I will refrain from posting too many thoughts about the book in this post; I'll reserve that for my real post for this month's #thebookclubcookbookCC. But I will share this recipe and that the inspiration for it comes from Three Junes by Julia Glass*. It's our assigned book for October. You can view hostess Wendy's invitation: here.
As Fenno writes about the table at his dad's memorial, he describes: "After the sweet earthy tajine and tart green salad, the peaches in their purple liqueur are served.... The peaches look...like tastings of a sunset."
That imagery stuck with me. Tastings of a sunset. So vivid and so pretty!
When I saw quince at the market this week, I couldn't resist creating my own 'tastings of a sunset' - but with quince instead of peaches. Summer stone fruit are all but gone in my part of the country. But quince? Its short season is just beginning and it has always reminded me of sunset!
Quince are golden-hued till you cook them. Then they take on unique shades of pink, orange, and rose. They are beautiful and I love them. Many people have commented that they don't know what a quince is or they haven't ever had a quince. If you're unfamiliar, here's a piece I wrote for Edible Monterey Bay last August: Queen of Quince Takes Her Show on the Road.
I had planned to serve the poached quince for dessert with a dollop of whipped cream. But we didn't eat dessert last night. So, I skipped the liqueur, opting to do the final poaching in tea. Then I spooned some cinnamon-scented yogurt over the top and crumbled some of my flopped candy cap mushroom macarons. Delicious.
Ingredients serves 2
- 2 quince
- 1/2 C liquid for the final poaching (you can use wine, liqueur, tea, or juice)
- 3 T honey or maple syrup, divided
- 1 C plain yogurt
- dash of ground cinnamon
- cookie crumbles or granola (I crumbled up some of my flopped candy cap mushroom macarons)
Procedure
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Wash the quinces to remove their downy coat. Pat them dry and place them in a baking dish . Bake for one or two hours - baking time will depend on the size of the quince - until they're soft to the touch. Mine took about 90 minutes. Allow to cool.Slice the quince in half and cut out the core and the stem. Place the quince in a large, flat bottom pan with your poaching liquid and 2 T of honey or maple syrup. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer. Cover and let simmer for 15 to 20 minutes. Every five minutes, or so, spoon some of the liquid on top of the quince so that it doesn't get too dry.
Mix yogurt and 1 T of honey or maple syrup with a dash of cinnamon. Set aside.
To serve, place your poached quince in a serving bowl. Drizzle it with your poaching liquid and top with yogurt. Crumble some cookies over the top or use granola. The crunch is a nice texture contrast from the soft quince and creamy yogurt.
What do you think? Does it look like a sunset?
How would you create a dish that tastes like a sunset?
Giveaway
This month Wendy at A Day in the Life on the Farm, this month's host, is giving away a copy of the book.* Enter to win a copy of the cookbook so you can join us in future months, if you wish!
One of our lucky readers - US and Canada only! - can enter to win a copy ofThe Book Club Cookbook, Revised Edition: Recipes and Food for Thought from Your Book Club's Favorite Books and Authors by Judy Gelman and Vicki Levy Krupp, courtesy of Tarcher-Penguin. Giveaway runs from October 1st till October 31st at 4 o'clock PM, Pacific time. Please see terms and conditions in the rafflecopter widget below. Many thanks to Tarcher Books. You may find Tarcher: on the web, on Facebook, on Twitter, and on Pinterest.
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*Disclosure: Wendy received a complimentary copy of The Book Club Cookbook, Revised Edition: Recipes and Food for Thought from Your Book Club's Favorite Books and Authors by Judy Gelman and Vicki Levy Krupp as an opportunity to give a copy away. Opinions are our own. We received no further compensation for our posts.
*Disclosure: Wendy received a complimentary copy of The Book Club Cookbook, Revised Edition: Recipes and Food for Thought from Your Book Club's Favorite Books and Authors by Judy Gelman and Vicki Levy Krupp as an opportunity to give a copy away. Opinions are our own. We received no further compensation for our posts.
*This blog currently has a partnership with Amazon.com in their affiliate program, which gives me a small percentage of sales if you buy a product through a link on my blog. If you are uncomfortable with this, feel free to go directly to Amazon.com and search for the item of your choice.
Some in the North Carolina mountains.
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