Gourmet Chef

My husband is a gourmet chef. In our seven year relationship (thus far) he has shown me amazing delicacies that I otherwise never would've known. He is Turkish and it seems Turkish Cuisine is among  the undiscovered wonders by the rest of the world. If you taste this (and you should) I swear it will not disappoint!

This Quince Dessert (Ayva Talisi) is one of the best sweet treats I've ever tasted!

A quince is a sort of pear. It's a bit squattier and much more cloying when eaten raw than a pear is but when poached in a simple syrup and served chilled garnished with Kaymak (the Turkish version of Mascarpone) it is divinity. Photo Source

Ingredients:

3 Quinces halved and cored (reserve the seeds)

2 C sugar

6 whole cloves

1/2 C - 1 C water

Directions:

Place the quince core side up in a pan

cover with sugar

put the seeds in the bottom of the pan (this gives the stunning color)

add the cloves too (optional - my husband doesn't use them)

add the water 

cover and simmer checking often so as not to burn them

To serve (pictured above):

Place half a quince core side up in the middle of a plate

drizzle some of the pan syrup over the quince

add a generous dollop of Kaymak (if you cannot find Kaymak, 

Mascarpone is an acceptable substitute)