RECIPE, FOOD STYLING AND STYLING GILL MELLER
PHOTOGRAPHS ANDREW MONTGOMERY
Like wild mushrooms, quinces are one of the joys of October. Occasionally mistaken for pears, they have a bright daffodil-yellow skin which, when the fruit is picked from the tree, has a fine downy covering of fuzz. Quinces vary in size and shape, but they’re nearly always hard as a stone, so it pays to cook them before you try to eat them – plus the sharp flavour is offset and enhanced by cooking with the sweetness of honey or sugar.
Gentle simmering renders the tough but richly aromatic quinces beautifully tender. After cooking and cooling, I keep the fruit in the fridge under their sweet poaching syrup – great for a speedy breakfast with natural yogurt and granola.
One of the best things to make with quinces is quince cheese, a thick, sliceable jam made by cooking quinces and sugar gently together. The Spanish are famed for it (they call it membrillo), but we used to make it in this country too. It keeps, so you have something to serve with roasts and cheese through winter – see delicious. Kitchen for a recipe.