Honey Roast Quince & Earl Grey Muffins

Bringing Back the Muffin Basket

Dec 01, 2024

After making some Honey Roasted Quince from Jack > they remained in my fridge for a week or two before I decided their fate. I was thinking about how a warm muffin can lift the spirits, and there are so many that need a little lift right now, so it came about that I made a basket of muffins (with a little earl grey tea added as an extra - AVANTCHA, of course) as a kind of spiritual act for those people (including myself), even though they may not actually get to eat one. Plungeth your hand into my muffin basket of love with your eyeballs if that’s you, and I hope it still has some of the effect that a muffin basket so intends.

(Picture above taken for The Goods Shed in Canterbury)

I noticed Jennifer and Terry cleaning the car on the driveway in the rain through the window so they had a couple wrapped up in a napkin as a reward for their efforts, and I knew that Alun would be popping down for tea with Josephine in the afternoon, and they got a pair too. The rest are now nestled in my favourite tin awaiting their receiver, whomever that may end up being.

Ingredients

150g granulated sugar

250g chopped honey roasted quince, plus 12 slices for decorating

80ml vegetable oil

2 large eggs

2 tbsp milk

240g plain flour

1 tsp bicarbonate soda

1/2 tsp baking powder

1 teabag Earl Grey tea ground into a fine powder

1/4 tsp salt

75g crumble mix

Method

Preheat oven to 180 degrees

Oil a muffin tray

Whisk together the sugar, egg, tea, oil, milk until foamy and then add the chopped quince

Stir all of the dry ingredients together separately and fold into the wet mixture until just incorporated

Divide between the trays, sprinkle with crumble mix and top each with a slice of quince, and bake for between 15 and 25 minutes depending on your oven - check at 15 minutes to see the progress

Remove from oven and leave to cool

Enjoy plain, or with creme fraiche, or even with a smidge of butter

I had intended a long testimonial to quince, much like this piece on apples that proved to be popular, but my mind is on a bowl of soup and a poem about a tree full of egrets that I can see from the train and have been trying to get to without any luck. I will revisit this piece again and add more layers, time permitting.

Instead, here is a round up of wider quince-related inspiration from other writers that I enjoyed and intend to follow, including a couple of my own. Am I missing yours? Tell me in the comments.

Brilliant Brandy Liqueurs with Tea

Sally Gurteen

October 13, 2024

When in doubt, make it into a brandy liqueur. And add tea. That’s how I like to live my life anyway. Drowning things in the stuff for the sake of, well, more brandy. I’m surrounded by stray bottles of concoctions from seasons past, though most of it ends up as gifts, especially when I find gorgeous old decanters in my near-daily jaunts in charity shops.

Read full story

Other Quincespiration >

A love letter intro to quince from Giulia - the recipe part is behind a paywall, but her work is wonderful and you might like to consider a subscription as a gift to yourself

Quince Jelly from Laura - a traditional Italian recipe for Cotognata from lovely Laura

An incredibly generous round up of recipes from A Good Table - including a saffron and nutmeg poached quince pairing with almond cake

Pot roasted quince from Jennifer Hicks

Quince chutney and more from Georgeanne Brennan

A really beautiful lamb and quince braise from Saghar Setareh

Pumquince pie from Marie Havnoe Frank

Sweet potato and quince pie from Kate Hill

A stunning quince cake / tart from Rossana Pegurri (scroll for the English recipe)