The late Spanish summer brings with it the arrival of quince, fresh figs and pomegranates. Sometimes these delicious fruits often get a little forgotten but for any serious cook, they can be an endless source of inspiration, and I always look forward to having them in season every year.
”Membrillo”(Quince), when fully ripe, can fill a room with the most unbelievable fragrance. It is a rustic cousin to apples and pears with much the same shape as an apple, although a little larger with a harder skin. Quince is often referred to as the cook's fruit as it cannot be eaten raw. It makes exceptionally good jellies and jams as it contains large amounts of pectin, which makes it ideal for preserves. The Spanish serve quince jelly with cheese, but you can also add diced "membrillo" to casseroles and stews or as serve a puree with poultry and game. It is said that quince was sacred to Aphrodite, the goddess of love, as a symbol of happiness, love and fertility.
“Higos frescos”, fresh figs are one of the oldest known fruits known to man. There was a fig tree in the Garden of Eden, and it is the most mentioned fruit in the Bible. They are high in energy and early Olympic athletes were given figs as a training food. They were also given as laurels to the winners of the first Olympics as a "medal". There are many varieties, but figs are generally classified by colour: green, gold, black and purple. I personally hate dried or stewed figs, but fresh Figs have a magnificent sweet, fragrant flavour and are best eaten slightly warm. They can be simply roasted with honey and work well with salty feta cheese, orange, port, ginger, strawberries, almonds and chocolate. Good quality, thinly sliced Serrano ham with crusty bread and fresh figs makes a fabulous snack or light lunch. They are perfect partners for foie gras, duck, smoked meats, pâtés and they can also brighten things up no end when thrown into a salad with blue cheese and walnuts.
"Granada" (pomegranate) with its thick, leathery red skin is another curious fruit with an intense, acidic flavour. Inside it contains large white seeds that are covered in small sacks of pinkish-red juicy sweet pulp. It is fiddly to eat but the juice is well worth extracting for refreshing, long drinks. It also acts as a tenderiser and can be used to marinate and flavour chicken, lamb or game. For thousands of years pomegranates have been the symbol of wealth and are mentioned in ancient myths as foods favoured by the gods. They also combine well with walnuts, figs, bananas, cream cheese and pistachios. A simple orange salad can be transformed into something special with the addition of a few pomegranate seeds.
Menjar blanc with rosewater & pomegranate syrup
Ingredients: serves 4
200g almonds, peeled and chopped
800ml milk
1 vanilla pod, split
50g corn flour
220g sugar
A sick of cinnamon
Grated zest of one lemon
Rosewater & pomegranate syrup:
120ml water
60g sugar
1tbsp pomegranate molasses
4tbsp pomegranate seeds
2-3 drops of rosewater essence
Bring the almonds, vanilla pod and milk to the boil in a heavy bottomed saucepan. Turn down the heat a simmer for 3-4 minutes. Remove from the heat and leave to cool. Pass through a fine sieve and dissolve 100ml almond milk with the corn flour. Bring the rest of the milk to the boil with the cinnamon and lemon zest. Whisk in the corn flour and stir constantly until the milk starts to thicken. Remove the cinnamon stick and pour the almond milk into glasses, moulds or ceramic dishes. Chill well in the refrigerator for 4-6 hours or overnight.
Meanwhile, to make the pomegranate syrup, stir the water, pomegranate molasses and sugar in a small saucepan over medium heat for 5 minutes or until the sugar dissolves. Bring to the boil and simmer for 1-2 minutes until the syrup starts to thicken. Stir in the pomegranate seeds and rosewater and chill.
Fig, goat’s cheese & rocket leaf salad with Balsamic vinaigrette
Ingredients serves 4
6 fresh, ripe figs
180g goats' cheese
4 handfuls of rocket leaves, cleaned
Balsamic vinaigrette
2 tbsp Diijon mustard
3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
Salt and pepper, to taste
Whisk ingredients together or shake in a jar. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Using a sharp knife, cut the figs into quarters.
Cut the goats cheese into large cubes and mix together the rocket leaves and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
Place in a large bowl and top with the fresh figs.
Drizzle with the balsamic vinaigrette and serve immediately.
MEMBRILLO (QUINCE JELLY)
This is a great accompaniment for hard and semi-smoked Spanish cheeses like the Mallorcan "grimalt" or "manchego", "idiazabel" or "roncal". You can also spread it on your toast for breakfast.
1KL Fresh quince (peeled and diced)
800G sugar
1 vanilla pod (split)
800ml water
Place all the ingredients in a heavy-bottomed pan and cover with a tight-fitting lid. Cook over a gentle flame, stirring occasionally, for 60- 70 minutes until thick. Pour into a plastic container and leave to set in the refrigerator for 24 hours.
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