Cardamom and Tea

an announcement!

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If you have had a conversation with me in the last year, you’re probably already in the know, but for everyone else: I’m publishing a cookbook with Chronicle Books, scheduled to be out in spring of 2022! It’s pretty much the one cookbook I’ve always wished existed, so I’m pretty proud of it, and I hope it’s something you’ve always wished for too.

I’ll give more details closer to the release date, but for now I’ll just say that it’s a book that works hard for you, and with it you can make just about anything with whatever ingredients you’ve got. It’ll have you thinking on your feet, using what you have, and getting creative while shopping for seasonal produce. It includes lots of ideas for improvisation, and it’s packed to the brim with all of my favorite recipes.

I’m so excited to get to share it in just about one year from now… and if you feel like a year is a long time to wait, just be glad that I didn’t announce this back when I signed on and started working on it in January 2020! 😜

Here are a few updates on where I’m at in the process, where I’ve been, and what to expect of this blog in the next year or so (including a few of the necessary details, but also lots of feeeeeelings! I’ll do an actual post with more details about the book itself further down the line. This is more just me telling you about what’s up with me, dear-diary-style):

  • selecting backdrops
  • first day of shooting

what’s up currently:

I turned in a full draft of my manuscript a few months ago, then got right to work on the photography, which I just wrapped up earlier this week. There’s still a lot to do: we’ve got a bit of editing and probably some reshooting to be done, and the Chronicle design team is now working on creating the book’s layout and design (then comes the marketing plan, and some other behind the scenes stuff).

But it’s still an exciting moment to actually have a full draft of the manuscript and photos, and it’s been fun celebrating those little milestones along the way. I’m so glad to be working with such great editors and designers, and I feel really lucky my book found its home at Chronicle.

  • late night working
  • self care in the form of hiking with kangaroos

what’s been up:

If you’re a regular here, it’s probably no surprise that my blog has been largely neglected for the last few months while in the heart of writing and photographing my book. When you’re working under a deadline, it’s hard not to feel like every second of extra effort might make your book that little bit stronger and better, and the idea that the book is going to be printed and immutable has brought out the perfectionist in me like never before. She’s not pretty!

But I’m really proud of myself for bothering to take care of myself, and that I’ve done a more or less okay job of taking breaks and enjoying life while undertaking this project (especially in the middle of a global pandemic, which has made self care a challenge for us all). But you know… something’s gotta give! And unfortunately, my blog was that something.

It’s funny [she says, not laughing]—I actually had a rock-solid plan for blogging while book writing, but there was a little unexpected plot twist along the way.

Long story short, I had worked on a whole other proposal for about five months leading up to my move to Australia in 2019. While the first proposal I sent out was really strong, it did not get picked up (it was largely deemed too niche). But at the time, I had stockpiled months of blog content to make sure I had a good head start going into my book project.

So when that project went pear-shaped, I ended up burning through much of my stockpiled content while jumping right into the next idea (… which meant I eventually ran out of blog content toward the end of working on this book, and basically just went into radio silence for like four months, eek!). I guess it could’ve been worse—if it wasn’t for that stockpile, I would’ve been off the map for like a year and a half. But still! The best-laid plans, etc., etc.

Thanks in large part to the support of my wonderful agent, Andrianna, I jumped right into the next proposal a few days after abandoning the one that bombed. And it’s funny, one failure actually saved me from another, because I got the idea for my next proposal from yet another old proposal that didn’t pan out.

I wrote that very first baby proposal a long, long time ago, back when I had just been blogging for a year or two, and I stopped working on it to start working in a restaurant for a while. When the restaurant opportunity arose, I very eagerly abandoned the book proposal because I believed it had absolutely no shape, no perspective, and few good ideas.

Later on, I thought maybe I was just being too hard on myself, but I went back to look at it, and I can confirm: it was absolutely awful! It was not as strong as the second one (the one that bombed), and definitely not as strong as the third. But it did have this one little kernel of a good idea.

That tiny idea grew into a robust proposal surprisingly quickly, since it had been slowly percolating for years, and we got a new proposal out to publishers within a couple months of the other one not finding a home. It got picked up, I got to work, and it’s been one of the most rewarding years of my life.

  • so many pickles!
  • so much thorough testing!

what’s up next:

I’ve still got a lot of work to do on the book, but things are definitely becoming chill enough that I feel like I have time to start blogging again. There’ll probably be a little delay from now, because I like to work on a few posts at a time, but I think it’s safe to say you should start to see new recipes regularly here again by March. I’m so excited to get back to it!

Later on in 2021, I’m going to start posting some recipes here that are tangentially related to my book, and I’ll be sharing more about how the book works and what you can expect of it. My book allows you to make just about anything, with lots of possibilities for variation, so we’re going to really put that to the test here and come up with some new exciting things inspired by it next winter/spring.

So stay tuned, and thanks for sticking around. More soon!

x
Kathryn

Olive Oil Quince Cake

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Fall is the heart of pome fruit season. There’s an abundance of apples and pears, but my favorite by far? Quince! If you don’t have quince on hand, feel free to make this olive oil quince cake with unsweetened applesauce instead of quince purée. But if you do stumble across some quince, this recipe is a lovely way to put them to good use.

If you’re ready to start baking, jump to the recipe. Or read on to learn where to find quince, how to prep them (for this and other recipes), reasons I love this particular quince cake, and a note on substitutions.

quince loaf cake, from above
a rectangular quince loaf cake with light pink icing dripping down the sides and rose petals on top, from a 45 degree angle

Where to find quince

Tracking down quince is less about hunting for them in specialty shops, and more about playing the long game. They quietly show up in grocery stores mid-fall through early winter, sometimes a little earlier or later depending on the year. So keep an eye out this fall and winter, especially in larger supermarkets with a robust produce section. Farmers markets are usually a good bet during that window, and you can always ask fruit purveyors when they think quince will be hitting the market.

How to prep quince

The moment you slice into a quince, it’ll start to brown almost instantly. Don’t worry though—this isn’t a sign that you’re doing something wrong, and you certainly don’t need to break out the lemon juice. It’s just what it means to be a quince. Think of it as the fruit version of linen wrinkles: natural and charming.

After you slice the quince open, you core it. This works a little like coring apples, but it’s not exactly the same. There are lots more little stony bits surrounding the core, so you’ll need to do a little extra work to scrape those out. There are instructions in the notes at the end of the recipe card below.

Quince purée: For this recipe, all you need to do is gently poach them in water until soft, and then purée them. That’s it. But here are a couple other ways to prep quince for other applications:

Quince paste or jam: They’re wonderful cooked down with sugar into a thick paste (membrillo) or reduced less to make a lovely jam. If you cook them for any moderately long period of time, they’ll turn the most incredible coral pink color. They’ve got a crazy amount of pectin, so they set up really well.

Raw quince: Many online produce guides will go to great pains to inform you that eating quince raw is absolutely unheard of. However, they are indeed eaten raw in many parts of the world. This is partly because varieties in regions where they are eaten raw tend to be sweeter and less astringent. Raw quince was my great grandfather’s favorite!

quince loaf cake, from above
loaf cake shot from above with a few slices fanned out from one end

Why I love this quince cake recipe

  • It uses olive oil, which gives the cake a tender, moist texture. And the fruity flavor of olive oil pairs beautifully with quince.
  • It’s very adaptable, and I’ll share a few variations in the next section.
  • It’s easy to throw together and just as easy to dress up. The quick glaze drizzle and a simple loaf shape looks great with zero fuss.

Quince cake substitutions and variations

I’ve already mentioned that you can make this quince cake with applesauce instead of quince, and the recipe will outline how to make that swap. But if you want to also play with the flavors, here are a few ideas:

Rosewater: Quince are part of the rose family, so it’s no surprise they carry a delicate floral note and play well with flower waters. I like to play that up with just a touch of rosewater in the cake and glaze.

Spices: Not into floral? No problem. A cozy blend of apple pie spices works beautifully in its place. For instance, cinnamon with a little bit of nutmeg and clove.

Other ideas: Try a splash of orange blossom water, some lemon zest, or even some ground cardamom.

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Olive Oil Quince Cake

a rectangular quince loaf cake with light pink icing dripping down the sides and rose petals on top, from a 45 degree angle
Print Recipe

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  • Prep Time: 25 minutes
  • Cook Time: 1 1/2 hours
  • Total Time: 2 hours
  • Yield: 8 servings

Ingredients

for the cake:

  • 1 very large or 2 medium quince*, peeled, cored**, and cut into 1-inch chunks
  • 105g (1/2 cup) extra virgin olive oil
  • 2 large eggs 
  • 135g (2/3 cup) sugar
  • Flavorings***
  • 200g (1 1/2 cup) flour
  • 3/4 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 1/4 tsp baking soda

for the glaze and decoration:

  • 85g (3/4 cup) powdered sugar
  • 15g (1 Tbsp) lemon juice 
  • Flavorings***
  • 1 drop food coloring—pink for rose, yellow for lemon, etc (optional)
  • Decorations**** (optional)

Instructions

  1. Bring a small pot of water to a boil. Once boiling, add the quince and reduce heat to low or medium-low, just to maintain a bare simmer. Let the quince cook for about 45 minutes. They’re done once they’re soft enough to pierce easily with a butter knife.
  2. Strain the quince. Move to the bowl of a food processor fitted with the blade. Pulse until it’s very finely chopped/puréed. You should end up with 1 cup (235g). It’s ok to use a few tablespoons more if your quince were particularly large and you’ve got a smidge extra, but don’t add very much more than 1 cup.
  3. Preheat the oven to 350°F [180°C] and grease an 8×4” loaf pan.
  4. Combine the quince purée, olive oil, eggs, sugar, and rosewater in a medium mixing bowl. Add the flour to the bowl and sprinkle the salt, baking powder, and baking soda evenly on top of the flour. Mix everything together, being very careful not to over-mix. Stop as soon as there are no dry patches of flour.
  5. Pour the batter into the greased loaf pan. Bake for about 50 minutes, or until a paring knife inserted in the center comes out clean.
  6. Let the cake cool on a rack for at least 30 minutes before decorating or slicing.
  7. While you wait for the cake to cool, make the glaze: Whisk together the powdered sugar, lemon juice, rosewater, and food coloring. It’s done once there are no more lumps. Keep covered and whisk it again right before pouring.
  8. Drizzle the glaze on the cooled cake and immediately top with rose petals. Slice and enjoy. If you have any leftover, store at room temperature for a few days or in the freezer longer (never store in the refrigerator).

Notes

* Can substitute 235g (1 cup) unsweetened applesauce instead.

** Quince need to be cored a bit differently than other pome fruits (e.g., apples, pears, etc.). Split it open and use a small spoon (or measuring spoon/melon baller/corer) to scrape out the core and the stony area immediately surrounding the core. The core has the seeds and tough fibrous parts, but the area around the core also has some gritty bits, which you’ll want to eliminate. You can tell you’re done coring it once you no longer feel any rough gritty bits.

*** E.g., 10g rosewater (2 teaspoons) in the cake and 1/2 tsp in the glaze. Or use your favorite blend of warm spices like cinnamon with a little cardamom, clove, and nutmeg (to taste). Sprinkle in some lemon zest (to taste). Or go with orange blossom water instead of rose (1 Tbsp works great).

**** For instance, edible dried rose petals or pearl sprinkles (each totally optional)

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