A Winter Pavlova + How to Poach Quince

After 17 weeks, many frustrating meal times and far too many toasted sandwiches, our new kitchen is done! At the 17 week mark we were able to put most things back in the kitchen and use it (finally!), and after a few more weeks the last finishing touches and changes were done. Now all we need is another coat of paint and the longest kitchen renovation will be officially complete! I have been immensely enjoying being back in the kitchen. Not being able to bake for 4 months was almost like torture for me! Now I am trying to spend every spare moment in there, baking all the things I have been thinking about since late February, and making the most of seasonal produce I have been so desperately wanting to cook with. 

Such seasonal produce, includes quince. Since finding some good poaching recipes last year, my enthusiasm for cooking (and eating) homemade poached quince has only increased. When June arrived, and our kitchen was still in renovation mode, I did begin to panic that I may miss quince season all together and have to wait another whole year to enjoy them. Luckily the renovation finished just in time and I have poached three lots of quince (on a new gas stove none the less!). 

Grandma's Pavlova

I have some stored in the fridge, with extra poaching liquid to use for whatever takes my fancy. Though served with ice cream and a drizzle of poaching syrup makes a nice simple dessert, and topping pancakes with them turn lazy weekend breakfasts into thoroughly gourmet affairs. 

After the publication of Country Style’s Heirloom Recipe Cookbook, in which my Grandma’s pavlova recipe was featured, I decided to go back to this favourite family recipe and give it a Winter twist. I also was keen to see how a familiar recipe fared in our new oven! Every oven seems to be different and it takes a little while to adjust. I am finding I’m needing to turn the recommended temperatures down at least 10 degrees in our new oven, and for this recipe I ended up baking the pavlova at 110 degrees Celsius (after the initial pre-heating). I have left the oven temperature in the recipe the same as my Grandma’s original recipe, however if you can smell the pavlova cooking too quickly (it will start to smell like the beginning stages of caramel/burning sugar), turn the temperature down accordingly. 

Country Style's Heirloom Recipes cookbook

Note: Both the poached quince and the pavlova base can be made in advance. The pavlova can be cooked the night before and left in the oven overnight to cool. 

Poached Quince

Poached Quince

Ingredients: 

6 Quince 

900g white sugar

1.2L water

1 tsp vanilla bean paste

2 cinnamon quills 

Method: 

Peel the quince and cut into quarters, removing the cores. Wrap the peel and cores in muslin. In a large pot place the quince and the muslin containing the cores and peel. Add the sugar and water, and cook covered over low heat, allowing the water to simmer, for 1 hour. 

After one hour check the quince by pricking a couple with a fork to check how tender they have become. The quince should become quite tender and soft, however remain whole and not break up. If the quince are not tender enough keep them on the heat, checking again after twenty minutes or so. This process should take between 1-2 hours total. 

Once the quince have become tender, add the vanilla bean paste and cinnamon quills to the pot. Gently stir everything together, then turn off the heat and leave to cool with the lid on. 

Once the quince have begun to cool, sterilise a couple of medium/large jars, by washing them in hot soapy water then placing in the oven for 20 minutes on a low temperature. Transfer the quince into each jar, then cover with as much poaching liquid as will fit. You may want an additional jar to store any remaining poaching liquid. Store in the fridge for up to a month. 

Mascarpone Cream

Winter Pavlova

Ingredients: 

4 egg whites

125g caster sugar

125g golden caster sugar 

1 tsp white vinegar 

1 tsp vanilla bean paste 

20g cornflour 

To decorate: 

200g mascarpone (I used Pepe Saya) 

150ml thickened cream

1 tsp vanilla extract 

35g icing sugar

8 quarters of poached quince, approx. 

Poaching liquid, to serve

Method: 

Pre-heat oven to 200 degrees Celsius. Line a large baking tray with baking paper, and trace a circle approx. 26 cm in diameter (I used a dinner plate). 

In a clean dry bowl, beat the egg whites for 5-6 minutes, whilst gradually adding the sugar. Add the vinegar and vanilla and beat until the mixture is stiff and glossy. 

Sift cornflour over the mixture, and gently fold to combine. 

Place mixture onto the tray in the middle of the drawn circle. Push the mixture around to form a circle, leaving a small border around the edges. Try to keep the edges a little higher than the middle so any filling can sit comfortably in the middle later. 

Turn the oven down to 125 degrees Celsius, and cook undisturbed for 1.5 hours. 

After 1.5 hours, turn the oven off and leave the pavlova to cool completely in the oven (or overnight). 

Just before you are ready to serve the pavlova, place the mascarpone in a medium sized bowl and whip until it has thickened and soft peaks form. Gradually add the cream, vanilla and icing sugar until all ingredients have combined and stiff peaks form. 

Spread the mascarpone cream into the centre of the pavlova. Drain the quince of syrup and sit them on top of the cream. 

Serve with the quince poaching liquid. 

Winter Pavlova with Poached Quince

Reference:  Jamie Magazine, Issue 63 November 2015 p.31. 

Shallow Fried Zucchini Flowers & Slow Roasted Tomato Sauce

These two recipes to me, scream Winter comfort food. I have made the Slow Roasted Tomato Sauce numerous times recently. The original recipe, from the Monday Morning Cooking Club’s second book ‘The Feast Goes On’, says the sauce is enough to feed six. I find when mixed with cooked pasta (any kind will do!), I can feed three or four for dinner then still have enough leftovers for three lunches. This kind of cooking makes the organised side of me very happy. Good dinner? Check! Lunch for work sorted? Check! 

When I made this pasta dish over the June long weekend, I was secretly patting myself on the back. Not only was I going to be able to feed five people at home that weekend, I might even have some leftovers for lunch the next day. Winning, right?! 

I forgot however, to take into account that my brother, who was staying that weekend, eats enough food for like two people per meal. So, no leftovers for me. And even if there were some, the likelihood of them being eaten by said brother for breakfast (yes, breakfast) the next morning would have been quite high. 

If you do make the sauce and happen to have leftovers, it will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for a few days. 

These two recipes served in the same evening, make for a great Italian style feast. I would cook the tomato sauce before, make and serve the zucchini flowers as they were ready then, cook some pasta, warm up the sauce and serve that as the main for the meal. 

A note on the zucchini flowers: The recipe for the batter can easily be doubled if you are cooking more. The zucchini flowers should be served immediately after cooking, as they are not quite the same when re-heated. 

Shallow Fried Zucchini Flowers

Ingredients: 

8 zucchini flowers 

1 ball buffalo mozzarella 

Handful basil leaves, shredded

¼ cup grana padano (or parmesan) cheese, grated 

Ingredients for the Batter: 

100g self raising flour

¾ cup ice cold water

Pinch of salt 

Vegetable oil, for frying 

Method: 

Wash and dry zucchini flowers, ensuring the insides of the flowers are free from any residual dirt and the stamens have been removed. 

Mix the basil and grated cheese together. Tear pieces off the buffalo mozzarella and use to stuff the flowers. Add some of the basil and grated cheese and twist the top of the flowers to seal. 

Prepare the batter only just before it is needed. 

To prepare the batter, gently whisk all the ingredients together with a fork (the mixture will be lumpy). 

Heat a shallow fry pan with some vegetable oil on medium-high heat. Coat the flowers in the batter, then place one at a time (or three or so at a time if using a larger pan), and allow to cook for 1 minute or so on each side. Ensure all of the batter has cooked. 

Place on paper towel to drain any excess oil after cooking, and serve immediately. 

Recipe Adapted from ‘Maggie’s Harvest’ by Maggie Beer (Penguin Group, 2007), pp. 182-3. 

Slow Roasted Tomato Sauce

2kg very ripe tomatoes 

x 2 large red onions

x 2 cloves garlic

200g dried black olives 

¼ cup capers, drained 

8 anchovy fillets, chopped 

Olive oil 

3 tbsp tomato paste 

½ cup grated parmesan cheese 

1 bunch basil (leaves only), chopped 

Method: 

Pre heat oven to 200 degrees Celsius. Drizzle some olive oil between two large baking trays. Roughly slice the tomatoes (approximately 1 cm slices), and divide between the two trays. Slice the onion and place one onion in each tray. Divide the black olives, capers and anchovies between the two trays. Drizzle with more olive oil crush one garlic clove over each tray, then toss all the ingredients to coat. 

Reduce the oven to 170 degrees Celsius and place both baking trays in the oven. Cook for 1 ½ to 2 hours, stirring every 30 minutes. Cook until the tomatoes and onions have softened and reduced, and there is still some liquid left in the trays. 

Remove from oven and combine the two trays into one. Stir through the tomato paste, parmesan and basil. 

Serve with freshly cooked pasta, topped with a little extra basil and grated parmesan. 

Reference: ‘The Monday Morning Cooking Club: The Feast Goes On’ by Lisa Goldberg, Merelyn Frank Chalmers, Natanya Eskin, Lauren Fink, Paula Horwitz & Jacqui Israel (HarperCollins Publishers, 2014), p.74.

How to bake with Quinces

I have loved quinces for quite a while now. We always buy Maggie Beer’s quince paste to have with cheese and biscuits, but I have to admit for quite a long time, I really didn’t know what quinces were. 

When you actually see the fruit, they look nothing like you’d expect, sort of like large lumpy pears. They aren’t a fruit that is eaten raw however, slow cooking is the only way to go for quinces. 

I have attempted cooking quinces three times now. Only once successfully. The key as I have now found, to the deep and rich ruby colour is to cook the quinces with the cores, and remove them after. Apparently lots of pectin is in the cores, which helps the quinces turn that lovely ruby colour. I have also found that poaching them in the oven, is much easier than doing it on the stove.

To me, slow cooking and poaching feels like such a Winter-y thing to do. Probably because here in Australia, having the oven or stove on for hours at a time in Summer just isn’t practical! The fruits that lend themselves to such methods of cooking are also in season in the colder months. Though it seems few fruits and vegetables aren’t available almost year round. Quince is one of the rarities that only appear in green grocers or farmers markets once Autumn starts. Which to me is a very clear sign that Summer has come to an end, and it’s time to get Winter baking! 

I found this recipe for Quince Butter via Sophie Hansen of Local is Lovely, who never fails to impress me with snippets of country life and delicious recipes that can be found on her blog. When I saw the recipe, I just knew it would work much better than my last attempts. And it did. I didn’t follow the recipe to the end, just until I had poached the quinces. Though I don’t doubt that quince butter would be as tasty as it sounds! 

I used some of my poached quinces to make a frangipane tart (based on this recipe), then used some to make quince and vanilla muffins. I added four tablespoons of the poaching liquid to the muffin mixture, along with an extra quarter cup of self raising flour, one teaspoon of vanilla bean paste, topped each muffin with small pieces of poached quince and sprinkled them with raw sugar. 

I froze the muffins after they had cooled, and we are still enjoying them. The frangipane tart however, is long gone! 

Any left over poached quinces can be placed in a jar with the poaching liquid and stored in the fridge. 

Donna Hay’s Harissa Chicken with Gremolata

Now that the weather seems to have truly turned to Winter, warming and comforting dishes are in high demand. This recipe for Harissa Chicken by Donna Hay, fits the bill perfectly. The spiciness of the harissa warms you to your bones, while the gremolata subtly cools the kick and adds a wonderful depth of flavour to the dish. 

This dish is also quite easy to make, which is always a winner when you want warmth with minimal effort. 

The original recipe stipulates the use of mixed olives, but since my obsession with dried black olives remains unwavering, I used those. Either work well, just use whatever you like or can easily come by. 

Ingredients: 

8 x 220g chicken thigh fillets, bone in and trimmed

8 cloves garlic, unpeeled

1 cup mixed or dried olives

1/4 cup tomato paste

1 tbsp harissa paste 

1 tbsp brown sugar

1/2 cup chicken stock 

sea salt and black pepper

400g truss Roma tomatoes (still on vine if possible) 

Ingredients for Gremolata 

1/2 cup flat-leaf parsley leaves, chopped

1/2 cup coriander leaves, chopped

1 tbsp lemon juice

1 tbsp shredded lemon zest 

2 garlic cloves, crushed 

Method: 

Pre-heat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius. Place the chicken, garlic, olives, tomato paste, harissa paste, sugar and chicken stock in a large baking dish, trying to evenly distribute the tomato and harissa pastes amongst the chicken. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cover with aluminium foil and roast for 1 hour. 

Whilst the chicken is in the oven, make the gremolata by combining the all the gremolata ingredients in a small bowl. Set aside. 

After the chicken has been roasting in the oven for 1 hour, increase the temperature to 200 degrees Celsius and remove the foil. Add the tomatoes to the baking dish and cook for a further half an hour, or until the chicken is completely cooked through.

Serve with the gremolata. 

Original recipe from ‘The New Classics’ by Donna Hay (Fourth Estate an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers, 2013), p. 145.