Quince

In this recipe we slowly "double-cook" the quince, which prevents the fruit from crystallizing and heightens the pinkish- orange color it turns when cooked.

Quince paste has a texture somewhere between that of stiff jelly and gumdrops.

The name for this flaky pastry comes from the French term for a Venetian blind, which-like the dessert-has slit openings through which one can peek.

More pastry chefs are using spices typically associated with savories in their sweets. Here, Chinese five-spice powder, a blend of warm spices and aromatic flavorings, adds allure to a fruit filling.

It's difficult to choose ripe quinces because their flesh, unlike that of other fruits, doesn't soften. You have to use your nose, sniffing out the heady floral fragrance that signals that the quince is ripe.

(Mele Cotogne in Giulebbe) Poached quinces in a clove-and-cinnamon-scented syrup are served at Rosh Hashanah and to break the fast at Yom Kippur. In this version, the quinces are left unpeeled for the preliminary cooking in water, and then peeled and cooked in syrup. In La cucina livornese, Pia Bedarida recommends peeling the quinces, letting them rest to take on a reddish brown color as they oxidize, and then cooking them in syrup. Other cooks peel the quinces and cook them immediately, but suggest saving the peels and seeds and cooking them along with the sliced quinces. Still another recipe uses wine instead of water.

(GELEE DE COING) The lemon juice is really only necessary if the quince jelly doesn't "take" within the allotted time.

Active time: 45 min Start to finish: 3 1/4 hr

This recipe is an accompaniment for Mascarpone Cheesecake with Quince Compote .

Applesauce can begin as a soothing breakfast fruit and end as a dessert, tucked inside a buckwheat crêpe or made into the glorious dessert. The pressure cooker in tandem with the food mill eliminates the need to peel and core the apples. You can have applesauce in 15 minutes. Quinces give applesauce an elusive perfume and turn it rosy pink.

The quinces in this stew are not combined with sugar and therefore will not change color. They require only 45 minutes of cooking time to become tender. This flavorful dish is even better when made a day ahead.