These bulbous looking fruits are growing on a tree in a neighbor's yard. Can you guess what they are?!
Look! Can You Name This Fruit?
If you guessed that these are quinces, you'd be correct! These fruits are still a week or two away from being ripe, but we're already hard at work sweet talking our neighbor into inviting us over for a jam-making tutorial!
The quince is a strange, almost forgotten fruit. The trees grow well in temperate climates like New England, though you'll rarely see them fresh anymore. Some farmers still have a few trees lurking at the edges of their fields, so keep your eyes peeled at farmer's markets.
We think that it's decline in popularity is at least partly due to the fact that quince are difficult to prepare. They stay hard and are practically inedible even when fully ripe due to a high concentration of tannins. They really need to be cooked to fully unlock their flavor, and make excellent jams, dessert sauces, and pastes.
Here are a few recipes we found around the web:
• Quince Jelly from Simply Recipes
• Quince Paste (Membrillo) from Simply Recipes
• Vanilla Poached Quince (and a few other tips and recipe ideas) from David Lebovitz
• Quince and Currant Chutney from Epicurious
• Quince Sorbet from Epicurious
Have you ever cooked with fresh quince?
Related: Tip: Easy Peeling Quince
(Image: Emma Christensen for the Kitchn)
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Damn...I thought we were really going to get to guess.
I wanted to get something right today.
view art's profile
... my guess was "grossness" and I was right. yuuuck
view chusmabilly's profile
I knew it was quince.
view gillsnthrills's profile
My guess was bulbous pears. Oh well.
view Tiamat_the_Red's profile
oh, yes. I love cooking with it. It's texture and perfume-like aroma are amazing.
I like it with rabbit:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/art_chel/1458666664/
view art's profile
here in Switzerland, you can get seasonal quince yogurt (often mixed with pear), not to mention a lot of quince jelly. It is very popular in France too.
view mschatelaine's profile
I was going to guess Paw Paws, but I think they're actually more of a "0" shape...
view cara_mia's profile
Does anyone else see the smiley face in the quince furthest to the front on the main photo, or is it just me?
Ah, I love quince--especially that it's a little 'difficult.' Keeps it from being overused and true to it's season in the markets.
view Dana V's profile
Does anyone know if fruit from an ornamental quince bush is edible?
view Karen1Monger's profile
One bare-pantry desperate evening, we roasted quince, beets, and rosemary for some kind of FrankenSalad. It was weird. But also intriguing. I don't really recommend it, though.
When I was in first grade I brought in a quince for show-and-tell (and a runcible spoon to go with). Ah, the budding food geek.
view Katie in Berkeley's profile
oh quince is a favorite of my french family. We've made quince jams and jellies and they're delicious. Right now in the south of france, they're about 2 weeks away from being ripe. can't wait!
view laure's profile
One of my favorite quince tips, especially as the cooler weather sets in, is to throw several handfuls of the chopped fruit into a slow cooker filled with apple cider. If you can get locally pressed cider, that is of course the best bet.
Toss in a few fresh cranberries as well, along with cinnamon sticks. Let the mixture steep on low heat for a couple of hours. In addition to the flavor benefits, the bright red of the cranberry along with the yellow/green of the quince make for an attractive presentation.
After it's done warming, taste it to see if it needs a sweetness boost. If so, incorporate brown sugar or another sweetener of choice and warm through until dissolved. Use a ladle to serve the cider to thirsty guests.
So fresh, so autumn!
view kmango's profile
There's a cloister with several quince trees at The Cloisters in Manhattan. It's my favorite place, fragrance-wise this time of year.
view margery's profile
Dana V - YES! There is absolutely a smiley face there! Too cute.
view tartanfrog's profile