Quince Pie Recipe is a celebration of a forgotten fruit that looks and tastes like a cross between an apple and a pear. This crumbly pie is made with rolled oats, brown sugar and whole wheat flour that encases a date and quince filling. Enjoy a slice of this delectable pie with ice cream or coffee!

When we first moved to the Bay Area, my neighbor had an attractive tree that caught my eye. This intriguing tree had fruit that looked like a cross between a Golden Delicious apple and a pear. Yet it had sunny, fuzzy skin and a wonderfully refreshing lemon fragrance. Intrigued, I asked my neighbor about this fruit, and she identified this wonderful tree as a quince.

By the way, quince is pronounced “kwins”. I was intrigued as I had never seen or heard of this fruit. My neighbor generously shared the fruit with me every year. My reaction, in fact, my family’s reaction to the raw fruit was ‘EWW!’. Thus began my decades-long history of researching and experimenting with this fruit.

Origin:

Little did I realize that the quince had such a long history dating back to ancient Babylon. Originally cultivated around the Caspian Sea before migrating east and west, the quince is prized for its purported medicinal properties. To the Greeks, it was Aphrodite’s fruit. In fact, some historians have speculated that the ‘golden apple’ that Paris gave Aphrodite was, in fact, the quince. The historian Plutarch observed that Greek brides chewed on quince to get a sweet-smelling breath.

I imagine my son, who intensely dislikes raw quince, has some interesting observations on that! This tradition continued with the Romans who associated the quince with Venus and gave the fruit to a new couple to symbolize fertility and luck. In fact, some Biblical scholars contend that the apple that Eve gave Adam was the quince. Who knew that there was so much romance tied to this somewhat astringent fruit?

The astringency of this raw fruit is one of the many reasons it is cooked before serving. Since the early 4^th century, the unpretentious quince has been stewed, poached, broiled, roasted, baked, grilled, and puréed into compotes, jams, marmalades, and jellies. In fact, even today, you will find that quince jam is quite popular in France, Portugal, and Spain. When it is stewed, the tough, bitter flesh becomes a delightful pink that tastes simultaneously of pineapple and guava, with an accompanying sweet vanilla aftertaste.

Benefits of consuming quince:

While the quince has a historical reputation for being a potent source of cures, modern research is only now starting to validate those claims. What we do know is that low-calorie fruit in this recipe of the Quince Pie is a significant source of minerals and vitamins.

• A 100-gram serving of quince provides a daily value of 15% of vitamin C, 13% of copper, 4% of potassium, 3.6% of iron, 2% of magnesium, 2% of vitamin B6, and 1.5% of thiamine (vitamin B1).
• Quince also has flavonols such as quercetin and kaempferol, which are sources of antioxidants that help lower inflammation and metabolic stress while protecting cells from free radical damage.
• The quince also has a history of being a digestive aid. Research suggests that the quince extract may help protect the intestines against swelling and can also be used to manage acid reflux symptoms.
• Interestingly, quince may also help reduce pregnancy-induced nausea and vomiting and may help manage mild allergic reactions like inflamed skin, runny nose, and asthma. But as always, more research is needed to support these preliminary findings.

As I said, I came across and have been experimenting with this fruit for almost twenty years. While I appreciate that this fruit is quite uncommon in most grocery stores, if you do find one, do not be afraid to give it a go! You will be thrilled with the results. And don’t forget that Valentine’s Day is just around the corner. If you want something other than the traditional chocolate and strawberry mix, try this Quince Pie recipe. If it was good enough to start the Trojan War and was the fruit of Aphrodite and Venus, I can’t see how you will go wrong.

If you’ve tried this recipe or have questions, I would love to hear from you. Please feel free to share (below) your thoughts, comments, or any questions that you might have. And if you like my recipes, you could subscribe to my mailing list for the latest recipes that will be delivered straight to your inbox. From my pen to your table, Bon Appetit!

Serving suggestions:

I have made quince into a jam that I would serve as a breakfast accompaniment to toast and oatmeal, or as healthy desserts of yogurt-based parfaits and granola. While many people enjoy those, the star of my quince-based dishes is my Quince Pie recipe.

I have served these at parties as warm desserts à la mode (with mint or vanilla ice cream flavors serve as wonderful contrasts) or even as a mid-afternoon snack with black tea or coffee. No matter when I serve it, the combination of the dark rich date and the softer adaptable quince in my recipe for the Quince Pie is a wonderful indulgence that is healthy, tasty, and most importantly portable.

Storage:

Quince Pie can be refrigerated for a week in a box or frozen for three months in an airtight container. There is no need to reheat the pie, simply thaw to room temperature and enjoy. If you wish to reheat the slices, then warm them in a moderate oven (at 325 degrees F) for a few minutes.

Other fruit desserts that you might like:

British Mince Pies Recipe