We decided to start trying random produce that we’ve never had before, in theory picking one each week at the grocery store or wherever.  The first one we tried is quince — which look a lot like pears, and are a lot like pears, except that they need to be cooked before they are edible.

Trust me on this — I read that they were tough and astringent before cooking, but decided to eat a tiny chunk when preparing them, and it was so mouth-puckeringly terrible that I had to spit it out and rinse my mouth out.

But once cooked, they are very much like pears.  We had them for breakfast as a topping for biscuits, with some of the syrup.

Poached Quince

3 quinces, peeled, cored and sliced
4 cups water
1½ cups sugar
1 stick cinnamon
5 cloves
3 orange slices

• Peel quinces with a potato peeler, then cut quince flesh off the core by slicing slightly off center.  Note: to prevent discolor
• Dissolve sugar in water and bring to a simmer.
• Add remaining ingredients

But we kept most of the syrup to make cocktails with:

Quince Collins

1½ oz. dry gin
1½ oz. quince syrup
juice from ½ lime
ice
6 oz. club soda