(Mele Cotogne in Giulebbe)
Poached quinces in a clove-and-cinnamon-scented syrup are served at Rosh Hashanah and to break the fast at Yom Kippur. In this version, the quinces are left unpeeled for the preliminary cooking in water, and then peeled and cooked in syrup. InLa cucina livornese,Pia Bedarida recommends peeling the quinces, letting them rest to take on a reddish brown color as they oxidize, and then cooking them in syrup. Other cooks peel the quinces and cook them immediately, but suggest saving the peels and seeds and cooking them along with the sliced quinces. Still another recipe uses wine instead of water.
Ingredients
Makes 6 servings
For the syrup:
Step 1
In a large saucepan, combine the quinces with water to cover. Bring to a boil over high heat and cook, uncovered, until barely tender, 10 to 15 minutes. Drain the quinces and, when cool enough to handle, peel, halve, core, and cut into slices.
To make the syrup:
Step 2
In a saucepan large enough to accommodate the sliced quinces, combine the sugar, 1 cup water, cloves, and cinnamon sticks. Place over medium heat and bring to a simmer, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Add the quinces and additional water if needed to cover. Simmer for 5 minutes. Then, over the course of 12 hours, bring the quince slices to a boil in the syrup 3 times. boiling them for 5 minutes each time. This helps to bring up the rich red color of the fruit and allows them to absorb the syrup over time.
Step 3
Transfer to a serving dish and refrigerate. Serve chilled.
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Reviews (3)
Back to TopThis is a great recipe that evokes very fond memories of my childhood. It's worth noting that Joyce Goldstein's original recipe does not call for rosemary (not sure where that came from), but it certainly works and complements the recipe perfectly.
ydbenno
11/11/2007
I would like to revise my review above. Really, I just had a very mistaken expectation about what this recipe was aiming for. I expected to be able to eat a bowl of this stuff, and it's really more of a preserve-type condiment. I have served it several times with manchego and roasted almonds and it was a BIG favorite with my guests and with my husband. Great flavor. Next winter when I see quinces I will be making it again. I'm giving it 4 forks to counterbalance my premature 2 forks above.
hlaureles
Houston, TX USA
5/6/2006
As a Quince novice, I was skeptical that a pre-boil-then-simmer-for-12-hours recipe sounded like something you would do to a fruit you hated. A matter of mistaken expectations? Like someone who really wanted SYRUP or preserves would love this? It ended up REALLY intense and sweet; mixing it with yogurt for breakfast was still too sweet for me or my 1-year-old. However, I love the flavors of the cinnamon, rosemary, & quince, and the house smelled great. I've had quince-dairy-product desserts in fancy restaurants, and they seemed pear-like but a little more interesting than that. This turned out redder and more flavorful. Next time I would try a different recipe, or decrease the sugar, and save the original water I boil them in. They seemed edible after the first boil; maybe just a little more cooking and skip the syrup idea would make me happy. I'm giving this to friends who run a bed & breakfast so they can think of something creative to do with it.
hlaureles
Houston, TX
11/10/2005
