Instructions
If ever a fruit could be accused of having a Cinderella complex, it is the quince.
Quinces are the beautiful, if slightly plain, sister of apples and pears. A hardy tree fruit, they require the gentle intervention of a culinary fairy godmother to summon forth their inner beauty.
Raw quinces smell extraordinary: their aroma will fill the room. However, while it is possible to eat quinces raw, it’s not advisable. They tend to be tough, gritty, bland, chalky, tart and astringent. Yet when immersed in a sweet syrup and cooked gently for several hours, quinces undergo an extraordinary metamorphosis. Their granular ivory flesh emerges ruby-red, supple and brimming with perfume. From brown cardigan and moccasins, to Chanel and Jimmy Choo. The result almost sashays its way onto your plate! So elegant.
Australians don’t eat a lot of quinces, mostly because they need to be cooked. Let’s face it, we’re a pretty lazy mob when it comes to fruit. When you’re surrounded by mangoes, apples, grapes and berries, I guess the idea of actually working for your food seems kind of strange. But still, the rewards for such dedication are ample.
Most striking is the quince’s colour transformation. From apple-esque beginnings it finally takes on an almost gem-like quality, cornelian red and translucent. Scientists have still to explain this phenomenon, or even why the slowness of cooking directly affects the end result of colour. You see, if the syrup boils you’ll get orange or burnt umber coloured quinces, while genuine slow poaching yields the deeper magentas and reds. The ripeness of the quince will affect the flavour and perfume, but not the colour.
Quinces start their season in Autumn and continue throughout winter. Yet the best quinces of all emerge at the tail end of the growing season. These fruit have ripened more slowly on the tree, enabling them to build higher reserves of natural fruit sugar that, when cooked, make for the tastiest and most flavoursome quince. These late season quinces are more likely to have fruit knots, small black spots or tunnels through the flesh, usually caused by the larvae of winter moths. These can simply be cut out or around, leaving perfect flesh to work with.
Baked quinces in cloves and curry