Quinces

Some weeks ago I got a basket full of quinces that I was really looking forward to cook with. I’m quite new to this fruit, in fact I’ve only cooked with it once before (last year, when I made this delicious quince jelly) and I can say I totally loved it! What a special, beautiful, aromatic fruit!

After making the above mentioned preserve, my wish was to try some  spiced quince compote. So I opted for cinnamon, cloves and green cardamom to enhance the gentle quince aroma and I cooked the fruit slices with the skin on and with a couple of lemon wedges. Apart from eating the compote on its own, I’ve also used it in 2 desserts so far.

I like to make desserts eaten from a glass. They allow for endless combination of ingredients, plus they make a very grateful dessert to prepare (specially, if you’re hosting a dinner or a party and don’t want to get stressed in the last moment – as they can be prepared in advance).

A dessert in a glass tastes best if made up of layers of various ingredients. This kind of a dessert (it can be also savory) is known by its French name, “verrine” (verre meaning “glass” in French). My favorite verrine consists of a creamy layer (cottage cheese, yogurt, ricotta, whipped cream – you name it) and sliced fruit layer, usually blanched or cooked (compote).
Today I’d like to share these two verrine recipes I’ve made recently with quince compote. Once uses milk rice as a base layer, and the other uses home made cookie. I hope you’ll like them.

MILK RICE WITH PASTRY CREAM AND QUINCES
(serves 2 hungry people)

100g rice (arborio or similar)
300ml (full fat) milk
1 cinnamon stick
peel of 1 lemon
4 Tbsp blond cane sugar
approx. 200ml pastry cream (see this recipe)
cooked quince slices

1. Cook the rice in milk with the addition of cinnamon stick and lemon peel. Once cooked, mix in the sugar and set aside to let cool. Discard the cinnamon stick and lemon peel when cool.
2. Choose 2 bigger serving glasses (or 4 smaller, if you wish). To make the verrines, let’s start with the bottom layer: a spoonful of milk rice. Add some quince slices and cover them with some pastry cream. Then again, milk rice, quince and pastry cream. Finish with quince slices and place the verrines in the fridge to chill through for a couple of hours. You can also serve them at room temperature.

Note: In this recipe I used the leftover pastry cream from this apple pie making. And yes, you guessed right: the dessert is pretty filling. 

PINK RICOTTA AND QUINCE WITH CRUMBLED COOKIES
(serves 2)

crumbled cookies (I used 2 home made polvorón)
cooked quince slices
250g ricotta cheese
1 cup frozen red currants (or fresh, when in season)
juice of 1 small lemon
4 Tbsp blond cane sugar
1-2 tsp agar agar (powdered)

1. Heat the red currants with a couple tablespoons of water and with lemon juice. Add sugar and stir to dissolve. Press the currants through a fine sieve and stir agar agar into the obtained liquid.
2. Slowly heat the red currant “juice” with agar agar and let simmer for a couple of minutes – the juice will thicken.
3. Place the ricotta into a bowl and mash with a fork a little. Then add it to the thick red currant juice and stir through.
4. At the bottom of 2 chosen glasses, first add some crumbled cookies/polvorón. Here you can use some liquid from your quince compote, to moisten the cookies a bit of you wish. Add some quince slices and cover with pink ricotta. Decorate the top of verrines with some crumbled cookies and chill the desserts in the fridge for a couple of hours before serving.