Cranberry Sauce, Inspired by Quince

By Ben Mims
For Cooking Newbie, a blog for beginner cooks

Every year at Thanksgiving, I’m an unashamed traditionalist. I love the turkey, the giblet gravy and the green bean casserole. And although I love cranberry sauce directly from the can, it’s the one aspect of the Thanksgiving table that I don’t mind breaking from tradition with.

This year, inspired by the plentiful quince trees in my neighborhood, I’m making a spiced cranberry sauce perfumed with the fragrant orchard fruit. Related to apples and pears, quince is my favorite fall and winter fruit, smelling of an intoxicating blend of rose, citrus and sour apple. Unlike apples and pears, however, they cannot be eaten raw; their concrete-like flesh needing heat to yield it soft and tender.

Most cooks will simmer or roast quince for hours to get them tender, yielding a rosy-pink color that comes about naturally after such a long cooking time. The fruit is actually tender after a much shorter cooking time, but like beets, they can be cooked for hours longer without losing their shape.

For my sauce, I poach a quince until it’s just tender enough to cut, and then simmer it gently with the cranberries and spices. Its flavor is a wonderful complement to the bitter berries and results in a sauce that just might warrant a new tradition. If you can’t find quince in your local grocery store, feel free to use a raw tart apple or pear in its place.

To get the recipe and shopping list on your smartphone (iPhone, BlackBerry, Android device) or PC, click here.

Cranberry and Quince Sauce
Makes about 2 cups

1 quince
12 ounces fresh or frozen cranberries
1 1/2 cups orange juice
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1/2 tsp. ground ginger
1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 bay leaf
1/4 tsp. vanilla extract

1. Peel quince, place whole fruit in a small saucepan, and cover with water; bring to a boil, and cook until a paring knife slides easily through the side of the fruit, about 20 minutes. Remove quince with a slotted spoon, transfer to a cutting board, and let cool; discard cooking water.
2. Cut flesh from quince in lobes around the core, leaving behind the core; discard. Cut quince into 1/2-inch cubes and return to saucepan. Add cranberries, orange juice, sugar, salt, ginger, cinnamon and bay leaf, and bring to a boil; reduce heat to lightly simmer, and cook, stirring often, until cranberries burst, quince is soft, and mixture is reduced to a thick sauce, about 15 minutes.
3. Remove from the heat, and remove and discard bay leaf; stir in vanilla. Let cool, and then transfer to a container and refrigerate until chilled. Store in the refrigerator for up to two weeks.

Special Fork is a recipe website for your smartphone and PC that solves the daily dinnertime dilemma: what to cook now! Our bloggers blog Monday through Friday to give you cooking inspiration. Check out our recipe database for quick ideas that take no more than 30 minutes of prep time. Follow us on Facebook , Twitter, Pinterest, and YouTube.

Related posts:

1. Down to Basics: Pasta with Tomato Sauce
2. Inspired by Peaches
3. Cranberry Memories
4. Hitting the (Thai) Sauce
5. Dip or Dressing or Marinade or Sauce…which is it?