Day 259: heady heaven

The heady, humble quince. Oh, how I adore thee. We only met for the first time six months ago, but not a day’s gone by I haven’t thought about you. How thrilled I am to smell you again. (This is not my attempt at poetry; just a few words of love to the dear quince.)

Day 259 is Nigella’s Roast Quinces. That heady, heavenly scent permeating through the home as they roast in a hot oven - in nothing more than a moderate pool of sizzling fat (of your choice) - is utterly divine. I want to gather it all up and condense it into a candle or, better still, a diffuser - that way I could have it as a constant. Then again, it’s a gift to be able to enjoy it straight from the source on the occasions I’m fortunate enough to get my hands on some.

Nigella’s Roast Quinces

Nestled here on a dill-rimmed plate with tender-fleshed, crunchy-skinned slabs of Nigella’s Norwegian Pork Ribs (that were in fact cooked the day before - Day 258 - and reheated in the oven for the quince matching. And that crackling remained gorgeously crackly, still).

The recipe for Nigella’s Roast Quinces can be found on p278 of Cook Eat Repeat.