Something extraordinarily magical happens when you poach, roast, or cook quince. The flesh turns a beautiful auburn color and due to the high pectin within the fruit, they are perfect for jams and jellies. The classic Membrillo from Spain is made by poaching, puréeing and cooking down the quince.
Some of the most beautiful trees on our orchard are the quince. When eaten raw, the pineapple quince has an intensely astringent mouth-puckering quality with a dried-out sponge-like texture, but something extraordinarily magical happens when you poach, roast, or cook them.