Poached Quince, tender and fragrant. Slowly baked in the oven with pomegranate, honey, and fresh orange juice. The juices turn into a thin, concentrated, glossy, rosy syrup with a subtle tang, to serve and enjoy with the fruit.

Table Of Contents

How To Prepare Quince
Poaching Quince
The Syrup
Storing
Serve With
Recipe

The transformation of this humble, stubborn fruit is nothing short of enchanting. When the quince slices emerge from the oven, they're soft, tender, spongy, with just the tiniest pleasant bite.

Swimming in a pool of rosy pomegranate, orange, and honey syrup. The pectin in quince fruit and pomegranate seeds, tossed into the pan, adds a glossy thickness to the thin, fruity syrup.

Slow cooking and the combination of fruit juices and honey turn quinces into one of the best fall-winter bliss desserts!

How To Prepare Quince

To make poached quince slices, you can either skin the fruit or cook it with the skin on, like in my Baked Quince recipe. I prefer removing the skins here because the fruit has a softer bite that I find works better with how I like to serve it (mostly with Greek yogurt).

Peel the Quince with a vegetable peeler, or rinse and rub the skin under running water if you don't wish to peel it.

Next, cut the quince into 4 slices if it's large, or 3 if it's small. Remove the hard centers containing the seeds with a sharp knife. Immediately rub some lemon onto the flesh; otherwise, it will darken, just like apples do.

Poaching Quince

Arrange the quince slices in a single layer in a baking dish or baking pan. This way, all slices cook evenly and soak up the syrup. You can even use a Dutch oven and turn the slices halfway through cooking if they don't fit in a single layer. A larger pan saves you from that extra trouble.

Continue by adding all of the remaining ingredients (pomegranate seeds and juice, orange juice, honey, and water). The pomegranate seeds should be submerged in the liquids.

Cover and bake until the quince is fork-tender. The fruit will slowly poach in the juices and steam created inside.

Or poach on the stovetop covered over the lowest heat, turning the quinces as needed to cook evenly.

The Syrup

You can thicken the syrup by cooking it on the stovetop until it reduces to the consistency you like. Or you can mix it with extra honey to thicken it without cooking it further.

Moreover, you can use the leftover syrup in salad dressings and on pancakes and waffles. It can be kept in the fridge for up to a week.

Storing

Store poached quince in an airtight container in the fridge for 4-5 days.

Serve With

Just like Quince Preserves, these Poached Quince slices go amazingly on top of Greek yogurt. You can serve them warm (not hot) after dinner for a not-too-sweet fruity dessert sprinkled with ground walnuts and ground cinnamon. Or even a scoop of ice cream or whipped cream.

You can use them to make a festive, wintry fruit dessert by topping Mini Pavlovas, or serve them with a simple Orange Yogurt Cake, or on top of a Greek Galatopita (Semolina and Milk Pie).

Another way to enjoy Poached Quince is with savory dishes. For example, with a red meat roast or over a leafy green salad with goat cheese.

Recipe