Small (Wipe quarter core and pare)

A plain baked quince, and one of the few genuinely reliable ways to deal with a fruit that is inedible raw. Almost everything depends on giving it enough time at a low temperature.

• Oven temperatureThe book says only "a slow oven," which is usually reckoned somewhere in the range of 250-325F. Do not raise it to hurry things along: quince flesh softens slowly and gently, and higher heat will dry the surface before the centre gives way.
• How long is "a long time"Expect two to three hours, covered. The book's warning is the whole point of the recipe. Test with a skewer, which should slide through without resistance.
• The colour changeHeld long enough with sugar and moisture, quince often turns from pale cream to amber, rose, or deep ruby, a change generally attributed to heat acting on the fruit's colourless tannin compounds. Depth of colour varies with the fruit and the length of cooking, so judge doneness by texture rather than by colour alone.
• Cutting them safelyRaw quinces are dense and awkward. Use a heavy chef's knife, halve them through the stem end on a flat cut surface, and quarter from there. The core is stony and should be cut out generously rather than scooped.
• Cover it properly"Cover" means a tight lid or foil. The one and one-half cups of water is all the moisture in the dish, and an uncovered pan will run dry long before the fruit is soft.
• SugarThree-fourths cup for eight quinces is a modest amount and leaves the fruit distinctly tart. Ripe, fragrant quinces take it well; hard underripe ones benefit from another quarter cup.
• Baking dishUse glass, enamelled cast iron or stoneware. Quince is acidic and will pick up a metallic taste from bare aluminium over a long bake.
• Yield and servingEight quinces serve eight to ten as a dessert or a breakfast fruit. Serve warm or cold with cream, or alongside roast pork or game, where the syrup does the work of a sauce.