Quince with spices and Eden pans
Juicy quince, red currants and vanilla quark..
I was with Meeta at the market in Germany when I spotted some quince. I had seen them somewhere before (on the internet!) but they are not a fruit you can easily find here in Holland, so I took them with me from Weimar to Holland. They keep forever anyway, so there was not a lot of risk that the would be bruised and nasty having been bumped around in my suitcase a bit. I had no idea what quince tasted like, so I decided to keep it simple. I got myself 5 pcs, but I didn’t expect so much to come out of those fruits! 5 is really a lot!
I was quite happy that the people at knivesandtools.nl had previously contacted me if I wanted to test some of their new Eden Quality pans. The selling point is that the pans are good quality for an affordable price, which is not really common these days. We used to have really old and crappy pans when we were not that much into cooking, but these days we do actually spend quite a bit of money on good pans, griddles and the like. Simple for the reason that it does make a difference! So what am I looking for in a pan? It needs to be sturdy and not fall apart after having cooked in it twice, it needs to have a thick bottom (now how wrong does that sound..lol) and distribute the heat evenly. A big plus is also if the handle stays cool to the touch and that the pan is still manageable even when filled with a load of quince (to just give an example)
So when I received the big package I was happily surprised when I took out three pretty pans. Hey, pans can be pretty too you know! They had a good feel to them, nice design and more importantly; once I started cooking with them I was even happier. I’ve sofar made these quince, baked pancakes and a stir fry in them and made a Mexican soup. What I find important in a pan is that I can fry onions in them without the risk of e
Eden quality pans
verything sticking to the bottom of the pan because it gets to hot (which happens when you have a thin bottom) That works great. Also a plus in my book is that the handle stays cool, even after having been on the stove for more then an hour. With the cooking pan (without the long handle) I was surprised that the two side handles, even while much closer to the fire, are also not extremely hot. I would still use some towel to handle them but if I forgot I wouldn’t burn my hands.
So all in all, really pleased with these pans and as I mentioned the price is good too. They are a pretty international company so I will give you the various websites below and you can have a look for yourself. But now back to my lovely quince recipe.
From rock hard fruits to juicy and soft
When cleaning these weird looking variation between an apple and a pear (are they??) I could not help but notice that they are soooo hard! I’ve never had any fruit that was incredibly difficult to clean. I almost needed to two hands to press the knife through the fruit, believe it or not. I put it all in a pot with cardamom, cinnamon, lemon and orange peel and star anis and in a matter of minutes the house started to smell like Christmas. isn’t it funny how smells can do that to you? The recipe I adapted said that they needed 45 minutes but mine where soft enough after a little more then thirty minutes so be sure to check when you’re cooking them. Overcooked can’t be good either.
Poached quince
Yield: 6
Prep Time: 30 mins
Cook Time: 30 mins
Total Time: 1 hr
Ingredients:
- 4 pieces quince
- 4-6 cups water
- 2 cups sugar
- 1 stick cinnamon
- 4 large strips orange peel
- 4 large strips lemon peel
- 6 green cardamom pods (crushed)
- 3 star anise
Directions:
Peel, quarter and core the quince. Be careful as they are very difficult to cut so make sure you don't cure yourself. You can keep them in water as they do discolor very quickly but it doesn't help much. Maybe ad some lemon to the water. i didn't try that.
Put 4 cups of water in a pot together with the sugar, lemon and orange peel, staranis, cinnamon and cardamom and bring to the boil until all sugar is dissolved.
Add the quinces and slowly cook for 30-45 minutes or until they are tender when poked with a small knife. Leave to cool in the poaching liquid. Remove the unedible spices and store in the fridge for up to a week.
Note
I more or less combined two different recipes together but basically add whatever spices work for you. I loved the combination I used but you can add cloves in there or other spices too.
The Netherlands http://www.knivesandtools.nl/
Germany http://www.edenwebshops.de/
United Kingdom http://www.edenwebshops.co.uk/
France http://www.edenwebshops.fr/
Global http://www.knivesandtools.com/en/
Disclaimer: Knivesandtools.nl provided the pans to me, but all opinions and reviews are my my own
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Yes, quinces are really hard to peel and cut… but the results can be amazing. I like the spice combination, though it’s funny that they haven’t turned out redder.
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Simone (junglefrog) — October 20th, 2011 at 17:32
I was really surprised at how incredibly hard they were and still such a delicious and soft result… I don’t know why they did not get any redder. I did hear numerous accounts where it was sort of a hit and miss with the color..
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I love the smells evoked from all the spices you use Simone. AND I love that blue bowl.
It is so pretty. Quince is a tough one alright. A cross between a pear and an apple.
We make quince paste/jelly and eat it by the slice with mature cheddar cheese.
I like it but have never eaten it the way you prepared it so will have to try.
Was the texture like a pear after cooked?
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Simone (junglefrog) — October 20th, 2011 at 18:21
Oooo I would love to have that with some cheddar too…! For some reason your last three comments had ended up in spam where I just fished them out… Not sure why that is but fixed anyway…
The texture of the quince was somewhat similar to pear maybe a bit ‘grainier’ if that makes any sense… Delicious it definitely was!
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Móna Wise — October 20th, 2011 at 18:34
I think it was the ‘grainy’ texture that made us convert it to a jelly/paste. But I really want to try your way of cooking it because it grows like crazy here and I know the kids would love it for brekkie with yoghurt. AND – I am so glad you found my comments Simone. I blame the upgrade from Mac.
Totally wonky systems since last week . . .
Simone (junglefrog) — October 20th, 2011 at 18:39
Well at least this one went through without any issues…
It’s not unpleasantly grainy when poached. I totally, totally loved it and so did Tom. I had only 5 quince and it lasted us for a good four days! Couldn’t believe how much came out of those few fruits… I wish I could find it here as these are from Germany..
The pans do look good! But the poached quince sounds divine. I love that you added orange peel in it.
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Simone (junglefrog) — October 20th, 2011 at 17:33
O yes those quince are so worth a trip to Germany…
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Quince das ist meien liebste Kindheit Erinerung..an meine Grossmutter;))
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Simone (junglefrog) — October 20th, 2011 at 17:33
Really? I never had any when I grew up but there are a few places here and there where you can still find them I heard
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OOH! So cool to see these Weimar fruit on your blog. I think back often of your trip here and miss having you around! Great way to prepare quince !
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Simone (junglefrog) — October 20th, 2011 at 17:34
Thanks Meeta and – especially after reading this morning what you had for breakfast – I do miss you too!
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Mmmhhh, a exquisite dessert! Quinces are so fragrant and versatile.
Cheers,
Rosa
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Simone (junglefrog) — October 20th, 2011 at 17:34
I’ve got to try and find some more here!
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I’ve never tried quince before and now I’m intrigued… oh, and those are some beautiful pans
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Never mind the pans – I want that blue bowl! ;o) But yes, it is a bonus to have pots & pans with stay-cool handles. Quince is a weird fruit – as you say, rock hard but oh so delicious once cooked. Gorgeous shots! Bet Gizmo was disappointed with all this sweet stuff!
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Simone (junglefrog) — October 20th, 2011 at 23:54
Yes Gizmo was very disappointed. In fact she did not even get close to the table with all that sweet stuff on it. No interest whatsoever…
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nice presentation, i’ve never tasted the quincy but my does this look delicious. nice photos
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We eat a lot of poached quinces where I live (south Chile).
The poached quince-apple mix is lovely!
And quince jelly with cheese of “quesillo” (dry or hard curstard cottage cheese thing) is WONDERFUL in a sandwich or crépes!
Be sure to try it… quince is an amazing fruit. Some people even eat it when it’s green (very, very sour) with salt, though I wouldn’t recommend it.
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Your poached quinces look fabulous. I’ve never cooked with quince myself, I’ve heard they are difficult to deal with, but I love things like quince paste and poached quince, so now I really want to try making my own.
By the way, I love that beautiful turquoise bowl.
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Simone (junglefrog) — October 21st, 2011 at 17:17
I didn’t think they were hard to deal with except for the incredibly hard fruit so yes, cutting them was a bit tricky and removing the core too but other then that they were totally easy going..
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I find them tough to cut too… and that was it, didn’t try again after.. (can’t remember what I did with it too..hmm)
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Simone (junglefrog) — October 21st, 2011 at 17:16
Ooo, I can see how you would get fooled by the tough interior of the quince.. If you thought it was just unripe…lol… But seriously… they are sooooo good. Give them another try!
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I alway’s by them by the oriental market’s.. lots of them!
My aunt has a quince tree.
You should try them on the moroccan way, in a tajine with meat&onion!
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Simone (junglefrog) — October 21st, 2011 at 17:16
If I ever get my hands on some more quince then I will definitely be using them in many different ways!
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That looks great.
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Simone (junglefrog) — October 21st, 2011 at 17:15
Thanks Joy!
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Quinces are new for me too, we Dutch have been missing something;)
Lucky you for being able to test those pans: I love the look of your dessert!
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Simone (junglefrog) — October 22nd, 2011 at 11:04
Yes I could not agree more… There must be places where we can get quince… Gonna look it up!
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Quince is such a unique fruit with a lovely flavor. This looks like a fantastic use for it!
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Simone (junglefrog) — October 22nd, 2011 at 11:05
Absolutely delicious indeed..
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great way to prepare it i have never seen one
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Simone (junglefrog) — October 22nd, 2011 at 11:05
I had heard about quince and had seen them on tv and in books but never in ‘real life’ until I saw them in Germany!
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Isn’t quince wonderful? I long for the autumn day and this fruit, too!
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Simone (junglefrog) — October 22nd, 2011 at 11:05
I love quince!
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the combination of colors is so pretty! and how cool to receive all those pans to experiment with
If they are looking for someone in the States, send them my way.
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Simone (junglefrog) — October 25th, 2011 at 13:37
I will!
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Gorgeous photos of your yummy dessert. I’ve been a quince quack for decades. My grandmother had a few trees in the yard. I’ve cooked with some quince that never changed color (no idea why), but from looking at your beautiful wedges, I’d say that if you had poached the fruit about 1/2 hours longer it would have reddened up. A woman in the US wrote a quince cookbook, Simply Quince. I don’t know if you can buy it, but its pretty amazing.
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Simone (junglefrog) — October 25th, 2011 at 16:41
Thanks so much Jane! I also heard there is a new cookbook out here in the Netherlands feating quince and two other fruits that no one really knows about. I think if I had poached them for half an hour longer they would have turned too soft… Or maybe not, I don’t really know but the way they were now was perfect for me. I’m gonna have a look at that book. We can get pretty much all the US books I think..
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