Quince Cobbler with Ginger Ice Cream

Serves 8-10

The quince and streusel can be prepared a day or two ahead. Refrigerate until ready to use.

• The poached quince
• 5 cups sugar
• 3 to 4 medium quince
• -- Lemon juice
• The almond streusel
• 1 tablespoon butter, melted
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup almond meal
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• The cobbler
• 1/4 cup butter + more for baking dish
• 1/4 cup + 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1/2 tablespoon dark rum
• 1/2 cup almond meal
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• -- Ginger Ice Cream (see recipe)

For the quince: In a large pot, make a simple syrup by combining the sugar and 5 cups water. Cook over medium heat until sugar is completely dissolved, 3-4 minutes. Set aside.

Peel and core a quince. Reserve the peels and core, and thinly slice the quince about 1/4-inch thick, and place the slices in a bowl of water with a few squirts of lemon juice to avoid oxidation. Repeat with remaining quince.

Place reserved peels and cores in a cheesecloth and tie the ends with twine. Add to the pot with simple syrup and bring to a boil over medium-high heat, then reduce to a low simmer and cook until the liquid becomes light red in color, about 45-50 minutes. Discard the cheesecloth pouch. Strain syrup though a fine-mesh sieve or clean cheesecloth.

Quickly rinse quince slices, then transfer to a large pot. Cover with the quince syrup. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a bare simmer. Poach quince until tender but not mushy, about 10 to 12 minutes. Remove from heat and transfer quince and syrup to a metal bowl set in a larger bowl of ice to stop the quince from cooking further.

For the streusel: Melt the butter in a microwave or small saucepan, and set aside. Combine the sugar, flour, almond meal and salt. Stir in half the melted butter, and mix in until it begins to clump, then add the rest of the butter, and blend with your fingertips until little crumbs form. Set aside until ready to assemble cobbler.

For the cobbler: Preheat oven to 350°, and butter a 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Using a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or a portable mixer), cream 1/4 cup butter and sugar on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, scraping down the sides of the bowl often. Lower speed to medium and add the egg, mixing until well incorporated. Add rum and increase speed to high and cream until fluffy again.

In a separate bowl, combine almond meal and flour. With mixer at low speed, add the almond meal mixture to the butter mixture in thirds, scraping down the bowl between each addition.

Spread batter about 1/2-inch thick in prepared baking dish. Strain quince, reserving syrup. Layer quince evenly over the batter. Scatter streusel over the top.

Bake cobbler until golden, about 30 minutes. Serve warm with Ginger Ice Cream and a drizzle of reserved quince syrup.

Ginger Ice Cream

Makes about 1 quart

The ice cream base can be made a day ahead, then churned in an ice cream maker on Thanksgiving Day.

• 3 1/2 cups whole milk
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1/4 cup peeled, minced fresh ginger
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 6 large egg yolks

Instructions: In a small nonreactive pot, bring 1 cup milk and the cream to a boil. Turn off heat and add ginger. Steep for 2 hours then strain through a fine-mesh sieve into a small nonreactive bowl and reserve. Discard ginger.

Add remaining milk, sugar and salt to a heavy-bottomed nonreactive pot; scald by bringing just to the boiling point, then immediately remove pot from heat and set aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk egg yolks. Slowly pour half the hot milk mixture from the pot into the yolks in a steady stream, whisking constantly, then return the entire mixture back to the pot, whisking.

Simmer mixture over low heat, stirring constantly with a rubber spatula, until temperature reaches 168º on an instant-read thermometer.

Strain the mixture through a fine sieve into a nonreactive stainless steel or ceramic bowl that is set into an ice bath. Stir occasionally; when mixture is cool to the touch, add ginger-infused milk.

Refrigerate until very cold. Place in an ice cream machine and process according to manufacturer's instructions. Store in freezer if not serving right away. Serve with Quince Cobbler.