Roast Quinces

Our answer

Nigella's Roast Quinces (from COOK, EAT, REPEAT) is a more savoury approach for quinces, which are normally cooked with lots of sugar. Quinces are usually hard and sour when raw, rather than bitter. In the oven the sourness of the quinces mellows and the flesh softens, giving a delicious side dish.

Most quinces sold commercially are from the Cydonia Oblonga family and grow on larger trees. The Japonica, or Japanese Flowering Quince, is mainly grown as an ornamental shrub as it has bright red flowers in the spring. This variety has fruits that are more bitter and we understand that generally this variety is not used for eating quinces. So we suspect that unfortunately the Japonica quince is on the bitter side and may not be best suited for roasting. We would however encourage you to try the recipe again with some store-bought quinces.