October gave a party; the leaves by hundreds came
The Ashes, Oaks, and Maples, and leaves of every name.
The sunshine spread a carpet, and everything was grand,
Miss Weather led the dancing, Professor Wind the band.
George Cooper
No dahlia petals are mentioned in the lines above, but it felt like a party on the mantel today. Sunshine gives me energy.
A friend gave us a bag of quince. Or is it quinces? Quinces - I just looked it up. They are so fragrant, perfuming the air around them with a floral scent. Related to roses, apples, and pears, quinces are relatively new to me. They are not eaten raw and take a bit of effort to core as the insides are very hard.
I poached quarters of them in a spiced wine syrup, then cooled them at room temperature before filling them with a dollop of strained yogurt mixed with vanilla and icing sugar. A sprinkle of pistachios on top. They turn from pale yellow to deep crimson when cooked. I have more quinces and plan to make this again. They have almost a citrus flavour with a hint of floral. Hard to describe, but delicious.
I took Cora to pre-school just before noon, then returned home and spent some time at my sewing machine. So satisfying. The jeans and trousers are hemmed and I started on another project.
I thought you might enjoy seeing another one of the magnificent west coast trees, this one a Red Cedar. I like the way a smaller tree is growing up from its roots, and the burl that seems to curl around the slender tree in a hug.
Dearest Lorrie,
ReplyDeleteThat Dahlia looks almost like a still life painting from one of the Dutch Masters... Light is the most important ingredient!
Quince is common in Italy and also in Spain and Portugal they know the delicious Membrillo paste . We enjoyed that in México City with our boss who hailed from Spain. It got served with Manchego cheese.
The Red Cedar is indeed a majestic tree! Our home, designed by my husband Pieter, got built with Red Cedar and Pieter had them use less distances between the roof beams for more sturdiness. So far it has proven to be strong throughout all tornados and hurricanes. Of course our Canadian Aged Copper aluminum roof also helps as that got installed over the original shingles. Great insulation and lifetime warranty.https://mariettesbacktobasics.blogspot.com/2013/08/our-home-with-aluminum-interlock.html
Hugs,
Mariette
Yes, I made some membrillo, too. I look forward to serving it with Manchego cheese. So delicious!
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DeleteAdd slices of quince when baking apple pie - magical.
ReplyDeleteOoh, that does sound like a good idea. Thank you.
DeleteQuince jelly is also very nice.
ReplyDeleteI think it would be!
DeleteI’ve never eaten quince. It looks so good. The tree is incredible!
ReplyDeleteThat tree just seemed to go up and up.
DeleteThe quince look delicious, I've only ever made quince jelly, love the George Cooper poem.
ReplyDeleteQuince jelly seems quite popular. If I get more quince I'll have to try it.
DeleteI have always enjoyed that poem. Fall I think, is my favorite time of year. Oh, and I remember my aunt had a quince bush just outside her back door. They smell so good.
ReplyDeleteIt's a fun poem. Fall is definitely my favorite time of year!
DeleteI'm not familiar with Quines but they sound quite delicious ( once cooked).
ReplyDeleteAt first glance I thought that the burl was some furry animal climbing the tree.
They are an old-fashioned fruit and not grown too much anymore except in old orchards.
DeleteBeautiful photos with the sunlight. I regularly make quince jam and as you say they are very hard to chop. Sadly this year my neighbour didn’t fare well with her tree so no jam. Hopefully better next year. As you say the smell is amazing. I will have to try your recipe. B x
ReplyDeleteQuince jam would be so tasty!
DeleteThat tree is something. I was really tempted to buy a bunch of Dahlias at Trader Joe's on Monday...so pretty.
ReplyDeleteYes, I stood looking at that tree for a long time.
DeleteStunning photos of your dahlia! A party indeed!
ReplyDeleteWhat a nice way to use quinces! I didn't get any this year - missed connections with the friend of a friend who has given them to me several times. But that was okay, because I didn't have time to do anything with them this year. Hers are always so wormy (organic!) they take a lot of work to save out the parts the worms didn't eat. These you show us are beautiful specimens!
ReplyDeleteA fun poem.
ReplyDeleteI've not had these, quince.
That tree is amazing! I've one rose bud left. We'll see what happens.