Mulled

Merry Christmas everyone, best wishes for 2013!

Quinces roasted in Pineau des Charentes

Remember the opening credits to Quincy M.E.? A recurrent clip is interspersed throughout episode footage (mostly snippets of Quincy in a blind rage, shouting at someone); we’re led to believe that it shows him inspecting a dead body on a post-mortem table. But wait! The camera zooms out to reveal our hero ‘examining’ a bikini-clad lady’s shoulder on a yacht, moored up in a posh harbour! The cad! They toast a pair of gin & tonics - I swear that hers is laced with anaesthetic snaffled from the lab though. He’s not quite right that Quincy is he?

If you don’t know what I’m talking about, click here

Reader, I apologise. I feel that I’ve lured you here under the pretence of offering warming autumnal sustenance, only to digress with talk of a 1970s American TV series*. Many thanks to the lovely Silvana de Soissons for a bagful of gorgeous Quinces - I plan on making a batch of membrillo with the remaining fruit, but couldn’t resist roasting a few up on Sunday for dessert. It’s really worth trying to track down a bottle of Pineau (to drink as well as to cook with); I had the good fortune to visit the Charente Valley in the summer, but Oddbins stock it. Serves 4.

*Which was never a patch on Columbo, I might add.

4 Quinces, quartered and cored

1 Wine glass of Pineau des Charentes (use port or sherry if you can’t get hold of this)

Zest and juice of 1 orange

4Tbsp Honey

6 Cloves

2 Star anise

1 Cinnamon stick, broken up

Vanilla ice cream, to serve

Heat the oven to 200C/fan 180C/gas 6. Arrange the quinces in a large baking dish, then add the remaining ingredients. Cook in the oven for about an hour, turning the quinces regularly and spooning the juice over the softening fruit. Serve with scoops of vanilla ice cream.

Five spice duck with damson relish

Autumn abounds; sepia tendrills creep through trees and hedgerows. The dichroic blur of a dragonfly glances across river surface as I fill the basket with damsons, wild carrot heads twisting themselves into forlorn curls along the muddy track. The countryside is contemplating the onset of winter. Serves 4.

4 Duck breasts, skin on

Chinese five spice powder

200g Damsons

A small piece of fresh root ginger, grated

1/2 Red onion, thinly sliced

4Tbsp Caster sugar

A splash of rosehip vinegar

The zest and juice of 1 orange

1 Star anise

Groundnut oil

1 Gently soften the ginger, onion and orange zest in a small pan while you de-stone the damsons. Stir in the fruit, sugar, star anise, orange juice and vinegar, then cook for a further 10 minutes (if your damsons are a touch astringent you may have to add a little extra sugar along the way). Leave to cool.

2 Spoon 3 tablespoons of five spice onto a large plate, then add salt and pepper. Roll each breast in the powder, then put to one side. If you like your duck skin extra crispy, score a criss-cross pattern into the skin with a sharp knife before seasoning.

3 Fry the duck breasts skin side down for 7-10 minutes until the skin is crispy. Turn the breasts over and cook for a further 5-7 minutes. Rest (the duck breasts - not you), slice, then serve in warm tortillas with spring onions and a good dollop of the relish.

ALSO GOOD TO MAKE NOW

Sloe gin

Spicy toffee nut pears

220g Granulated sugar

110ml Water

25g Butter

1/2tsp Cider vinegar

1/2tsp Cayenne pepper

1 Star anise

A handful of chopped mixed nuts

It's a good idea to use slightly under ripe pears. Heat the water in a pan, add sugar as it warms to dissolve. Stir in butter, vinegar, pepper and star anise and bring to the boil. You need to heat the toffee to hard-crack stage; this takes about 10 minutes, after which a small drop spooned into cold water will go rock hard and sink to the bottom. Stir in nuts, poke a stick into the top of each pear and coat in nutty toffee. Consume with youthful abandon.

Feral fruit chutney

2 lbs Wild fruit (I used a mix of mostly wild cherry plums, damsons and apples). Oh, and a pair of crab apples.

1 large chopped onion

4 tbsp sugar (possibly more, depending on the collective sweetness of your fruit)

1 Red chilli

2 Star anise

1 Cinnamon stick

A splash of cider vinegar

A pinch of cayenne pepper

Soften onion in a pan while you remove the fruit stones and chop the (peeled) apples. Add remaining ingredients and bring to a quick bubble. Boil for 30-45 minutes until reduced and thick, before spooning into sterilised jars.