Quince Apples
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Poached Quinces in Pastry

"The value of those wild fruits is not in the mere possession or eating of them,
but in the sight and enjoyment of them."
~ Henry David Thoreau

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Quince Calville Blanc (Engrv)
Pierre J. F. Turpin
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Friday, November 10, 2006

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Poached Quinces in Pastry


Saveur Cooks Authentic American:
Celebrating the Recipes and Diverse Traditions of Our Rich Heritage
by the Editors of Saveur Magazine, 1998, Chronicle Books

Intoxicating Quinces

"According to some food historians, the quince, not the apple, was the forbidden fruit that tempted Eve – and indeed, quinces can inspire love at first whiff; they smell like vanilla, jasmine, guava, and pineapple all at once. On the other hand, Eve probably wouldn’t have liked them if she’d bitten into one raw. Uncooked quinces are grainy, bland, and unpleasantly tannic, even painful to the tooth. Cooked, on the other hand, they are a wonderment – delicate, tender, and tart, with just a hint of spice. Bake them whole. Poach them in wine, as in the [following] recipe. Slip slices of one into an apple pie. Stew them with a vanilla bean, or with cinnamon and a sprinkling of sugar. High in pectin, quinces were once widely used to flavor and solidify jellies and jams. Then Charles Knox invented powdered gelatin in the 1890s and the quince fell out of favor. Fresh American-grown quinces are still available, though, in high-end grocery stores, at Hispanic and Korean markets, and at some greenmarkets nationwide from September through November each year. They’re worth sniffing out."

Serves 4

“We tried baking quinces as we would apples, but found that they remained stubbornly form inside. Our solution: Poach them first, then bake them in
light pastry.”

For pastry:
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
12 tablespoons chilled butter, cut into small pieces
4 tablespoons vegetable shortening, chilled

For quinces:
1 cup sugar, plus additional for dusting (optional)
2 cups white wine
1 vanilla bean, halved lengthwise
4 large quinces, peeled, quartered, and cored

1 egg, lightly beaten
Fresh mint (optional)

1.  For pastry, sift together flour and salt in a large bowl. Cut in butter and shortening with a pastry cutter or 2 knives until mixture resembles coarse meal. Sprinkle in 5-6 tablespoons ice water and knead until dough just hold together, wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 1 hour.
2.  For quinces, mix together sugar and wine in a medium [non-reactive] pan, then add vanilla bean and quinces. Cover and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Gently simmer for 30 minutes, then remove pan from heat and allow quinces to cool in the poaching liquid.
3.  Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Roll out dough about 1/8 inch thick on a floured surface and cut into 10-inch circles. Cut 12-inch leaves out of dough scraps. Put 4 poached quince quarters together to form a whole quince and place in the middle of a dough circle. Wrap dough circle around fruit to cover completely. Press the “leaves” on top. Repeat with remaining quinces and dough. Refrigerate for 1 hour. Beat 1 tablespoon water into beaten egg, then brush pastry with the egg wash.
4.  Bake until golden brown, about 45 minutes. Meanwhile, reduce poaching liquid by half over medium heat. Remove and discard vanilla bean.
5.  Spoon sauce on individual plates and place baked quinces on top. Garish with fresh mint and dust baked quinces with additional sugar, if you like.
 

Featured Archive Recipes:
Honey-Poached Quinces
Prunes in Red Wine and Cinnamon
 

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