There is nothing more delicious than cooked quince, especially if you have prepared it yourself. Quince are an unusual fruit. They are available in the grocers in autumn and the early part of winter and appear to be avoided by many as a strange fruit to purchase. As mother said to me recently, how do you prepare them?
This was my question as well. The only memory that I have of quince is my eldest brother making quince paste that we occasionally had with cheese or melted down to use as a glaze on a dessert. The jar of this remained in the pantry cupboard for years!
After seeing quince in one of my local fruit and veg shops, I decided that I was going to take the leap and make something with quince. But what?
I consulted my Maggie Beer recipe books and found several uses for them. She has a whole chapter on Quince in Maggie’s Harvest. Here she tells of her love affair with this fruit and how she came to know, prepare and grow them. Her quince paste is the best on the market in my opinion and it is gluten free!
Inspired by her writing, I took the liberty of trying quince both as a sweet and savory dish.
One evening I roasted cored pieces of quince in with onion, garlic, pumpkin and potatoes which were served with roast chicken. Whilst I had neglected to peel them, they were an unusual, yet delicious addition to a roast. My only recommendation to myself would be to cook to the quince longer so it became more soft and flavoursome.
The next evening I tried two different ways of preparing the quince for a dessert. This time they were peeled! I placed slices of quince in a baking dish with butter and a sprinkling of brown sugar and let them bake for about an hour and a half, turning them regularly so they were basted in the butter and did not dry out. These were wonderful eaten warm with cream after dinner.
The last quince I had peeled, cored and diced, placed it all in a saucepan with a dash of water and a couple pieces of lemon zest and let them stew on the stove. After about 20 minutes they were softening beautifully and the fruit had released liquid, so they were happily cooking away in their own juice. I left the quince to continue cooking for another 20 minutes. Once they had cooked for this long, they did not need any sugar added as I thought they were sweet enough. It is the fruit that I prepared this way, that I have used in the following pudding recipe.
This recipe is really easy with the sponge having a lovely honey taste and smell. These puddings also freeze very well if you make a batch and want to savour the treat at a later date - always ideal in these cold winter months!
Gluten Free Rhubarb and Quince Sponge Pudding
6 ramekins, greased
1 bunch of rhubarb, cooked
1 quince, peeled, diced and cooked
90g unsalted butter, softened
2 eggs beaten
1 cup gluten free self-raising flour
1/4 cup of milk
1/3 cup of white sugar
1 generous tbs of honey
Preheat the oven to 150℃ fan forced.
Cream the butter and the sugar in a bowl. Combine the eggs with the butter/sugar mix - everything will look look like yellow curdled milk, this is ok, it is what you want.
Add the flour, alternating with the milk until all of smooth. Remembering to finish with milk as the last addition.
Spoon the cooked fruit into the ramekins until they are half full.
Top with the sponge mixture, which should reach the top of the ramekin.
Place on a baking tray and bake for 30-40 minutes until golden and a cake tester comes out clean.
Enjoy warm with a generous dollop of cream.
This was my question as well. The only memory that I have of quince is my eldest brother making quince paste that we occasionally had with cheese or melted down to use as a glaze on a dessert. The jar of this remained in the pantry cupboard for years!
After seeing quince in one of my local fruit and veg shops, I decided that I was going to take the leap and make something with quince. But what?
I consulted my Maggie Beer recipe books and found several uses for them. She has a whole chapter on Quince in Maggie’s Harvest. Here she tells of her love affair with this fruit and how she came to know, prepare and grow them. Her quince paste is the best on the market in my opinion and it is gluten free!
Inspired by her writing, I took the liberty of trying quince both as a sweet and savory dish.
One evening I roasted cored pieces of quince in with onion, garlic, pumpkin and potatoes which were served with roast chicken. Whilst I had neglected to peel them, they were an unusual, yet delicious addition to a roast. My only recommendation to myself would be to cook to the quince longer so it became more soft and flavoursome.
The next evening I tried two different ways of preparing the quince for a dessert. This time they were peeled! I placed slices of quince in a baking dish with butter and a sprinkling of brown sugar and let them bake for about an hour and a half, turning them regularly so they were basted in the butter and did not dry out. These were wonderful eaten warm with cream after dinner.
The last quince I had peeled, cored and diced, placed it all in a saucepan with a dash of water and a couple pieces of lemon zest and let them stew on the stove. After about 20 minutes they were softening beautifully and the fruit had released liquid, so they were happily cooking away in their own juice. I left the quince to continue cooking for another 20 minutes. Once they had cooked for this long, they did not need any sugar added as I thought they were sweet enough. It is the fruit that I prepared this way, that I have used in the following pudding recipe.
This recipe is really easy with the sponge having a lovely honey taste and smell. These puddings also freeze very well if you make a batch and want to savour the treat at a later date - always ideal in these cold winter months!
Gluten Free Rhubarb and Quince Sponge Pudding
6 ramekins, greased
1 bunch of rhubarb, cooked
1 quince, peeled, diced and cooked
90g unsalted butter, softened
2 eggs beaten
1 cup gluten free self-raising flour
1/4 cup of milk
1/3 cup of white sugar
1 generous tbs of honey
Preheat the oven to 150℃ fan forced.
Cream the butter and the sugar in a bowl. Combine the eggs with the butter/sugar mix - everything will look look like yellow curdled milk, this is ok, it is what you want.
Add the flour, alternating with the milk until all of smooth. Remembering to finish with milk as the last addition.
Spoon the cooked fruit into the ramekins until they are half full.
Top with the sponge mixture, which should reach the top of the ramekin.
Place on a baking tray and bake for 30-40 minutes until golden and a cake tester comes out clean.
Enjoy warm with a generous dollop of cream.
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monica@loveglutenfreeaustralia
monica@loveglutenfreeaustralia
