It is the season of the quince, pretty yellow fruit with undeniable nutritional qualities. Alone or as an accompaniment to your savoury dishes, quince wants you good.
The fruits of the quince are called golden apples or Cydonie pears. The skin of the quince is however very different from that of pears, it is fluffy and more recalcitrant. Moreover, the quince is eaten cooked because its flesh is too hard and very bitter.
And since it is quince season, you will find them in the middle of nature or on the stalls. Choose it very yellow, the quince does not ripen once picked. It should not be stained. It can easily be stored for three weeks in the dark, in a cool place.
This fruit has undeniable nutritional qualities. It is rich in pectin, in fibres, in antioxidants and vitamin C. It contains very little sugar and is ideal for sensitive intestines. Remember that it has survived the centuries … 4000 years ago, the Greeks consumed it in large quantities.
Everything is good with the quince
In Morocco, we love to add quince to tagines, we enhance its taste with saffron, ginger and a pinch of cinnamon. The quince will also wake up your roast pork, you can slide it into a baking dish and cook it with the potatoes. To finish the meal, it is excellent mixed with a compote of pears, apples or in a fruit salad.
Quince goes perfectly with cheese, especially goat or sheep cheese. You just have to prepare a quince paste (500 g of sugar for 1 kilo of fruit).
The starred chef Alain Ducasse makes apples and quinces candy for more than two hours in a casserole dish. He then serves them with vanilla ice cream. Simple but divine!
How to prepare it?
Just wash your quince and rub it vigorously with a tea towel. To remove the skin, you can soak the fruit for 15 minutes in boiling water. Peel it with a peeler. Once cut in half, all that remains is to remove the heart and seeds. You can also cook it in a pressure cooker, the fruit will thus retain its minerals.
Quince is very popular with jam lovers, its pectin will allow you to give consistency to your preparations.
