The arrival of quince on the market stands always signals the beginning of winter for me;  quince are the last tree fruits to arrive at the end of the season and, since they keep well, they are also one of the last available at the end of the year.  My grandma primarily used quince in combination with other  fruits in jam making, as its high pectin content often makes adding pectin unnecessary. Quince are also used to make membrillo, the famous Spanish quince paste that is often paired with cheese. This recipe is for a compote, something like a jam but with less sugar (jam has a pretty high ratio of sugar to fruit for the sugar’s preservative properties. This compote needs to be refrigerated, in a tightly sealed jar).

I served this compote as an appetizer on slices of goat cheese, finished with a chiffonnade of jambon de Bayonne, it was a big hit. Also tried it at the Holidays with terrine of whole foie gras, wow, really delicious!