Customer Reviews

Simply Quince

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The quince is a seriously underestimated and all-to-often underappreciated fruit that, culinarily speaking, is as versatile as the apple, is a staple in the orchards and kitchens of many different countries and cultures around the world. It was first cultivated in American by the early European colonists. A fuzz-covered and aromatic cousin of pears and apples, most of us know the quince primarily as a jam. But as Barbara Ghazarian amply demonstrated in "Simply Quince", it can be so much more! Comprising seventy 'kitchen cook friendly' recipes that range from Quince-Orange Pickles; Quince-Cranberry Sauce; Veal Shanks with Prunes, Apricots, and Quince; and Brandied-Quince Buckle; to Buttery Almond-Quince Phyllo Tarts; Quick Quince Chutney; and White Pizza with Quince, Prosciutto, Asiago Cheese and Chives; Quince-Infused Spirits Grappa and Vodka, "Simply Quince" offers an impressively broad spectrum of quince oriented dishes that will satisfy even the most gourmet of tastes and is a highly recommended and unique addition to personal, family, and community library cookbook collections.

Who knew quince could be so versatile? Who knew much about quince anyway? At least here in much of the U.S., the quince is not exactly a mainstream ingredient; however, after reading this book (and it is a book to read as well as to cook with!), I found myself craving quince. This is, quite simply, a wonderful book full of background information on this forgotten fruit, and the recipes are both sophisticated and, as implied by the title, simple to follow!

Written in simple, direct language, "Simply Quince" is reference book on all things quince. The recipes are well organized with clear directions and helpful comments. Ghazarian eloquently describes quince's long history, adding insight from her Armenian roots and her enthusiasm for the fruit. Although it is not an easy fruit to process, Ghazarian simplifies the procedure. For those who want to go beyond just cooking with quince, there are excellent references to quince varieties, nurseries and even weights and measures for quince. I've already made 10 of the recipes and am looking forward to cooking through many more! Oh yes, the cover picture and recipe photos are truly enticing.

We were pleased to find many things about quince that we hadn't known. There were a number of recipes that were a big help in using more of our prolific crop of quinces.
The major problem was that many of the recipes contained ingredients that we do not use or have access to.
Another thing we found was that the variety of quince that we have so many laundry baskets of is not one that is mentioned, seems to be sweeter and softer and does not keep anywhere near as long as the author indicates the varieties listed should last, even though we keep them in our garage that stays pretty cool.
My only other problem is the amount of time spent in the kitchen, although I have to come to grips with the fact that at my advanced age I'm never going to get away from it as long as he keeps growing so many unusual fruits!!
We are thankful for the book and will be using it quite a lot and sharing some of the information with friends and relatives who are willing to take some of our surplus. We actually bought a second copy at the same time for our CSA supplier who had also been wondering what to do with the ones we gave her.

Puts a number of quince recipes in one spot. Offers a range of recipes from very simple to more complex and a range of types of recipes from preserves, to desserts to main course meals. She is passionate about the fruit and its use and that comes through as genuine and not hokey. Nice to read the history of the crop and its cultural significance.

Do you love and/or have lots of quince? You will be amazed at how many wonderful ways this cookbook describes to prepare, preserve, and enjoy this hardy, prolific, yummy fruit! It's so helpful to have, and great as a gift.