It’s quince time of year, which makes me want to skip with delight. Buy them from a good grocer or Middle Eastern shop, or, if you’re very lucky, pluck them straight off a tree. Then, when you have time, set aside half a day over the weekend to make quince paste, a jam-like form of membrillo (the recipe I use is based on an old Jane Grigson one): it keeps for at least a year, and it’s delicious with cheese, roast lamb, stuffed inside poultry and game, or for lending a sweet note to Persian-inspired dishes. Raw, this fruit seems tough and uncompromising, but once poached or roasted, the hard flesh softens and sweetens, goes a blushing deep pink and gives off a bewitching, floral scent. You can also use quinces in more everyday recipes, much as you would apples or pears.
Roast chicken thighs with roast quince, barley and chickpea salad
The fruit caramelises while roasting, which adds sweetness and contrast to this nutty, chewy salad with its crispy, sticky chicken bits. Serves six.
8 free-range chicken thighs
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
90ml extra-virgin olive oil
Zest of 1 lemon
1 large bunch fresh oregano (or thyme), leaves picked
8 large garlic cloves, unpeeled
2 medium quince (about 400g), peeled, quartered and cored
200g pearl barley, rinsed in cold water
400g tinned chickpeas (I use the Napolina brand)
1 handful fresh chives, finely chopped
½ clove garlic, peeled and crushed
20ml white-wine vinegar
30ml buttermilk (or natural yoghurt)
1 tbsp sumac
100g rocket, washed and dried
Heat the oven to 200C/390F/gas mark 6. Put the chicken thighs in a roasting tin into which they fit relatively snugly, rub with generous amounts of salt and pepper and a tablespoon of olive oil. Grate over the lemon zest, scatter with half the oregano and tuck the garlic cloves here and there.
Cut the quince quarters in half, to make slender wedges, and put these in a separate roasting tin. Season generously, then toss with two tablespoons of oil, a few tablespoons of water and the rest of the oregano. Roast the chicken and quince in the same oven for 45 minutes, until the chicken skin is crisp and the quince is caramelised and tender (quince cooking times vary: if they need longer, pop them back in and let the chicken rest in a warm spot).
Meanwhile, cook the pearl barley in lots of salted, boiling water for 30-35 minutes, until tender, adding the drained and rinsed chickpeas for the last five minutes. Drain the barley and chickpeas, tip back into the pan, season and toss with the remaining oil, and the chives, crushed garlic, vinegar, buttermilk and sumac; the barley, especially, will absorb the flavours as it cools.
To serve, toss the rocket through the warm salad and put on a large platter. Top with the pieces of chicken and quince, drizzle over the cooking juices and take to the table.
Hazelnut and brown sugar meringue with poached quince
If you poach the quince a day ahead and leave them in their liquid overnight, the colour will deepen to a deep, fleshy pink. Serves eight to 10.
For the meringue
100g blanched hazelnuts
4 medium egg whites
250g demerara sugar
For the quince
1 unwaxed lemon, washed
75g honey
100g demerara sugar
1 star anise
3 bay leaves
2 quince, peeled, quartered and cored
50ml brandy (optional)
450ml double cream
Heat the oven to 180C/350F/gas mark 4. Spread the hazelnuts on an oven tray and toast for eight to 10 minutes until golden brown. Leave to cool, then roughly chop.
Turn down the oven to 130C/260F/gas mark ½. Line a large baking tray with greased greaseproof paper. Put the egg whites in a large, spotlessly clean bowl and whisk to stiff peaks. Gradually beat in the sugar a tablespoon at a time, until thick and glossy, then gently fold in all the hazelnuts bar a small handful. Spread out the meringue in a large circle on the greased paper and bake for 75 minutes, until the surface is just firm, then turn off the oven and leave in the oven to cool.
Meanwhile, peel the lemon (take care not to cut off any white pith with the zest). Put 750ml water in a large, deep pan, add the honey, sugar, spices, lemon peel and the juice of half the lemon, and bring to a boil.
Cut the quince quarters in half lengthways and add to the pan. Turn down the heat to a simmer and cover the quince with a circle of greaseproof paper with a small hole poked into its centre (to let steam escape), that fits snugly inside the pot. Cover the pan with a lid and leave to simmer for 45 minutes to an hour, until the fruit is tender, then transfer to a bowl. Pour the brandy, if using, into the liquid in the pan, turn the heat right up and leave to bubble fairly briskly until reduced to a lovely, sticky syrup. Taste, add a little lemon juice if the flavours need brightening, then pour over the quince and leave to cool.
To serve, softly whip the cream until it just holds its shape, then spoon over the meringue. Arrange the quince pieces on top, drizzle with syrup, sprinkle the reserved hazelnuts on top and serve. (Alternatively, smash up the meringue, mix with all the other ingredients and serve in bowls for an autumnal take on Eton mess.)
And for the rest of the week…
Use any excess buttermilk to make a wholemeal Irish soda bread, the fastest bread recipe I know, and one of the tastiest. You could also dice the quince before roasting, then toss it with toasted pumpkin seeds for a lovely vegetarian salad, or fry slices of quince in butter and sugar, and add to a tagine. Poached quince (or apples or pears) is also gorgeous with yoghurt, or with custard made with the egg yolks left over from the meringues.
