Recipe: Ginger quince with blancmange

Creamy blancmange pairs perfectly with vanilla and ginger poached quince.

2 (450g each) quince, washed, quartered
1kg caster sugar
1 vanilla bean, halved lengthways
100g ginger, coarsely chopped
400ml pouring cream
3 cups (750ml) milk
11/2 cups (250g) whole blanched almonds
3 (5g each) gelatine leaves

1. One day ahead: Peel quince, reserving peelings. Place 835g sugar and 2 litres boiling water in a large saucepan and stir over medium heat until sugar dissolves. Add vanilla bean, ginger, quince and quince peelings and bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to low and cook for 41/2 hours or until quince are a deep ruby colour. 
2. Remove quince from syrup then strain syrup. Pour 1/2 the strained syrup over quince, then cool and refrigerate. Place remaining syrup in a saucepan and simmer over medium-high heat for 20 minutes or until thickened. Cool then refrigerate.
3. For blancmange, using an electric mixer, whisk cream to soft peaks, then refrigerate. Place remaining sugar, milk and almonds in a saucepan and bring almost to the boil over medium heat. Cool for 10 minutes then blend, in 3 batches, in a blender until almonds
   are finely ground. Strain through a fine sieve over a bowl, pressing down to extract 21/2 cups liquid.
4. Place 1/2 milk mixture in a small saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Meanwhile, soak gelatine leaves in cold water for 3 minutes or until softened. Squeeze out excess water then add to saucepan and stir until dissolved. Stir gelatine mixture into remaining milk mixture then place bowl over a bowl of ice and whisk until mixture thickens to the same consistency as the softly whipped cream. Remove bowl from ice then, using a whisk, gently fold in whipped cream. Divide among 8 x 1/2-cup capacity dariole moulds. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
5. On the day: Dip moulds briefly into hot water, then turn blancmange out on to plates. Serve each with a quince quarter and a drizzle of reduced syrup.

Recipes & food preparation: Lisa Featherby. Photography: Ben Dearnley. Styling: Michelle Noerianto. Food preparation: Julie Ballard.