Although quince is very tough and tastes unpleasant raw, it is heavenly when cooked with spices and sugar.
If you like quince, don’t use it only to make marmalade. You can also make a delicious spicy compote that will keep for a long time in the fridge.
If you opt for the latter, jazz up the basic recipe by adding vanilla and white wine to the cinnamon and cloves for a really special effect. Add sugar to taste, or sweeten with honey instead. If you want, you can also add anise and cardamom to the juice.
You can serve the compote in small bowls as a dessert, or you can strain and add the quince in creams, cakes or garnishes; if you simmer the juice, you can make a delicious spicy syrup to drizzle over pancakes or waffles.
Ingredients
- 1 kg quince
- 800 ml water
- 300 ml white wine (dry)
- 1 organic lemon
- 300 g sugar
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 1 vanilla stick
- 4 cloves
Preparation
Wash the quince and rub off the hairs.
Mix the water, wine, grated lemon zest and juice and sugar in a saucepan. Heat until the sugar is completely melted. Add the cinnamon, the vanilla pods cut in half and the cloves. Reduce the heat to low and simmer until the mixture starts to bubble.
Meanwhile, peel the quince, cut out the core and dice. Immediately drop them into the lemon-sugar juice to prevent them from browning.
Continue to cook the quince over a low heat until tender. This can take up to 30-60 minutes depending on how ripe the fruit is.
When the quince is soft, remove from the heat. Remove the cinnamon, cloves, and vanilla pod from the juice.
Allow the compote to cool completely and then store in the fridge until serving.