Poached Quince Balls Recipes

POACHED QUINCE

Steps:

• Place sugar in a small saucepan and add just enough water so that mixture resembles wet sand. Place saucepan over medium-high heat and cook sugar until melted and light golden in color.
• Carefully add brandy and stir in verjus. Wrap star anise and cinnamon in cheesecloth and tie with kitchen twine to enclose; add cheesecloth packet to saucepan. Bring mixture to a boil; immediately reduce to a simmer. Remove cheesecloth packet and let poaching liquid simmer for 20 minutes.
• Place quince in a shallow saucepan. Set a strainer over saucepan and pour poaching liquid over quince. Transfer saucepan to medium heat and cook until liquid is heated through and quince is tender, about 1 minute. Remove from heat; let cool to room temperature.

POACHED QUINCE WITH CRANBERRIES

Steps:

• Combine water, agave nectar, white sugar, and orange juice in a saucepan over medium-high heat and bring to a boil.
• Meanwhile, wash and peel the quince fruits and cut out any dark spots. Add whole quinces to the boiling liquid and reduce heat. Simmer for 10 minutes. Turn quince over 180 degrees and simmer an additional 10 minutes. Add cranberries and simmer until quince are tender to a knife, 10 minutes.
• Serve quince cored or whole with the cranberries and syrup ladled over them. Top with orange zest.

POACHED PEARS WITH QUINCE PASTE IN PARMESAN CLOAKS

Steps:

• Peel pears, leaving stems intact, then core from bottom with melon-ball cutter to create a 2 1/2-inch-deep cavity. Rub pears all over with lemon juice in a large bowl.
• Bring wine, sugar, vanilla bean, and zest to a boil in a wide 6-quart heavy pot (at least 12 inches in diameter) over moderate heat, stirring until sugar is dissolved. Add pears, arranging them on their sides in 1 layer, along with any lemon juice from bowl (pears will not be covered by liquid), then reduce heat to low and poach pears, covered, turning occasionally, until just tender, 15 to 20 minutes. Carefully transfer pears with a slotted spoon to a 13- by 9-inch baking dish, standing pears upright and reserving liquid in pot.
• When pears are cool enough to handle, fill cavities with quince paste and stand pears upright in dish again.
• Boil liquid in pot over high heat until syrupy and reduced to about 3/4 cup, 10 to 15 minutes. Pour syrup over pears and cool, basting occasionally with syrup. Chill, covered, basting occasionally with syrup, until cold, at least 2 hours.
• Drizzle each pear lightly with syrup and slip a parmesan cloak over stem. Serve with cheese shavings on the side.

POACHED QUINCE BALLS

Steps:

• In a medium saucepan bring sugar, star anise, cinnamon, and 4 cups water to a boil over medium-high heat.
• Meanwhile, using a 1/2-inch melon baller, scoop out 12 balls of quince.
• Add quince to liquid and reduce to a simmer. Cook until quince is tender, about 3 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool completely in liquid. Store quince in poaching liquid in an airtight container, refrigerated, until ready to use.

QUINCE POACHED IN CARDAMOM SYRUP

Steps:

• Peel quinces, then quarter and core. Cover with water in a bowl (to prevent discoloration).
• Bring water, sugar, citrus slices, and cardamom pods to a simmer in a small pot, stirring until sugar has dissolved.
• Cut quince quarters into 1/4-inch-thick wedges and add to syrup. Return to a simmer and cover quince with a round of parchment paper. Simmer until quince is just tender, about 45 minutes. Discard citrus slices. Cool quince in syrup to room temperature, about 1 hour (color will deepen). Discard cardamom pods.