The scents of a season
Two months into Autumn and I’m finally getting a sense of the season we’re in. Chestnuts are in the shops, along with fuzzy yellow quinces, mandarins and gorgeous ripe persimmons. It strikes me that chestnuts and quinces in particular are two things that require a bit of work before they bridge that gap between why-bother and food-nirvana. I couldn’t resist combining the two in a dessert for friends recently, and know just how laborious it is to cook with them.
Prior to being taught more about quinces, I’d only ever thought of them as the sugary rubbery stuff usually served with cheese. Now every year, I cook them slowly in a not overly sugary syrup, and store them in jars, to be folded into steamed puddings, ice-cream or baked as tarts. When the last bit of cooked fruit has been scooped from the jar, the remaining liquid is then used to soak a sponge, make a custard (Eliza Acton’s recipe for quince custard uses the poaching liquid, egg yolks and not much else. No dairy!) or even reduced to glaze a ham. If you don’t have the patience or the dessert gene, try the lamb and quince tagine from Alice Waters’ Chez Panisse Fruit instead. The fragrant fruit makes such a statement even in that simple savoury dish.
Today, I really wanted cake, so I made one based on a recipe by Claudia Fleming in her book, The Last Course. This cake is somewhat like an over-sized financier, and has a tight crumb with a deep caramel-like flavour of brown butter. You could serve it with cream or ice-cream, but really I think it’s perfect with just a simple cup of tea.
Quince brown butter cake :
115g butter, browned, strained and kept warm
120g icing sugar
130g buckwheat flour
pinch of sea salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon ground long pepper (if you don’t have this, use a spice of your choice)
1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
150g egg whites
finely grated zest of 1 mandarin
1 large slow-cooked quince, sliced
Grease and line the base of a 7.5″ round pie tin. (see note below)
Preheat the oven to 190’C.
Combine the icing sugar, flour, baking powder, salt, spices and zest in a bowl. Whisk in the eggs whites thoroughly, then gradually whisk in the warm brown butter. Pour the mix into the prepared tin. Top with slices of quince. Bake in the oven for about 30 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the cake comes out clean. Once cooked, allow to cool on a wire rack. Brush the cake with some of the quince cooking liquid, and just before serving, dust the top with a little icing sugar.
[To cook quinces : Wash and peel the quinces, cut in half and place them into a pot with a solution of 3 water : 1 sugar. Add sliced lemon, 1 cinnamon stick, a few crushed cardamom pods, and a split vanilla bean if you wish, and bring to a boil. Once it comes to a boil, turn the heat down, place a cartouche (circle of baking paper) over the quinces and continue to cook on very low heat for several hours until the fruit is completely cooked through and have turned a deep ruby colour.]
[Note about baking tin : I used an unusual sized tin for this cake. You can use a larger one or bake individual cakes, and adjust the baking time accordingly.]
Tags: brown butter, buckwheat, cake, gluten free, quince, spices
Rosa said,
May 16, 2013 @ 3:41 pm
Quinces are wonderfully fragrant and this cake looks incredibly good!
Cheers,
Rosa
Asha@FSK said,
May 17, 2013 @ 2:12 am
I’ll attest to the knottiness of quince as well. For some reason a couple of years ago, I decided to make membrillo at home. Not the best recipe to start with, I realised for a fruit that is very difficult to make across that bridge you mention :). I gave up on the fruit since. But, I do like your idea of slow poaching the fruit and using it over time!!! well.. I think I’ll give it another try this year 🙂
Hannah said,
May 17, 2013 @ 6:53 am
Ohhhh, I was so hoping you’d be giving a chestnut dessert here! Chestnut desserts are possibly my absolute favourite flavour of dessert.
I grew up with every Autumn signalling a surfeit of poached/baked quince and quince crumble, so I should send this recipe to my quince-lovin’ parents 🙂
Amanda said,
May 17, 2013 @ 1:31 pm
Thanks for this. I have 3 quinces in my fridge and wanted to use them in a less sugar intensive way than jam or paste. I will try the slow poaching/bottled method.
GourmetGetaways said,
May 17, 2013 @ 5:23 pm
I have never actually cooked quinces myself but you have inspired me with this recipe… I would love to have a supply poach and ready for use in the fridge.
Lisa the Gourmet Wog said,
May 17, 2013 @ 7:12 pm
I adore Quince, it’s one of those fruits that you don’t often see people make because it’s deemed ‘too hard’ but when it’s done right, its fabulous. Your cake looks awesome!
Anna said,
May 18, 2013 @ 11:45 pm
As excited as I am to be playing with rhubarb, strawberries and apricots again, I always want quince!!! So pretty. And definitely worth it.
e / dig in hobart said,
May 21, 2013 @ 2:02 pm
what a stunning combination of flavours! i too adore quinces. mum and i pressure cooked some recently, to use the fruit for baking, desserts, or just having on muesli. i must say, having quince syrup on your breakfast porridge makes a decadent start to the day.
Y said,
May 21, 2013 @ 2:08 pm
e / dig in hobart : Funny you should mention that, I was just wondering what pressure cooked quinces were like, having recently acquired the appliance.