Batia's Roasted Quince with Bay Leaves
When Batia Bank was a young girl, she remembered and watched her mother making this quince recipe.
Her parents emigrated from Ukraine to Israel after the war and batia would spend time in the kitchen learning. This dish always stood out to her as remarkable because no one could every guess what kind of fruit they were eating. Apples? No! Pears?! Nope.
When batia invited our family for a holiday meal about 7 years ago, she brought these out along with her famous mammoth cream puffs(which are also to die for).
They were caramelized and fragrant, sticky with honey and the smell of bay leaves. She came over, her eyes glowing in delight as she asked the question, "danielle, do you what this is?!"
Quince, I guessed? Batia was genuinely so surprised as in all the years her mother and now batia would make this and ask her guests what they were eating they were always stupefied.
Serving Size: Serves 8
Ingredients
4 Quince, washed well to remove its fuzz
5 fresh or dry bay leaves
5 cinnamon sticks
Honey, as needed
¼ cup water
Instructions
Clean and core the quince. Arrange in a baking dish and top each with honey. Scatter the bay leaves and cinnamon over top and add ¼ cup of water to dish.
Roast at 375 for 1-1 hour 15 minutes, until just tender. Serve warm or at room temperature. Batia serves this for dessert. We like to add some vanilla ice cream or serve it beside braised lamb as fragrant condiment.
Cook's Notes
Depending on the size of the quince, you may have to roast for a little longer until the fruit becomes tender. If the water evaporates you can add a little more.