Quince hold happy memories for me. Whenever I see their fuzz-covered, bulgy yellow skins in the fruit section of the grocery store my mind immediately skips back in time.
…Dad, home for lunch, sitting at the kitchen table…
…the brown tinge of the yellow-skinned quince sliced up in front of him…
…the purse of his lips and squint of his eyes as he savours its tartness…
…the crispness of the fruit as I take a bite…
…the sensation as its raw flesh wicks the moisture from my mouth…
But there is no denying it, they are an odd fruit. Strange to behold and definitely an acquired taste when eaten fresh! But in my humble opinion, they are the Cinderella of fruit – cook them and they turn into one of the most magnificent and decadent dishes you will have the privilege of tasting! Smooth and dense and sweet – a perfect dessert fruit.
Quince season is upon us again, and as it turns out, so is blood orange season. And it should come as no surprise that fruits of the same season are perfectly matched – although, pleasantly surprised I was. {Duh!}
Blood oranges are another fruit whose outward appearance belies the deliciousness of its insides. At a distance you could be forgiven for thinking the grocer is trying to sell mouldy oranges if you’ve never seen one before. But in truth, their skins are God’s sneaky hint at what you will find inside – an amazingly deep and rich {as opposed to tangy} orange flavour and gorgeous blood red juices.
I grabbed a couple of quince and some blood oranges the other day, with no intention to cook them together. But then, when I was tossing up how to cook the quince my eyes happened across the oranges in the fruit bowl and an idea sprouted. And I’m glad it did, because I am pretty pleased with the results.
I adapted this recipe from an Eleanor Ozich recipe that has become one of my go-to’s. The original recipe is in the recipe book ‘My Family Table’ and there are a few recipes in there that I like to play around with, depending on what I have in my pantry and fridge at the time.
At the time of making this quince and blood orange version I happened to have a tub of this ice-cream in my freezer.
It’s not a regular, because I’d be buying it every three days, if I’m honest. It’s pretty yummy {no mean feat for a sugar free/dairy free ice-cream!}, and its caramelly flavour happened to be a lovely complement to the slice. I also served it with some chopped {fresh – because I was being lazy} hazelnuts, but when I make it again I’ll toast them.
Ingredients
Quince:
- 3 quince, peeled, cored and quartered (reserve the peel and cores)
- 2 cinnamon quills
- 2 star anise
- 1 cup sugar
- 2 pieces of blood orange rind, pith removed
Base:
- 1/2 cup coconut oil
- 2 cups almond meal
- 1/2 cup rice flour
- 2 tbspns maple syrup
- 1 egg
Topping:
- 1/2 cup blood orange juice
- 1/4 cup rice flour
- 4 eggs
- 1/4 cup maple syrup
- quince slices, as prepared below
To serve:
- Toasted and chopped hazelnuts
- Dollop cream or ice-cream
- Reserved quince syrup
Method
Prepare the quince:
Preheat oven to 150°C.
In an over-proof medium sized saucepan place the sugar, cinnamon, star anise, sugar, and rind with 1L of water. Bring to the boil and cook over a medium heat for about 10 minutes to thicken the syrup slightly.
Next, add the quince (including the peel and cores) and cover with lid. Place in oven to cook for approximately 2 hours, or until the quince is soft and pink in colour.
Remove from oven and set aside to cool. Strain quince, discarding the peel and cores and reserving the liquid. Slice the quince into 1.5cm wedges. Set to one side.
Simmer the reserved liquid until reduced and thickened to use as a sauce for serving.
Prepare the slice:
Preheat oven to 180°C. Line slice tin (approx. 18cm x 27cm) with baking paper.
In a medium sized bowl, mix the base ingredients until combined. Press into the tin and prick with a fork several times.
Bake for approximately 15 mins, until golden brown. Remove from the oven and allow to cool slightly. If the base has puffed up, as soon as you remove it from the oven, just squash it back down again gently with your hand or a flat utensil like an egg flip.
Reduce oven temperature to 160°C.
In a small bowl, whisk together the liquid ingredients until well combined. In the same medium sized mixing bowl from above, place the rice flour and gradually add the liquid ingredients which whisking, to prevent lumps.
Layer the quince wedges neatly over the top of the cooled base until the base is completely covered. Gently pour the topping mixture over the top of the quince and tap the tin gently on the bench to remove any air bubbles.
Bake in oven for approximately 30 mins, or until set. It should set similar to a custard. Remove from the oven and leave to cool before slicing.
Serve at room temperature with a drizzle of the quince sauce and a spoon of dollop cream or icecream. Enjoy!
