Herbal Spotlight: Quince with my Quince Gin Recipe

These ancient members of the Rose family have fallen from fashion in most cooking circles & are viewed by many as simply ornamental shrubs. If you live in New England, chances are you've got 1 or 2 in your yard, & it might just be the tastiest thing you didn't know you were growing. If you’ve never taken the time to harvest & cook some up, you don’t know what you’re missing!  Join me as we delve into harvesting & preparing quince, & just what to make with it once you do --

Quince shrubs & trees are grown all over the world, with recipes for quince dishes dating back to ancient Rome. Their flowers herald Spring & are a beautiful pale pink; every Winter, I bring branches inside to force & enjoy a bit of Spring in February. Like their relatives apples & pears, the lumpy irregular-shaped quince are also harvested in autumn. They store long & well, as most other Fall crops do. Quince are loaded with Vitamin C & are a good source of calcium, iron, potassium, magnesium & copper. And the taste? Delicious -- delicate, sweet, & incredibly fragrant! 

Quince is wonderful in desserts & drinks, jellies & pies, & also with savory items like hard cheese & meats. Why then do we not typically see bushels of them at the grocery store? I believe it is because quince are challenging to work with. Simply put, it’s delicious, but you are going to work for it -- And it will be worth it!

Be sure to have a good pair of gloves when harvesting them; most varieties have thorns just like their rose cousins. There are many varieties, some are tiny & some larger, some are even covered in fuzz like a peach. All are challenging to peel due to their knobbly shapes [though the larger ones are easier] & are very tough to cut & core. On top of that, they are basically inedible when raw -- in fact, the longer they are cooked, the tastier they get. Something truly magical happens when you poach them with sugar & a little water or wine. Not only does their flavor develop, but they turn an incredible rosy pink!  The reward is absolutely worth the effort here-- especially when you factor in that most of us are growing them with no effort & harvesting them for free. ​

A couple key factors to keep in mind when harvesting-- First off, if they are still green, tuck them aside to ripen fully. Quince grow a beautiful, golden yellow, some with a bit of a blush or small brown spots, when they are perfectly ripe. The riper they are, the more fragrant & delicious they will be. Simply pop unripe fruit in a bowl & place it in a sunny window to ripen; your patience will be rewarded. Second, plan an afternoon of processing, then you can use them at your leisure. A nice, rainy Fall afternoon with pots of quince simmering away on the stovetop filling your home with their fragrance is lovely instead of tedious. Lastly, I suggest poaching most of your haul. Poached quince is truly lovely on its own, baked into a pie, or used to top yogurt or waffles. Once poached, they will keep for about a week in the fridge or can be frozen in their syrup for up to six months. And don’t throw out that poaching liquid -- it is amazing for all manner of cocktails, zero-proof drinks, & as an ice cream or waffle topper! You can even use it to make sorbet.

While poached quince & quince jelly may be the go-to recipes for most, in this house, it is all about Membrillo quince paste & Quince Gin! The paste is truly a labor of love, & I have shared my recipe in a past post [see it here.]  The Quince Gin is incredibly EASY to make & fantastically delicious. All you need is a nice botanically-forward bottle of gin, some quince, & time. As we are infusing the already bottled gin with the fruit, no cooking is required! It is truly ridiculous how easy it is to make when one considers how few people bother to do it, literally taking 10-20 minutes to get infusing – If you have the fruit growing free in your yard [or access to a friend’s…] do Future-You a favor & make some!  Let me show you how!

Mebrillo Quince Paste is delicious with charcuterie and cheeses

get my quince paste recipe here

QUINCE-INFUSED GIN

-A 25 oz [750ml] bottle of Gin
[see my suggestions below…]

-12-14 oz of ripe quince fruit

- ½ cup Granulated sugar

- A handful dried, pesticide-free rose petals [OPTIONAL]

Sterilize a jar mason jar [big enough to hold all your ingredients.] Clean & ready your quince. Scrub them nicely– if yours have “fuzz” rub it off. Be sure they are nice & clean as we will not be peeling them. Next, quarter & core all your fruit. You will need a large, very sharp knife & a paring knife to accomplish this. Be careful, as the fruit are hard to cut & the cores are very woody. I like to cut them in half, then quarters, then core them. Some use a melon-baller to remove the seeds & woody core; I find the paring knife more effective. 

Take a moment to appreciate the fragrance coming off them as you work  -- 
​almost like vanilla & roses.

Once they are all cleaned, place all of your quince in the bottom of the prepared jar. Add the sugar to the jar, pouring it over the top of the fruit. I like to add a handful of dried, pesticide-free rose petals here as well. That rose note enhances the quince flavor & the petals give a touch of pink color to the resultant infusion. No need to worry if you do not have petals to add, your gin will still be lovely! Next, pour your gin into the jar, ensuring all fruit is covered. You may wish to keep that empty gin bottle to decant your finished quince gin into when it is ready if you do not have any decanters or extra bottles. 

grab some of our wild foraged beach rose petals

You can use literally any type of gin here, but botanically-forward gin works best with the flavors you will be laying down. Choose a gin you enjoy sipping– while quince-gin plays nicely in cocktails, it is also quite lovely in a small glass on its own after dinner! Personally, I like to use either Hendricks Gin or Uncle Val’s Restorative Gin to make my own. Stir until the sugar is mostly dissolved, place a piece of wax paper over the mouth, then cap your bottle & set it aside out of the sun to infuse. [see? I told you it was REALLY easy to make!]

You should plan to infuse this mixture for 3 - 4 weeks. The gin will take on a very pretty, yellow hue as it lifts the flavor from the fruit – if you used the rose petals, it may have a soft peach color instead. Give your bottle a light shake every few days. You will notice the quince pieces beginning to turn brown as your gin turns yellow. This is normal & not a concern.  After 3 weeks, you can give it a try– you may be happy with the flavor at that time & finish it off. If you’d prefer a stronger flavor, let it go another week. Once the flavor is where you’d like it, double strain it to remove all fruit/petals. Your Quince-Infused Gin is now ready to enjoy! Pour it into a decanter [or that empty bottle from before] & enjoy it!  No need to refrigerate it & I have not found it to go bad once infused, although to be fair, it never lasts too long around here, so I haven't truly tested the time…..

As I mentioned before, it is nice to sip on its own, but also works well in mixed drinks, both cocktails & zero-proofs. One of my favorite ways to use it is in a Quince riff on a Brandy Alexander. Have fun with it. I am sure you will have fun getting creative!

There you have it! We are heading into prime quince season-- Hop on out there, pick yours & give ‘em a try! Infusing gin with them is absolutely the easiest way to enjoy their unique, delicious flavor; I think you will be thrilled with the results. That is all for this week-- Stay safe & don’t forget to #StopAndEatTheFlowers