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renata
A large, fragrant, yellow-skinned fruit, round to pear-shaped and usually too hard and sour to eat raw, but which when cooked has soft, pink, delicately sweet flesh with the slightly grainy texture of stewed pear.
It is related to the apple and the pear. Quince is stewed slowly as a filling for pies and tarts, baked whole as a dessert, made into quince paste to serve with soft ripe cheese, roasted whole as an accompaniment for game; and, pectin-rich, is often made into jellies, jams and conserves (the pectin level is highest if fruit is picked when greenish-yellow). Quinces preserved in syrup are an old-time dessert favourite in northern Italy.
In Middle Eastern cooking it is often stuffed with peas, beans or minced (ground) beef and spices. The quince originated in Asia, and reached the eastern Mediterranean in ancient times. It was popular with the ancient Greeks, who ate it hollowed out and baked with honey. As the fruit travelled north and west, so its name changed�in southern France kydonia became cydonea, in northern France, coing, and across the Channel, quince.
In Greek mythology the quince was the famous golden apple awarded by Paris to Aphrodite, goddess of love. Since the time of the ancients the fruit has been a symbol of love, marriage and fertility and in medieval Europe a gift of quinces was regarded as a declaration of serious ardour.
http://cres.anu.edu.au/~mccomas/quincerecipes.html
Quinces stewed with Vanilla
Peel & core the quinces, chop up & set aside chunks in acidulated water. Then cover with water and boil fairly vigorously the cores, skins & pips, with a vanilla pod. After about an hour, when the liquid is a deep red colour, strain, add about 2 tablespoons sugar per quince to the liquid, rescue the vanilla pod, split, scrape its timy black seeds into your syrup, add the pod and Quince chunks. Simmer for about 1/2 hour, then add pears (or apples, but don't use cooking apples, as they'll disintegrate.) bring back to the boil, then cool and eat.
http://www.foodlovers.co.nz/features/quince.php
http://fooddownunder.com/cgi-bin/search.cgi?q=quince
have fun!!
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