lunch in a Tapas Bar in Crouch End last week and, amongst the many dishes we ordered, we had baked manchego and quince paste...... probably not much different to quince jelly but maybe a bit different.
    There are recipes for quince paste online.
    There are three quince trees outside our doctors surgery, weighed down with hundreds of fruit and many more hundreds on the ground ..... I think that most people who visit our doctors wouldn't know what a quince was ..... that was probably an unkind thing to say !!! XXXX

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    Replies
    1. No, I'm sure you're right. They are not a well known fruit.

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  13. They use quince and figs quite a lot in Iran and Persia so maybe you could have a look at some of their recipes. XXXX

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  14. I am now wasting my day looking for quince recipes Cro !!!!! haha
    I found a recipe for quince vinegar and quince mustard which could be good.
    Quince vinegar is good in marinades and dressings where you need an exotic sweet/sour splash and quince mustard features in Elizabeth David's book ..... the ingredients use grape juice too so you'd be killing two bird's with one stone .... both savoury too. XXXX

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    Replies
    1. With everyone's recommendations, I'm doing much the same. Luckily I don't have a lot to do today. Quince vinegar sounds good.

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  15. http://www.bhg.com/recipe/tarts/quince-skillet-tart-with-savory-prosciutto-pastry/#page=0

    http://mamastaverna.com/beef-with-quince-moschari-me-kydonia/

    http://www.sfgate.com/food/seasonalcook/article/Sweet-and-savory-ways-with-the-quintessential-2633164.php

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    Replies
    1. Now you're confusing me. I shall have to go and lie down.

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    2. How so ?
      You can easily turn quince in something that is savoury.
      And worse case scenario, something sweet that contrasts beautifully with savoury flavours, like duck, or cheese, or cold meats.
      Wish you were my neighbour, you could drop the quince and figs off here. I could also collect them of course. ;)

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  16. When I have a food that I don't know what to do with, I Google a recipe for it. Everything is on the Internet.

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  17. My husband makes a great Quince paste with cheese it is superb. Shame you don't like sweet. Baked Quince in red wine is yummy.

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    Replies
    1. I used to make Membrillo, which was delicious with cheese.

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  18. Quince " Cheese"(Paste)
    Quinces: 2 kg
    Granulated sugar: 1,2 kg

    Wash, peel and core the quinces. Cover with water and boil until the fruit is soft.

    Drain the water and process the pulp using a mouli or a hand blender until smooth.

    Meanwhile, place the sugar in a pan and cover with 400 ml water. Bring it to a boil and stir until it has dissolved. Let it boil until you reach soft-ball stage (when you drop the syrup into cold water it forms a soft, flexible ball - approx. 120ºC/240ºF).

    Add the quince pulp to the syrup and stir with a wooden spoon. It needs to boil violently for approx. 30 minutes and you'll have to keep stirring (use a long spoon, cover your arms and watch out for burns... it'll spit like a volcano). The mixture is ready when you scrape the spoon through it and you can see the base of the pan for a couple of seconds. When it has reached this stage, remove the pan from the heat and keep stirring until it's cooled down a bit.

    Pour into clean bowls (porcelain, enamel or terracotta). Place the bowls on a windowsill and cover them with parchment paper. Let the paste dry out for at least a week. It will keep for several months inside a pantry or an airing cupboard.

    Lovely with cheese

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    Replies
    1. That sounds really good, it reminds me of certain 'fruit leathers' that a friend of mine used to bring back from Persia (when it was still called Persia).

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  19. Know what they are but never tasted them.
    Greetings Maria x

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    Replies
    1. I liked your yesterday's post; another small part of your life, thank you for sharing it, Cro
      X

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    2. Once cooked (roasted) they taste rather like a perfumed Pear. Very nice. It's all the fuss of cutting, peeling, and preparing them that's the trouble; they're very hard in their natural state.

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  20. One of my favorite bloggers, who has now gone off to the land of Instagram, wrote a blog called The Quince Tree. She's a fabulous cook, and I think that if you click over to thequincetree65.blogspot.co.uk
    you'll find lots of ideas of how you enjoy your quince abundance.

    (I was going to just ask you to email me for this info, but then decided...there just might be lots of folks who would love to see Sue's recipes...not just for quince.)

    Best wishes.

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    Replies
    1. I did visit her page in the past. Maybe it was even you who led me there? What an interesting idea to devote a whole blog to the dear Quince.

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  21. I love figs as part of a salad (not to many mind you!) but I've never really developed a taste for quince jelly with cheese (which is the only use I've eve known for the fruit). So no help from me.

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