Poached Quince Dessert

The days are getting shorter, weather is turning cold and gloomy. Winter is just around the corner. I have to admit there is not much to look forward to about the Sydney winter other than the end of it, unlike the winters of my childhood in Istanbul.

First would come the packing of summer clothes and unpacking of winter ones; the joy of seeing the warm and cosy jumpers that I forgot I owned, the thick coats and scarves we wrapped ourselves in and the long leather boots that kept our feet warm.

Then, little stalls of chestnut sellers would start to appear around each corner. You would buy a small pack and hold it between both hands to warm your cold fingers while you are chewing on the delightfully sweet roasted chestnuts. The packet sizes would get bigger as the prices got cheaper by mid-winter.

Beautiful winter vegetables like celeriac, spinach, cabbage and cauliflower and bright coloured winter fruits like quinces, oranges, pomegranate and grapefruits would start appearing at grocery shops and market stalls.

Then would come the snow, a beautiful white blanket covering all over Istanbul. With the falling of the first snow flake, the "school shut down" prayers would commence in unison. Children would start listening to the news with full attention to hear those magic words "The schools are closed tomorrow due to heavy snowfall."

And when it did, the next morning would not arrive soon enough. Layers of pants and jumpers would be put on before going out into the snow. Everyone would be busy making sleighs from anything and everything to step ladders, toilet seats or newspapers stuck into plastic bags.

Our feet would get wet, fingers would start feeling numb and faces would turn bright red but nothing could wipe off the smile on our faces not even the threats of our mothers giving us the ultimatum to get back inside to warm up or "No more going out."

Another favourite winter memory of mine is the sweet aroma of quinces simmering in a water infused with cloves that greeted me when I came back home from school. My mood would brighten instantly as I would know that my mother was making one of my favorite desserts, Ayva Tatlisi (poached quince dessert).

My mother always made everything look so effortless and easy that it was only years later that I have learnt this heavenly dessert required a lot of expertise and patience in preparation.

She taught me how to peel the skin, how to core the quinces with the help of a spoon, that a double based stainless steel shallow pan was required to simmer the quinces for hours so that they do not burn and the seeds needed to be kept and added into the simmering water to achieve the deep terracotta colour of the quinces and the jello-ness of the syrup.

Of course no Ayva Tatlisi is complete unless topped with a spoonful of kaymak (a very thick cream made by heating full-cream cow's milk in a water bath and cooling in shallow pans). The sweet, soft and slightly sour flesh of quinces bathed in water infused with cloves and dressed with a touch of snowy white and silky smooth kaymak. Tantalisingly delicious!


Poached Quince Dessert

Ingredients:

1 kg of quinces
1 cup of sugar
1 cup of water
6-8 whole cloves
Kaymak or thick whipped cream (to serve)

Here is how:

Cut the quinces in half lengthways and peel the skin off. Then core the quinces with the help of a teaspoon or knife and retain all the seeds. (You need to make sure that all the tough woody bits of the core has been removed.)

Place the quinces cored side up in a shallow heavy or double based pan.

Pour the sugar and the water on top of the quinces. Sprinkle the quince seeds and cloves around the quinces.

On the lowest heat simmer them for 2-3 hours until they are soft when pricked with a fork and their colour has darkened.

If they start to stick to the pan, you can turn them upside down to ensure that the are not burnt. I find it easier to line them around the pan and leave the middle of the pan empty, place the pan on the smallest burner of the stove to avoid burning the quinces.

Let them cool in the pan and serve with kaymak or cream and drizzled with the syrup.

This dessert would keep 4-5 days in the fridge.

Afiyet Olsun!