Slow-roasted quince turns soft and fragrant with honey and lemon. Cool, tangy labneh and crunchy walnuts give this simple fruit dessert just the right contrast.
Raw quince is firm, astringent and difficult to eat, but with enough heat and time it turns into tender fruit with a floral fragrance. The fruit is usually available in autumn; firm, unblemished quince is easiest to peel and cut. Depending on the quince and cooking time, the flesh changes from pale yellow to pink or a deeper red. Colour is not a reliable measure of doneness: instead, check whether the tip of a knife slips through a wedge without resistance.
Honey adds a rounded sweetness, while lemon juice keeps everything from tasting flat. The peel contributes too: use only the yellow part, as too much white pith can taste bitter. A cinnamon stick adds gentle spice as the quince cooks slowly, without overpowering its fragrance. Covering the dish keeps in enough moisture for the wedges to soften evenly; the juices released with the honey also turn into a light syrup. It’s better to cook the quince for longer at a low temperature than for a short time at high heat, as it needs time to become tender.
Labneh is strained yoghurt: creamy, tangy and firm enough to serve alongside the warm fruit. You can buy labneh ready-made, or strain full-fat yoghurt with a little salt in a clean cloth over a bowl in the fridge. Overnight usually gives it a firm texture; collect the liquid and discard it. Don’t use yoghurt that has been left out of the fridge. Greek yoghurt works too, but it is often already thick and usually needs less time to strain. Walnuts add a dry, slightly bitter crunch that goes well with the soft fruit; briefly toast them in a dry pan if you’d like their flavour to stand out a little more.
Serve the quince lukewarm with a spoonful of cold labneh, chopped walnuts and some of the syrup from the dish. The dessert is rich enough to stand on its own, but it also works well after a meal with pronounced savoury flavours. You can replace the quince with firm pears, but they cook faster and are less aromatic; start checking them sooner and use a little less lemon juice if the pears are already tangy. Store cooked quince and syrup covered in the fridge and warm them gently in a saucepan or oven. Add the labneh and walnuts just before serving, so the yoghurt stays cool and the nuts stay crunchy.
Make the labneh a day ahead: stir the salt into the yoghurt. Spoon the yoghurt into a clean cheesecloth or thin tea towel and suspend it over a bowl. Leave to strain in the fridge for 8–12 hours. If using ready-made labneh, skip this step.
Preheat the oven to 160 °C. Peel the quinces, cut them into quarters and remove the cores. Place the wedges in an oven dish.
Stir together the lemon juice, 250 ml water and honey. Pour this over the quince and add the lemon peel and cinnamon stick. Cover the dish tightly with a lid or aluminium foil.
Cook the quince in the oven for 2 to 2½ hours. Carefully turn the wedges after about 1½ hours. Remove them from the oven when they are soft and the tip of a knife passes through easily.
Roughly chop the walnuts. Spoon the warm quince onto plates with some syrup from the dish. Serve with labneh and walnuts.
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