How to roast quince – the simplest, easiest way
If you are lucky enough to have a quince tree, you will also be looking for simple ways to use its bounty.
Stewed in honey quince makes a grand pud (for more on that follow this link). Or made into a fruit preserve – the Spanish word for it is membrillo – it’s good with cheese, but also wonderful to add to everything from tagines, to dressings and sauces, through to a tarte Tatin.
And roast quince is also a joy, especially good with pork and gammon, and also good with chicken, goose, duck and lamb. The slightly tart quince will cut, delightfully…. tantalisingly, through any slightly fatty meat. You can roast the quince in the same roasting tin as the meat.
Roast quince will reheat quite well.
The main problem with quinces is their hardness. It’s helpful to have the muscle and weight of an Arnold Schwarzenegger. You also need a very sharp, and very robust knife. But there is a knack… cut first horizontally across the middle, then vertically, and as soon as you have a conveniently jutting corner of core, cut it down and away. Have a look at the photographs below. You don’t need to peel a quince.
Quince can be a bit tart, so you could try roasting with a sweeter vegetable such as carrots or parsnips.
This is what to do.
How to roast a quince
Serves – 3
Ingredients
- 1 large quince
- Ideally duck or goose fat, but otherwise about 120 ml/½ cup olive oil to roast
- 2 fat cloves of garlic, crushed with 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp turmeric
- About 5 sprigs of thyme
- 60g/½ cup roughly chopped walnuts
- Slurp of walnut oil to finish
- 2 tsps honey
- ½ tsp Urfa pepper flakes…. Or freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 210°C.
- Peel and crush the garlic with the salt if you haven’t already done this. Mix with about ¼ cup liquid fat, or oil and the honey…warm in a microwave if you need to to get everything to dissolve. Stir in the turmeric.
- Line a roasting tin with foil and oil it.
- Gently wash off any fluffy down. Cut the quince (you don’t need to peel it) as shown in the photographs above.
- Add to the roasting tin. Pour over the oil mix and stir well to coat.
- Roast for ten minutes. Take out, stir, add the pepper and the sprigs of thyme. Add the walnuts. Return to the oven for another ten minutes. Take it out again to check whether it is done – the quince should be soft and not tart… turning sweet. If it needs more time (most quinces need 30 minutes) in the oven, stir again, add a little more fat or oil and return for another five or ten minutes.
- Serve, with a slurp of walnut oil to finish, and some textured salt.
