Fried Quinces In The Manner Of The Countess Recipes

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Cut a lengthwise slit in each plantain and set on a baking sheet. Bake until the flesh is thoroughly soft and oozing through the slit, 40-50 minutes. Set aside to cool.
• Meanwhile, make the stuffing: Peel, core and finely chop 3 of the quinces. Peel and core the remaining 2 quinces and cut each into 8 wedges. Drop the wedges into a bowl of cold water to cover and squeeze in the lemon juice.
• Melt the butter in a small saucepan over moderate heat. Add the brown sugar and cook, stirring, until the sugar has melted. Add the finely chopped quinces, ginger, orange zest, cloves and cinnamon and stir to combine. Add 1 cup of water and continue cooking until most of the liquid is gone, about 15 minutes. Add the orange juice and rum and cook until almost all of the liquid is gone, about 5 minutes. Drain the quince wedges and add to the pan. Reduce the heat, cover and cook until the wedges are just soft, about 8 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat, stir in the walnuts and let cool. (The stuffing can be make a day in advance and refrigerated).
• Make the dough in a food processor with a paddle attachment: Peel, trim and discard any tough ends from the plantains. Combine the plantains and salt and pulse until a smooth puree is formed, or mix until just blended. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate about 2 hours.
• To assemble: Roll 2 tablespoons of the dough between your palms to form a ball. Line the bottom of a tortilla press with a small plastic bag and place the ball of dough in the center. Place another plastic bag over the dough and press to form a 3 1/2inch circle. Place a quince wedge on half of the dough circle and top it with a teaspoon of the sauce. Fold over to enclose the quince and press the edges to seal. Place the stuffed empanadas on a platter and chill at least 30 minutes.
• Heat the vegetable oil to 375 degrees F. Gently drop the empanadas into the hot oil and fry until golden, about 6 minutes. With a slotted spoon, remove from the oil and drain on paper towels. Sprinkle with powdered sugar and serve hot.

Steps:

• Prepare the grain as described in "An Easy Way of Preparing Quick-Cooking Couscous in the Oven" (page 376), using the quantities given in the ingredients list above, and olive oil instead of vegetable oil.
• Cut the quinces in half and trim off the darkened ends. This fruit is very hard, so use a large strong knife to press down on them. Put them in a pan, cover with water, and simmer about 20 minutes, until just tender. Strain and keep the cooking water. Cut into quarters and remove the cores and pips.
• In a large skillet, heat 2 tablespoons oil, put in the tomatoes and add the sugar, salt, pepper, and saffron. Cook until the tomatoes soften and fall apart. Put in the quinces and add 2 ladles of the quince water. Simmer until the quinces are very tender. This is the sauce.
• Brush a large sheet of foil (or 2 if you are cooking 2 fish) generously with oil. Place the fish in the middle and sprinkle lightly with salt. Wrap in a baggy parcel, twisting the foil edges together to seal it. Bake at 450°F. The cooking time depends on the size of the fish. Test for doneness for a large fish after about 30 minutes, for smaller ones after 20 minutes. Cut down to the backbone at the thickest part and check that the flesh flakes and has turned white and opaque right through.
• Serve the couscous in a large round dish. Put the fish in the middle and the sauce around it.

Steps:

• Heat the clarified butter in a skillet over low heat, and place the quince wedges into the pan. Cover, then gently cook the quince wedges until softened, about 15 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.
• Mix the flour, white sugar, and salt in a bowl. In a separate bowl, mix the beer with the vanilla extract and lemon zest; gradually mix the flour mixture into the beer mixture until it becomes a smooth batter.
• Melt the coconut oil in a skillet over medium heat. When the oil is hot, dip the quince wedges into the batter and place them in the hot oil; fry in batches until golden brown. Remove fried quinces to a warm platter while you finish frying. Sprinkle the fried quinces with demerara sugar to serve.