This poached quince trifle recipe is an easy and delicious make-ahead dessert. You can substitute quinces for apples or pears if not in season or available.
I like a challenge.
Quinces are not that common in Switzerland, so when I saw them in my local grocery store, I immediately snapped them up.
My strategy was to buy them quickly before they are gone and think about what to make with them later
Inspiration didn’t strike. What quince dessert should I make?
In the end, my partner was the one to come up with the idea for the recipe.
We still had some honey spice bread (ie. pain d’epice) from an earlier bake – why not make a trifle layering poached quinces with mascarpone cream and pieces of honey spice bread?
We served this recipe at a dinner party and it was a huge hit. Our friends really liked it.
The best think about it is how easy it is to prepare.
You might struggle to find quinces, especially since they are only available for a short period of time. Quinces are similar to apples and pears so if you can’t find quinces, pears or apples would also be delicious.
You can either make your own gingerbread (or try my spice bread recipe), or used a store bought version to save you time.
You may have some leftover poached quinces. If you do, save the poaching liquid as both the quinces and its liquid are delicious over yogurt or ice cream.
Easy Poached Quinces trifle
This poached quince trifle recipe is an easy and delicious make-ahead dessert. You can substitute quinces for apples or pears if not in season or available.
Poached quinces:
- 3 quinces
- 1 litre (4 cups) water
- 100 g (1/2 cup) sugar
- 100 g (1/4 cup) honey
Mascarpone cream:
- 400 g (2 cups) mascarpone cheese
- 180 g (3/4 cup) heavy cream
- 50 g (1/4 cup) sugar
Additional:
- Cinnamon for serving
- 5 slices gingerbread or homemade honey spice bread
Poach the quinces:
- Put water, sugar, and honey into pot and start simmering.
- Peel quinces, cut into quarters lengthwise, core them, and immediately put them into the poaching liquid to prevent them from turning brown.
- Simmer for 30 – 40 minutes until soft. You know they are done when a knife easily pierces the flesh.
- Set aside to cool.
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Save the poaching liquid for assembling the trifles.
Make mascarpone cream:
- In a mixer with the whisk attachment, beat the the mascarpone, heavy cream, and sugar until it thickens. This should take a minute or two.
Assemble the trifle:
- Cut the gingerbread or homemade honey spice bread and poached quinces into small chunks
- Cut the poached quinces into small chunks
-
Layer the ingredients as follows: Put the honey spice bread on the bottom. Moisten by adding a few tablespoons of the poaching liquid. Add a layer of diced quinces. Top with a layer of mascarpone cream. Repeat until you get to the top of the glass
- Top by sprinkling with cinnamon
If you can’t find quinces, you can just as well substitute them for pears or apples.