Fall has come and gone and we’re in the hustle and bustle of the holidays. The garden has been put to bed for some time now, although the nasturtiums are still thriving and I’ll be a little sad to see our first frost. I’ve brought inside many of the scented pelargoniums as it would pain my heart to see them go and there’s something special about having them inside throughout the winter.

The last beautiful specimens from my garden are the vibrant quince. They are such a gift at the end of the year. In the Spring the quince tree is the first to leaf out, its tender lambswool leaves the color of sage, soft and fuzzy, followed by pale pink blossoms so delicate they stir in a flurry with the wind. Throughout the summer months the tree canopy offers shade from the morning sun allowing coffee to be enjoyed alfresco with a good book and evenings with a glass of wine, the best of friends and labradoodles at our feet. During the Summer months the tree is dotted with baby quince as we wait in anticipation for a Fall/Winter harvest.

This tree is not only bountiful in its offerings I would say we have a gluttony of fruit! Hence the recipe following will be one of the many ways to utilize all the quince. First step is to call all your friends who might be interested in taking some quince off your hands, if they say yes, you give them way more than they were asking for ( ha! I’m actually not kidding ). Once I’ve checked that off my list I go down the rabbit hole in quince recipes, jam, membrillo, tarte titan and thrown into a winter roast or two. If you looking for a for a recipe for an unusual not so popular fruit this is so impossibly easy, it can be incorporated into many delicious dishes, plus your house will smell like the holidays.

Lx

Adapted from Olive

Spiced Roasted Quince with Pecan Crumble

Ingredients

4 quince

1 l fresh lemon squeezed

4 oz honey

4 oz brown sugar

3 star anise

3 whole cloves

1 cinnamon stick

Greek yogurt to serve

Crumble

1/3 c all purpose flour

1/4 cup butter

1/4 chopped pecans

3 Tbs brown sugar

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350°. Throughly scrub quince then quarter each one. Toss quince in lemon juice to prevent discoloration. Place quince quarters flesh-side down in a baking dish that will allow the quince to fit snuggly.

Place honey, sugar, spices and 12 oz of water in a sauce pan. Stir to combine, gently heating to a simmer for roughly 5 minutes.

Pour warm syrup over quince and cover with foil. Bake for 1 1/2 hours until quince is tender and a pink color.

Line a small baking tray with parchment. Make the crumble by combining flour and butter into a bowl. Using your hands or a pastry blender mix the flour and butter together until they form a crumble. Stir in sugar, pecans and a pinch of salt. You can squeeze pastry with your finger tips to help form crumble pieces. Place on baking tray.

Remove foil from baking dish and flip quince to flesh-side up, spoon over syrup and place back in the oven uncovered. Place crumble on a separate baking rack. Bake for 20 minutes or until your crumble is golden. At this point the quince should be a deep rosy red color, if not continue to bake an additional 10 minutes.

To serve, place 2-3 quince quarters on a plate. Spoon over some creamy yogurt and sprinkle with the crumble. Drizzle extra syrup over the entire dish.