Quince are pear-green when unripe. When
ripe, they turn gold. Photo courtesy
Wikimedia.

Native to the Caucasus, the mountain range that separates Europe and Asia, quince is related to both the apple and the pear. It looks like a combination of the two, or a large, lumpy pear. The fruit can easily grow to six inches in length. The plural form of the word is the same as the singular—quince, not quinces.

Most varieties of quince are too hard and astringent to be eaten raw. Instead, they are used to make jam, jelly, quince pudding, pies and tarts. Adding a dice of quince to applesauce and apple pies enhances the flavor and texture. The white flesh turns red after a long cooking time.

The word “marmalade,” which originally meant quince jam, derives from “marmelo,” the Portuguese word for quince. The form of quince we personally eat most often—membrillo—is a quince paste (crema de membrillo) enjoyed with Spanish cheeses. (If you see it, buy it—it couldn’t be more delicious.)

Buying & Storing Quince
Choose quince that are hard and firm. Although the fruit may have bruise marks, they usually do not affect the quality.

Store quince in a plastic bag in the refrigerator; they’ll keep for several weeks. Once ripe, the skin will turn from green to yellow, but the fruit will still be firm (and in need of cooking).

Quince should be peeled before cooking.

Celebrate fall by making this Quince Tart Tatin, a recipe from one of our favorite chefs, Charlie Palmer.

Find more of our favorite pie recipes in our Pie & Pastry Section.

If the planning is effortless, so much the better.

That’s why we were so pleased to discover Cookies & Corks—a young business founded by two young moms who met via their kids’ activities.

Cookies & Corks is a new twist on wine pairing: dry wines with sweet foods. The company sells cookies and recommends which types of wines to pair with them.

Then, instead of popping the cork and serving a plate of cheese, you serve a plate of cookies.

These are not just any cookies, but sweet-and-savory cookies crafted specifically to pair with the wines. Your own recipe for chocolate peanut butter cookies, for example, would need to be tweaked a bit to work as well as the Cookies & Corks version does.

Open the box, pop the cork and enjoy.
Photo courtesy Cookies & Corks.

Here’s what’s in store for your get-together:

 
Each box contains 15 all-natural cookies—five each of three flavors. Wine pairing suggestions are included, and the wines are easy to find.
 
If the concept of cookies and wine sounds quirky to you, there’s only one thing to do: Get a box of Cookies & Corks and see for yourself. Sophisticated and novice wine drinkers alike will have a fun time, enjoying the tasty cookies and marveling about how well the pairings work.

You don’t need to throw a party: Cookies & Corks for a quiet movie evening is also a special event.

And the next time you give a bottle of wine, including the matching box of Cookies & Corks will make it memorable.

Learn more at CookiesAndCorks.com.

Photo by Molly Little | SXC.

Here’s our first baking tip of the 2011 “baking season”: cookies.

With a lot of holiday baking to do, it’s tempting to put two cookie sheets into the oven at once. But unless you have a convection oven, you need to place just one sheet dead center for even baking.

Rotate. If you’ve got to bake two at a time, you’ll need to rotate the sheets halfway through. Not only switch racks, but also turn the baking sheets front-to-back.

Cool. The sheets need to be cool before you add more dough. Otherwise, the dough will start to melt when it hits the hot metal. We have two large cookie sheets and rotate them.

Finally, if you need to buy cookie sheets, spend for the best, commercial-weight ones. You’ll have them for a lifetime. Even if they’re double the cost, they’ll pay you back by not warping over time.

The best cookie sheets tend to be stainless steel rather than nonstick, but use parchment paper and cleaning is easy.

And buy the largest size that will fit into your oven. It’s better to have extra space on the sheet than not enough.

For great baking tips, check out The Baking Answer Book, a wonderful compilation of tips by Lauren Chattman.
  

The bento comprises a box-shaped container with compartments. The boxes range from beautiful lacquer to plastic lunchbox to disposable take-out containers. They can be one level, as in the photo, or stacked. The defining feature is the variety of foods.

Bento is more than restaurant fare: Japanese homemakers prepare them for family members’ lunches, as well as for their own. The goal is to provide an attractive variety of foods.

So today’s tip is: Think bento, with American ingredients, for lunch or dinner.

A restaurant bento box. Photo by
Blue Lotus | Wikimedia.

You can whip up your bento from scratch, and/or use up leftovers. It’s easy to incorporate healthy foods. You can serve the foods on one plate, or put each item on a small plate or other dish.

Consider an assortment of small-portion foods including:

 
By the way, the word “bento” originates from a slang term in the Southern Song Dynasty (1127–1279 C.E.) meaning “convenient” or “convenience.”

To us, it means “tasty variety.”

Check out some of our favorite international foods.
  

There isn’t much quality difference between high-priced and lesser-priced vodka. Mid-priced Smirnoff has won the gold medal in the San Francisco World Spirits Competition blind tasting.

If you’re more interested in value than status, take a look at Wódka vodka.

Wódka, the brand name, is the Polish word for vodka. The generic-looking brand accepts a lower profit margin to deliver an “egalitarian” product. A 750ml bottle costs just $10.00 to $12.00. Think of it as affordable premium vodka.

We liked drinking it straight. In a mixed drink, no one will know the difference.

This rye-based vodka is triple-distilled by Polmos Bialystock Distillery in Poland. Don’t be fooled by vodkas that tout that they are distilled 10, 20 or 100 times. After the third distillation, the human palate can’t discern a difference.

In 2010, Wódka won both a gold medal and a Best Buy award from the Beverage Tasting Institute, scoring 90 points—the most inexpensive vodka with a 90+ rating.

What if your friends, impressed by status vodka brands such as Chopin, Grey Goose and Ketel One, question why you purchased Wódka?

Tell them it not only tastes good, it’s on trend. According to Mintel International Group, a research firm, one-quarter of all spirits drinkers reported moving to lower-cost brands in 2010.

Learn more at WeLoveWodka.com.

Check out the history of vodka.

Find vodka cocktail recipes in our Cocktails & Spirits Section.

*The U.S. Government Standard of Identity for vodka: “Vodka” is neutral spirits so distilled, or so treated after distillation with charcoal or other materials, as to be without distinctive character, aroma, taste or color.