QUINCE
Quince (Cydonia oblonga) is a golden yellow, round fruit that reminds and is actually relative to the apple and the pear, and it is an important fruit in many places on our planet. Nowadays, even though it probably comes from Persia, it is grown all over the world. For obvious reasons then, quince can be grown in colder and warmer climates, although it develops a more wooly rind when the cold strikes it. The quince trees are somewhat shorter than apple trees, about the length of two human beings, and even though they grow nearly everywhere they do not thrive in climates with high humidity.
Quince is filled with seeds, and has a dense flesh with a very fine sweet fragrance, which makes it a nice fruit to use in making home made jams! (Of curiosity, I found out that 'marmelo' is the Portugese word for quince, and the etymology of the word marmalade, a jam, stems from 'marmelo'.) The fruit can be made softer by letting it grow soft on the tree, that is, leave it on the tree for a longer time but before the frost comes. Quince can also be eaten as is, and used for making fruit juices. The immature fruit is green, like apples and pears, the flowers developing in the spring and the mature fruits being harvested in the fall, just like apples.
Quince flesh when raw is not very colored, but it turns red-orange when it is cooked. And cooked it should be, beacuse raw quinces don't really taste as good. It is common to mix quinces with apples, whether it's caramelized apple dessert, or an apple jam or sauce. Quince juice can also be mixed with other fruit juices, providing some fine floral notes. Try making a quince and apple tart tatin and you'll see what it's all about. They can also be cooked on their own, preferably being caramelized; you can also make quince confits to serve with other foods (see below). Other ways to cook this special fruit are baking and broiling, just remember to combine them with some other fruits or other ingredients to improve the overall sensory experience.
So which foods go well with quince? As mentioned, its own relatives - both apples and pears - will be improved by the finer floral tones, and they will also give a nicer color to the dish. Obviously, just like apples, they can be cooked with butter, sugar, cream, lemon, and vanilla. You can also try some more exotic spices like cinnamon, cloves, anise, rose pepper. On top of that it can be fine with a sprinkling of honey, or just some cream. Of the liqueurs, you can try Calvados or Cognac, or Armagnac to enhance the flavor further. As always, don't just add as many ingredients as possible but create as simple dish as possible with the best flavor imaginable. This is what separates good chefs from the bad, at least in my opinion.
To make a nice quince marmalade, get 1 kg/2 lb of quinces and 670 g/22 oz of sugar. Peel, and core the quinces, slice them, and put into a pan and cover with just enough water to have them covered (or barely floating). Then barely simmer them until it all gets into a soft mass (takes a couple of hours or more), and just stir from time to time to keep them from burning. Then take this quince pulp and pass through a sieve, then add the sugar, and put back in a pan and cook until the mass is reduced to a fine quince marmalade. How do you know when it's ready? Drop a little of it onto a cold plate - if the mass becomes jellied then your work is completed, otherwise continue cooking. It make take some time until the good consistency is achieved, but don't give up. Finally, put the quince marmalade into a jar that you have pre-sterilised with boiling water, let it cool, cover with airtight lid, and store in a dark amd dry place, at room temperature, until you open it.