The Last 3 Quince

You're sick of me talking about quince, aren't you? Well, as of now, I'm out of quince. : (

My last three quince were used today to make a peach quince pie for Colin, who, like everyone else I know - has never had a quince.

Andy, when he was visiting in September (before he moved here in November!) brought me peaches that were home-jarred. I've been saving the jar for something special and today seemed like the perfect opportunity with Colin here to make him a treat. So I made him a peach quince pie. This is a variation on the quince blackberry pie I made for Andy and his father Tim a month or so ago. I used the other frozen pie crust had saved from that adventure.

I also took a recipe that I LOVE from a copy of Cook's Illustrated that I pour over at Andy's today before lunch. The recipe is for a better crumbly topping and oh, let me tell you - it is loads better than the toppings I've been making.

Peach Quince Pie

1 jar of wonderfully sweet summer peaches, canned by a good friend from the country

3 quince, peeled, cored, and chopped into flat pieces

1 pre-made pie crust

3/4 cup chopped walnuts (although other nuts- like almonds would work well)

1/2 cup flour

1/4 cup packed light brown sugar

4 tablespoons white sugar

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon nutmeg

1 teaspoon cloves

Pinch of table salt

5 tablespoons margarine, melted and cooled

1 teaspoon corn starch

2 teaspoons lemon juice

To Do:

Poke holes in the pie crust and bake for about 10 minutes so it gets brown.

Arrange the peaches across the bottom of the pie crust in a pretty design.

In a pot, poach the quince (I put in a little honey and vanilla extract) and cook them until they get soft. Drain them. [I clearly didn't drain them enough, because the inside of my pie was a warmy, gooey mess. Which, frankly, I'm okay with, but some people like their food to stay together a bit more.]

In a bowl, combine the nuts, flour, spices, brown sugar, and 2 tablespoons (half) the white sugar. Pour the cooled melted margarine over the mixture and mix (hands work best) so it makes a wet sand texture.

In another bowl, mix the other 2 tablespoons of white sugar, the corn starch, lemon juice, and punch of salt. Toss the quince in this mixture before pouring them over the peaches.

Crumble the topping over the quince and bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes or so. Basically, bake the pie until the top is crunchy and everything is hot. Your kitchen is going to smell amazing.

Colin really enjoyed the pie. Andy got a text message about it and he's coming over later (before we all venture off to Ashley's housewarming party). The pie didn't stay together very well, and I could take or leave the crust (mostly leave). This would make a great cobbler and is an excellent idea for apples, pears, etc.

Now I just need to figure out what to do with the box of oranges that arrived fresh from a Florida grove from my grandparents yesterday...

Happy Eating!

-Robin-