Turkish · Snack · Dinner
Turkish Baked Quince Dessert
Ayva tatlısı
Halved quinces slowly baked in a lightly sweetened, clove-scented syrup until they turn a deep ruby-amber and become meltingly tender. They are finished with toasted walnuts and a spoonful of thick yogurt in place of the traditional clotted cream.
- Prep
- 20 min
- Cook
- 105 min
- Total
- 125 min
- Serves
- 4
Calories come from: Carbs 81% · Fat 16% · Protein 3%
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Ingredients
For 4 servings- 2 large900 gQuinces
- 1/3 cup plus 1 tbsp80 gGranulated sugar
- 1 1/2 cups360 gWater
- 1 tbsp15 gLemon juice
- 6Whole cloves
- 1 smallCinnamon stick
- 1/4 cup30 gWalnuts, chopped
- 1/2 cup120 gPlain Greek yogurt, low-fat (optional)
Steps
- 1
Heat the oven to 180 °C (350 °F).
- 2
Wash the quinces well, rubbing off any fuzz.
- 3
Peel the quinces, keeping the peel.
- 4
Cut each quince in half lengthwise and scoop out the core, saving the seeds.
- 5
Place the quince halves cut side up in a baking dish that fits them snugly.
- 6
Spoon the sugar into the hollows and over the cut surfaces.
- 7
Scatter the saved seeds and peel around the quinces; they help create the classic red colour.
- 8
Tuck the cloves and cinnamon stick into the dish.
- 9
Mix the water with the lemon juice and pour it around the quinces.
- 10
Cover the dish tightly with foil and bake for 60 minutes.
- 11
Remove the foil, spoon the syrup over the quinces and bake uncovered for 35–40 minutes more, basting once or twice, until they are very tender and deep amber-red and the syrup has thickened.
- 12
Meanwhile, toast the walnuts in a dry pan over medium heat for 3–4 minutes until fragrant.
- 13
Remove the peel, seeds, cloves and cinnamon from the syrup and discard them.
- 14
Let the quinces cool slightly, then serve each half drizzled with syrup.
- 15
Top with a spoonful of yogurt, if using, and the toasted walnuts.
Swaps, storage and make-ahead
Swaps
- For a vegan version, top with a thick coconut or soy yogurt labelled vegan instead of Greek yogurt.
- Use kaymak or clotted cream instead of yogurt for the traditional, richer finish.
- Swap the walnuts for chopped pistachios or toasted hazelnuts, or leave the nuts out for a nut-free dessert.
- If quinces are hard to find, firm Bosc pears work as a close variant, though they need much less baking time and will not turn as red.
Storage
Refrigerate cooled quinces in their syrup in a covered container within 2 hours and eat within 3 to 4 days, adding the yogurt and walnuts only when serving. Enjoy them chilled, at room temperature or gently warmed in their syrup until hot.
Make ahead
Bake the quinces up to 2 days ahead and keep them covered in their syrup in the fridge, then warm gently or serve at room temperature. Toast the walnuts a day or two in advance and store them in an airtight jar at room temperature.
Nutrition values are for the recipe as written.
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Allergens and nutrition
Contains: Tree nutsMilk
Check the labels of packaged ingredients for allergens and suitability for your diet.
Full nutrition
| Per serving (347 g) | Per 100 g | |
|---|---|---|
| Calories | 258 kcal | 74 kcal |
| Protein | 2.1 g | 0.6 g |
| Carbohydrates | 56.4 g | 16.3 g |
| of which sugars | 20.3 g | 5.9 g |
| Fiber | 5.2 g | 1.5 g |
| Fat | 5.1 g | 1.5 g |
| of which saturated | 0.5 g | 0.1 g |
| Sodium | 13 mg | 4 mg |
Nutrition is calculated from USDA FoodData Central data and may differ from what you cook.
