Quince–the quintessential fall fruit
{perfumed, mellow, dense fleshed and intensely flavored}
If you squint, you might mistake the quince (cydonia oblonga) for a yellow-skinned apple. But look more closely and you’ll soon realize that here is a fruit distinctly different from its relatives, the apple and the pear, demanding a completely different treatment than its more common fall cousins. A bit of this fruit in your favorite apple pie will leave your guests asking for the recipe and your pie plate empty. And it would also add a welcome textural contrast to your own homemade cranberry sauce. Simply cook cubes of peeled and cored quince right along with the cranberries and whatever sweetener you like to use (sugar, maple or agave syrup), allowing the two fruits to meld and soften.
Originally found in the Caucasus region of southern Russia between the Black and Caspian seas adjacent to Turkey, this often knobby tree fruit with a woody core mellows and melts into a deliciously dense, rosy-colored delicacy and pairs particularly well with red wine and Spanish sheep’s milk cheeses such as the ever- popular Manchego. Its fragrance, a blend of pineapple, guava and pear, can easily fill a room. It’s also a great partner to meats such as lamb and chicken and holds up to long cooking in stews and braises, common in northern Africa, eastern Europe and the Near East. Rarely eaten raw due to its harsh tannic personality, quince with its naturally high pectin content, lends itself to being preserved. In fact quince pastes known as membrillo in Spain and cotignac in France (available at ethnic stores and better cheese shops nationwide) are particularly prized as sweet treats served with soft cheeses and bread or eaten alone as an any-time-of-the-day pick-me-up.
