Thursday, October 20, 2011

First Time Quince Fruit Compote

I've made compote many times with whatever fruit is available to me, but I've never made one with quinces.  Actually, until my neighbor gave me some from her garden, that fruit was totally unknown to me.

A quince is a funny fruit that looks like a fuzzy apple the color of a pear with a strange perfumy smell.  But don't let that keep you away from them, especially if you get them for free like I did.

I know that some people don't like my recipes, since I (almost) never give very exact instructions, measurements, time etc.  In most cases, you really don't need to obsess over "exact" anything.  Here's the bowl of fruit I cut up for the compote.


I guess you can see that there is a peach, a few types of apples and some quinces.  After doing a bit of an internet search, I discovered that I should be careful to peel, core and slice the quinces.  I did pretty much the same to the other fruit, except that I left their peels on.

I then put all the fruit slices in a pot with water, cinnamon and a squirt of vanilla.  Then I cooked/stewed it on a low flame, covered, until all the fruit was soft.  Don't cover with water or you'll dilute the flavor.  Just over half-way up the fruit should be enough.

It was a great hit with me and my guests.

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