Spiced Quince and Apple Sauce

If you happen to see bumpy yellow quinces in the fall at your supermarket or farmer's market, snatch them up; they make a wonderfully fragrant addition to plain old applesauce, and turn it a beautiful tawny-pink color. Vanilla bean and star anise lend even more complexity.

• 2 medium quinces, peeled, quartered, and cored
• 1/4 cup sugar, plus more to taste
• 4 large sweet apples, such as Jonagold, peeled, quartered, and cored
• One 3-inch cinnamon stick
• 1/2 vanilla bean, split
• 1/2 star anise

Put the quinces, 1/4 cup sugar, and 1 cup water in a heavy medium saucepan. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer, covered, stirring occasionally, until the quinces turn pink and are beginning to soften, about an hour.

Add the apples, cinnamon stick, vanilla bean, and star anise to the pan and continue simmering, covered and stirring occasionally, for another 45 minutes, or until all the fruit is very tender. Taste for sweetness and add a bit more sugar if needed.

Remove from the heat and let cool, then fish out the spices and discard. Mash with a potato masher or put through a food mill using  a medium disk. Serve slightly warm or cold.

Poached Quince Salad

Salty ham, buttery cheese, and rich almonds play up the delicate sweetness of the honey-poached quinces in this sweet-savory salad. For the best results, use Marcona almonds, which are fried salted almonds imported from Spain.

For the poached quinces

• 1 lb. quinces (about 2 medium)
• 2 T bs. honey
• 2 strips lemon zest (each 1/2 x 2 inches)

For the salad

• 4 cups mâche or baby arugula
• 4 oz. thinly sliced Serrano ham or prosciutto,cut into 1/4-inch-wide ribbons
• 2 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1/3 cup coarsely chopped toasted, salted almonds
• 1 to 2 oz. firm, mild-flavored cheese,such as Manchego or Asiago, shaved into small pieces (using a vegetable peeler)
• 4 tsp. balsamic vinegar, preferably aged 12 to 25 years

Make the poached quinces

Peel, quarter, and core each quince. Put the quinces, honey, and lemon zest in a 3-quart saucepan. Add enough water to cover the quinces by 1 inch (about 1-1/2 quarts). Bring to a boil over mediumhigh heat. Put a plate or a lid that’s smaller than the saucepan on the quinces to submerge them. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook until the quinces are tender when pierced with a knife, about 45 minutes. Let them cool in the cooking liquid.

Assemble the salads

Toss the mâche or arugula, ham, and olive oil in a large bowl. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Divide the salad evenly among 4 plates. Slice the quinces and arrange on each plate. Sprinkle the almonds and cheese on top. Drizzle each salad with 1 tsp. of the balsamic vinegar.

Quince Paste

In Spain, slices of this sweet, fragrant paste, called membrillo, are served atop wedges of rich Manchego cheese as an hors d’oeuvre. Try it with goat cheese as well—or just put it out for breakfast in place of jam.

• 2 lb. quinces (about 4 medium), peeled, cored, and chopped into 3/4-inch pieces
• 1/2 vanilla bean, split, seeds scraped out
• 2 strips lemon zest (each 1/2 x 2 inches)
• 2 cups granulated sugar; more or less as needed
• 2 T bs. fresh lemon juice
• 1 T bs. unsalted butter, softened

Put the quinces, vanilla bean pod and seeds, and lemon zest in a 4-quart saucepan and cover with water. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat to a simmer, cover, and cook until the quinces are tender when poked with a knife, about 40 minutes.

Drain the quinces in a colander and discard the vanilla bean. Purée the fruit and lemon zest in a food processor. Measure the purée by volume, return it to the saucepan, and add an equal volume of sugar. (For example, if you have 2 cups of purée, add 2 cups of sugar.)

Cook over medium-low heat, stirring with a wooden spoon until the sugar has dissolved, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the lemon juice and reduce the heat to low. Continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until the purée becomes a very thick paste, about 1-1/2 hours.

Meanwhile, position a rack in the center of the oven and heat the oven to 125°F. If your oven doesn’t go this low, use the lowest temperature possible and expect a shorter cooking time. Line an 8x8-inch glass or ceramic baking dish with parchment and grease with the butter. Pour the quince paste (don’t scrape the pot) into the dish and smooth the top with the wooden spoon. Bake until slightly dried and firm enough to slice, about 1 hour.

Remove from the oven and let cool to room temperature. Invert onto a cutting board and cut the quince paste into four 2-inch-wide strips. Wrap each strip in plastic wrap and refrigerate.

Upside-Down Quince and Honey Spice Cake

Poached quinces turn a beautiful rosy color, which make a stunning top to the cake when arranged in concentric circles.

For the poached quinces:

• 3 medium to large fresh quinces
• 1 bottle (750 ml) dry white wine
• 3-1/2 cups granulated sugar
• 2 3-inch strips fresh orange zest (use a vegetable peeler and avoid the white pith)

For the cake:

• Nonstick cooking spray
• 8-1/2 oz. (1-3/4 cups plus 2 Tbs.) unbleached, all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
• ¾ tsp. baking powder
• ½ tsp. baking soda
• ½ tsp. table salt
• ½ tsp. ground nutmeg
• ¼ tsp. ground cloves
• 2 oz. (½ cup) almond flour
• 5 oz. (10 Tbs.) unsalted butter, softened
• 2/3 cup packed dark brown sugar
• 1/2 cup honey
• 3 large eggs
• 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
• Unsweetened whipped cream, for serving (optional)

Poach the quinces:

Peel the quinces, trim the ends, and cut them in half from stem to base, leaving the cores intact. Place the quince halves in a 4-quart saucepan and add the entire bottle of white wine, the granulated sugar and the orange zest. Bring to a boil over medium heat, and then lower the heat to a bare simmer. Weight the quinces down with a small plate to submerge them in the liquid and poach until pink and tender, 50 to 60 minutes. Cool the quinces to in the syrup. Transfer the quinces and syrup to a container and refrigerate overnight.

Make the cake:

Position a rack in the center of the oven and heat the oven to 350ºF. Coat a 10-inch round cake pan with the cooking spray, line the bottom of the pan with parchment paper, and lightly coat the paper.

Using a sharp knife, halve each quince and run the knife under the cores to remove them. Cut the quinces into 1/8th-inch-thick slices. Arrange the slices in slightly overlapping concentric circles in the the prepared cake pan until the bottom of the pan is covered. (You may have some slices of quince leftover to enjoy with cheese or add to applesauce).  Pour 3/4 cup of the poaching syrup over the quinces, reserving the rest.

Sift the flour, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, salt, nutmeg, and cloves into a medium bowl. Whisk in the almond flour and set aside. In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter, dark brown sugar, and honey on medium speed until creamy smooth and light, 2 to 3 minutes. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, scraping down the sides of the bowl after each addition. Beat in the vanilla extract.

Mix in the dry ingredients on low speed to combine them, then turn the speed to medium and beat the batter until smooth, thick and emulsified, stopping once to scrape down the sides of the bowl, about 1 minute. Spoon the batter over the quinces in the pan, and with an offset spatula, gently and evenly spread it to the sides of the pan, smoothing the surface.

Bake the cake, rotating it 180 degrees after 20 minutes to ensure even browning, until it springs back lightly when touched, and a tester inserted in the center comes out clean, about 40 minutes. Cool the cake in the pan on a rack for 15 to 20 minutes. While still warm, run a knife around the sides of the cake and invert the cake gently onto the rack to cool completely. If any slices of quince break or are dislodged, gently place them back on the cake with a butter knife.

Before serving the cake, brush the surface of the quince with some of the leftover poaching syrup. Serve the cake with dollops of the unsweetened whipped cream (if using).

Spiced Quince and Apple Sauce

If you happen to see bumpy yellow quinces in the fall at your supermarket or farmer's market, snatch them up; they make a wonderfully fragrant addition to plain old applesauce, and turn it a beautiful tawny-pink color. Vanilla bean and star anise lend even more complexity.

• 2 medium quinces, peeled, quartered, and cored
• 1/4 cup sugar, plus more to taste
• 4 large sweet apples, such as Jonagold, peeled, quartered, and cored
• One 3-inch cinnamon stick
• 1/2 vanilla bean, split
• 1/2 star anise

Put the quinces, 1/4 cup sugar, and 1 cup water in a heavy medium saucepan. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer, covered, stirring occasionally, until the quinces turn pink and are beginning to soften, about an hour.

Add the apples, cinnamon stick, vanilla bean, and star anise to the pan and continue simmering, covered and stirring occasionally, for another 45 minutes, or until all the fruit is very tender. Taste for sweetness and add a bit more sugar if needed.

Remove from the heat and let cool, then fish out the spices and discard. Mash with a potato masher or put through a food mill using  a medium disk. Serve slightly warm or cold.

Poached Quince Salad

Salty ham, buttery cheese, and rich almonds play up the delicate sweetness of the honey-poached quinces in this sweet-savory salad. For the best results, use Marcona almonds, which are fried salted almonds imported from Spain.

For the poached quinces

• 1 lb. quinces (about 2 medium)
• 2 T bs. honey
• 2 strips lemon zest (each 1/2 x 2 inches)

For the salad

• 4 cups mâche or baby arugula
• 4 oz. thinly sliced Serrano ham or prosciutto,cut into 1/4-inch-wide ribbons
• 2 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1/3 cup coarsely chopped toasted, salted almonds
• 1 to 2 oz. firm, mild-flavored cheese,such as Manchego or Asiago, shaved into small pieces (using a vegetable peeler)
• 4 tsp. balsamic vinegar, preferably aged 12 to 25 years

Make the poached quinces

Peel, quarter, and core each quince. Put the quinces, honey, and lemon zest in a 3-quart saucepan. Add enough water to cover the quinces by 1 inch (about 1-1/2 quarts). Bring to a boil over mediumhigh heat. Put a plate or a lid that’s smaller than the saucepan on the quinces to submerge them. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook until the quinces are tender when pierced with a knife, about 45 minutes. Let them cool in the cooking liquid.

Assemble the salads

Toss the mâche or arugula, ham, and olive oil in a large bowl. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Divide the salad evenly among 4 plates. Slice the quinces and arrange on each plate. Sprinkle the almonds and cheese on top. Drizzle each salad with 1 tsp. of the balsamic vinegar.