Behold, the beautiful quince. Feel the weight in the palm of your hand, the smooth, cool skin protecting the firm flesh…and that lovely fragrance. A scent that is intoxicating, perfumey, deeply musky, the scent of apple and pear, that is if those two fruits went on some tropical holiday, vacationing somewhere warm. The bouquet is heavy yet soothing. It is almost worth cutting into and taking a slice to eat raw. But alas, this is not a fruit for the faint of heart, or sweet of tongue. Sad but true, the quince really must be cooked prior to eating.

Puckery and tart when consumed raw, gentle and sweet when allowed to cook, the quince is definitely a fruit that is worth the cooking time. I poached mine simply. Peeled and quartered, I then dropped the fruit into some simmering water. I allowed the quinces to simmer for a bit (15 minutes) undisturbed. Then I added enough sugar to taste (about one cup for 3 quinces), some fragrant vanilla, and continued to poach until the fruit was soft enough that a knife slipped smoothly into the flesh.

And then what? Well, there are many options really. Foremost, you can gobble them up as is, adorned simply with a bit of the poaching liquid. You can reserve them to add to any cake or pie that calls for apples. Making quince jam is always an option, but sterilizing and cleaning countless Bell jars was more than I could put up with. And so I went the simple route; I made quince scones.

For the scones, I used this recipe. And as I gently needed the dough prior to cutting into ragged triangle shapes, I added poached, then cooled quinces, roughly diced into 1/2 inch pieces. The kitchen filled with a warm and fragrant aroma when baking. And while I munched on my homey breakfast that day, I savored the delicate taste of the quince, mingled with the tender sweetness of the scone.

One delight replaces the other. Long gone is the almost overpowering fragrance of the nubby, bright chartreuse quinces, but here to eat are the exquisite quince scones.