Baked quince with cinnamon, bay and honey

Quince is an amazing fruit. When raw it has a hard, tannic flesh, and is often furry to touch, therefore rendering it unpalatable. A little patience in the kitchen though, provides a memorable eating experience, golden, perfumed and voluptuous! The added flavours of cinnamon, bay and honey make this dish memorable!

Ingredients

4 quinces

100ml apple juice

squeeze of lemon juice

fine zest of 1 lemon

4 tablespoons good quality honey

4 bay leaves

2 cinnamon sticks

1 vanilla pod, split

Creme fraiche to serve

Preheat the oven to 150 C. Whilst the oven is warming, wipe the quinces clean and remove any of the furry layer with a dry cloth. Quarter them lengthways, leave the pips and core intact and place in a baking tray cut side up.

Pour the apple juice over the quince and give a good squeeze of lemon juice also. Scatter over the cinnamon sticks, bay leaves and lemon zest. Add the vanilla pod. Finally, drizzle the honey over the quince.

Take a sheet of foil and cover the baking tray, but not too tightly. Now place in the oven and bake for a minimum of 2 hours, ideally for 2 1/2. Turn the quince after an hour of cooking.

The quince are ready when beautifully sticky and soft, with an amazing burnt orange colour. Remove the cinnamon, bay and vanilla pod. Allow to cool, serving either just warm or at room temperature with a little creme fraiche.

Absolutely delicious, I assure you!

 

Comments

[pierre]

Hi Paul
I am Pierre from Paris in France
Love the quinces but this is a pain to peel !!!
I am also an amateur in good food I try to create french creative receipes ; today I have posed a desert with pistacchios ; come and pay a vist to my blog you are most welcome !!cheers pierre

[Mathilde's Cuisine]

Oh, just found a new idea for a dessert! Looks delicious, thanks!