Poached quince and winter fruit in spiced wine

Ingredients

For the red wine jus

        400ml/14fl oz red wine (see tip)

        2 tsp stevia powder or 100g/3½oz caster sugar

        ½ vanilla pod

        4 small cinnamon sticks

        2 black peppercorns

        2 bay leaves

        2 cloves

        2 thin slices lemon

        2 thin slices orange

For the winter fruit

        2 quince, peeled, cored and quartered

        2 Cox’s Orange Pippin apples, peeled, cored and quartered

        2 very ripe Conference pears, peeled, cored and quartered

        4 Agen prunes

        handful frozen blackberries (optional)

Preparation method

    For the red wine jus, in a saucepan over a high heat, bring the red wine to the boil for 2 minutes, which will remove much of the alcohol, then add 400ml/14fl oz water and the remaining jus ingredients and bring to a gentle simmer.

    For the winter fruit, poach the quince in the simmering jus for around 25 minutes. Add the apples and pears and simmer for 4 minutes. Leave to cool to room temperature before adding the prunes and blackberries (if using). Strain a third of the liquor and freeze overnight; cover and chill the remaining liquid and fruit in the fridge.

    To serve, scrape the frozen cooking liquor with a fork to create beautiful flakes of perfumed ice. Arrange the fruit, spices and cooking juices in a large dish or divide between four bowls. At the last moment, put a spoonful of the delicate flakes of spiced wine granita on top of your dessert. You could alternatively serve the granita in small cups from the freezer as a little pre-dessert.




from BBC