Tender Poached Quince (Stovetop or Oven)

In this beginner's guide to quince, I'll show you how to poach quinces in the oven or on the stovetop using sugar, water, and your choice of flavorings such as lemon, vanilla, and spices (cinnamon, ginger, and/or cardamom).

My foolproof methods make quince tender, rosy, and versatile for using in a variety of baked goods, such as gluten-free quince cake and gluten-free quince and apple pie.

I first learned how to poach quinces when I worked as a pastry cook at a fancy catering company. We would cut them into precise cubes to serve alongside elegant plated desserts, and I fell in love with their floral, beguiling flavor.

Since then, I've been blessed with many quinces from my mother-in-law's tree, and I've perfected two different cooking cooking methods to coax out their magical flavor and bright pink color.

Quinces aren't very well-known today in the US, but I love them so much that I want to bring awareness to this delicious and undervalued fruit! So I'm showing you two ways to prepare quince for desserts and pastries, plus lots of ways to use them.

What the heck is a quince?

Quinces are an old-school fruit belonging to the same family as pears and apples. Quince trees grow in many parts of the world including North America, the UK, Asia, the Middle East, and the Mediterranean.

How to Use Quince

You may have already tasted quince in membrillo, a Spanish fruit paste commonly eaten with manchego.

Whatever you do, don't bite into a raw quince! They may look like an apple crossed with a knobby pear, but unlike other fruits from the pome family, quince must be cooked to be enjoyed, otherwise they taste purely tannic and astringent.

But when slowly roasted or poached, their beige flesh softens and turns blush pink. Sugar draws out their sweet, floral flavor that tastes like an apple or pear crossed with roses and tropical fruits. The texture is similar to a poached pear – meltingly tender, slightly translucent, yet firm enough to stay in tact when sliced.

Here are my favorite ways to use cooked quince:

• Serve them for a simple dessert with a drizzle of reduced poaching liquid and a dollop of whipped mascarpone
• Bake them into apple quince pie or apple quince turnovers
• Dice them and bake them into gluten-free scones
• Serve them with almond flour crepes or protein oatmeal for breakfast
• Enjoy them with yogurt and homemade cinnamon-orange granola
• Bake them into a gluten-free quince upside-down cake or use them to fill a gluten-free sponge cake
• Use extra poaching syrup in a drink or cocktail with fizzy water and a squeeze of lemon or lime

Ingredients

These quinces are cooked with 4 main ingredients, plus some optional flavorings.

• Quinces (obviously!) - these can be green or yellow, round or oblong. Look for quince growing on trees in the fall, at farmers markets, or at well-stocked grocers
• Sugar adds sweetness, taming quince's astringent flavor and letting its delicate flavors shine. Feel free to experiment with other sweeteners such as maple syrup or honey. Coconut sugar will have a deeper flavor and darker color.
• Water is an important cooking ingredient, keeping the fruit moist and soft as it cooks.
• White wine (optional) added to the poaching liquid adds a bit of acidity and depth. I've used dessert wine such as sauterne as well as dry white wine such as sauvignon blanc. If you don't have wine on hand, use use more water and the poached quince will still be sublime.
• Lemon zest and juice add brightness.
• Spices add flavor: cinnamon sticks, vanilla bean, cardamom pods, fresh ginger slices (or any combination you like) are all lovely here. I've shared my favorite combination in the recipe card below, but feel free to play around. You could also add a few cloves, allspice berries, or a star anise pod if you like.

Method

Here I'm sharing two foolproof methods for cooking quince: poaching on the stovetop, or roasting submerged in liquid in the oven.

Cooking liquid

Both methods start by making a flavorful, lightly sweetened liquid with water, wine (or more water), sugar, lemon, and flavorings such as vanilla, cinnamon, cardamom, and/or ginger.

Prepare the quince

I find it easiest to peel the quince first, but leave the seeds in while they cook. Once the quince are soft, it's easy to scoop out and discard the seeds. Plus they add flavor and body to the poaching liquid.

For cooking on the stovetop, leave the quinces cut in half.

Stovetop method

Add the halved quince to the poaching liquid, cover with a plate of piece of parchment to keep them submerged, partially cover the pot, and simmer until the quince are tender, about an hour and a half.

Oven method

For cooking in the oven, cut the quince into 3/4-inch thick slices, remove the cores and seeds, and lay them in a baking dish. Pour the boiling liquid over the sliced quinces, and bake at 375ºF for about 2 hours until they're pink and tender.

Storage

Uncooked: store raw quinces on your countertop at room temperature for up to 2 weeks, or refrigerate for up to 1 month.

Cooked: store cooked quinces refrigerated and covered in their cooking liquid for up to 2 weeks. Or freeze for up to several months.

Bojon appétit! For more Bojon Gourmet in your life, follow along on Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, or Pinterest, purchase my award-winning gluten-free baking cookbook Alternative Baker, or subscribe to receive new posts via email. And if you make this poached quince recipe, I’d love to know. Leave a comment and rating below, and tag your Instagram snaps @The_Bojon_Gourmet and #bojongourmet.

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Tender Poached Quince (Stovetop or Oven)

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In this beginner's guide I'll show you how to poach quinces using the stovetop or oven. All you need are sugar, water, and some optional flavorings (lemon, vanilla, and/or spices).

Alanna Taylor-Tobin

Prep Time: 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 2 hours hours

Total: 2 hours hours 20 minutes minutes

Servings: 2 quarts

Ingredients

• ½ large lemon (Meyer or regular)
• 3-6 cups water, as needed
• 1 cup (350 ml) sweet or dry white wine (or more water)
• 1 ¼ cups (250 g) granulated sugar
• 6 large quince (about 2 ¾ pound or 1 ¼ kg)

Flavorings (optional; any or all)

• 1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise and scraped
• 2 (3-inch) cinnamon sticks
• 6 green cardamom pods, gently crushed
• 5 coins of ginger sliced ¼-inch thick

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

Instructions

Stovetop method

• Use a vegetable peeler (T-shaped works best) to pare away the lemon peel and place in a large soup pot or dutch oven. Juice the lemon into the pot as well.
• Add the wine (if using), sugar, vanilla bean and scrapings, cinnamon, cardamom, and ginger along with 6 cups of water. Bring the liquid to a boil while you prepare the quinces.
• Use a T-shaped vegetable peeler to pare away the skin of a quince. Cut the quince in half, leaving
the seeds in for now, and add it to the pot. Continue with the remaining quinces.
• Place a small, heatproof plate (or round of parchment paper cut to fit) over the quinces to keep them submerged, cover partially with the lid of the pot, and adjust the heat to keep the liquid at a simmer.
• Cook until the quinces are rosy and tender, but still holding a shape, 1 to 1 ½ hours, adding more water as needed to keep the quinces submerged.
• When done, let the quinces cool in their juices. Cut the cores, stems and blossoms from the quinces when you're ready to use them.

Oven method

• Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 375ºF.
• Use a vegetable peeler (T-shaped works best) to pare away the lemon peel and place in a large soup pot or dutch oven. Juice the lemon into the pot as well.
• Add the wine (if using), sugar, vanilla bean and scrapings, cinnamon, cardamom, and ginger along with 3 cups of water. Bring the liquid to a boil while you prepare the quinces.
• Use a T-shaped vegetable peeler to pare away the skin of a quince. Cut the quince into ¾-inch thick wedges and cut away the seeds and cores. Add them to a baking dish such as a gratin dish or lasagna pan.
• Pour the boiling syrup and spices over the quinces.
• Bake, uncovered, for about 2 hours, turning the slices over in their juices every 30 minutes (and more frequently during the end of the cooking time).
• When done, the quinces should be tender and rosy, and somewhat translucent. Remove the baking dish from the oven and cool in the their juices.

Storage

• Gently pack into jars, cover with their poaching liquid (adding extra water if need be) and store, refrigerated airtight, for up to 2 weeks. Or freeze for several months.

Notes

See the post above for some favorite uses for quinces!

Making this? I'd love to see!Tag your snaps @The_Bojon_Gourmet and #bojongourmet!