Quince Waffles

Every year a colleague brings me a bag of quince from her tree. They have been sitting on the counter emitting their lovely aroma for far too long. So I decided to make waffles. The timing was perfect. When I woke up the morning, the ground was covered with the first snow of the season! I like quince, but I don’t use them very often in my cooking. They are a pain to prepare since they are inedible and rock hard when raw. Yesterday I placed some in a pot of water and let them simmer away until soft.

This recipe is from Heidi Swanson’s latest book “Near and Far”. I have been a fan of Heidi’s for many years since she has the same approach to cooking as I do. Seasonal dishes spiked with spices from her travels and what is available in her native San Francisco. This resonates with me as my childhood in California is deeply ingrained in what I like to eat and cook. I’ve bookmarked many of the recipes in her latest book and can’t wait to start cooking hearty and flavorful stews and salads.

I made only very minor changes to the recipe and halved it. My changes are as the recipe is written below. There were more than enough of the delicious waffles for our breakfast for two.

Quince Waffles (slightly adapted from Heidi Swanson)

1.5 cups / 180 g spelt flour
1/4 cup / 25 g rolled oats
2 oz / 55 g cornstarch
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
2 cups / 0.5 l milk
1/4 cup / 58 g butter, melted and cooled
2 eggs, separated
2 smallish quince, pre-cooked (day before)

Combine the flour, cornstarch, baking powder and baking soda in a large bowl. In s separate bowl, whisk together the mild, butter and egg yolks. In a third bowl, beat the egg whites to stiff peaks. Preheat the oven to 225°F / 110°C.

Heat the waffle maker and peel and grate the quince, adding them to the dry mixture. Add the buttermilk mixture to the dry mix and stir until the batter comes together. Add the egg whites and carefully fold under.

Ladles the batter onto the waffle maker and cook until golden and crisp. Place on a plate and keep warm in the oven until the remaining waffles have been made.

Serve with butter and maple syrup.