Spice Poached Quince Food

SPICE POACHED QUINCE

Steps:

• Pre-heat oven at 120°C (convention)/ 100°C (fan-forced/convection).
• Peel the quince using a y-peeler. Place the quinces on a sturdy and heavy wooden board. Using a sharp knife, carefully cut the quinces into quarters. Using a combination of a paring knife and melon peeler, remove the pith and core of the quinces.
• Add sugar, bay leaf, star anise, vanilla, lemon zest and juice, honey and water to a wide oven-safe cooking pot. Simmer gently on medium-low heat for 5-8 minutes until the sugar has melted. Remove from heat and add all the quince quarters to the pot. Ensure that the quince slices are covered with the poaching liquid. Place a baking paper over the quinces and cover with the pot lid.
• Poach in a pre-heated oven at 120°C (convection)/ 100°C (fan-forced) for 4 hours.
• Remove from oven and cool completely. Scoop the poached quince slices gently from the pot and into a clean glass container. Top with some of the poaching liquid. Cover with an air-tight lid and store in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.
• Strain and pour the remaining poaching liquid in glass jars. Cover with air-tight lids and store in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.

POACHED QUINCE WITH SPICES

Steps:

• Peel, quarter and remove cores from quince. Reserve peel and cores. Bring remaining ingredients to the boil in a heavy-based saucepan. Add quince, peel and cores and cover with baking paper. Use a plate to keep quince submerged. Cover with a lid and simmer for 2-3 hours or until soft with a deep pink colour. Remove fruit, strain syrup, discarding peel, cores and spices, and serve quince warm with a little syrup, ice-cream or cream. It can also be served chilled. * Reserved from a previously cooked batch of quince. If you don't have it, simply omit from the recipe - no extra liquid is required.

SPICED POACHED QUINCE

Steps:

• In a large pot, combine all the ingredients. Bring to a simmer over high heat, stirring several times to dissolve the sugar. Cut a circle of parchment paper just slightly bigger than the opening of your pot. Place the piece of parchment paper on top of the simmering quinces and a small plate on top of the paper to keep the quinces submerged in the syrup. Adjust the heat to keep the quinces simmering but not boiling hard. Simmer for 40 minutes or until the quince halves are easily pierced with a paring knife, but not falling apart. Strain the syrup. Serve the quince halves, warm or at room temperature, in a shallow bowl with some syrup.