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)

Method

1. 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.

2. 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.

3. 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.

Tips

Tip 1: I normally use vanilla purée, but here I want the vanilla to diffuse its flavour slowly so as to penetrate the quince, and the most effective means of achieving this is to use a pod.


Tip 2: My general rule about wine when cooking is not to use an expensive bottle. Look for a deep, rich-coloured Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot. Pinot Noir is too light.


Tip 3: It is important that the liquid does not boil while poaching the fruits, as the intensity of the heat will damage their delicate flesh.