Mock oysters

The name of this dish points to the irreverence and playfulness of this scenario. There is nothing even remotely related to oysters here, except the shells that we used instead of plates. The food itself could have come from one of the “bucolicities” or urban food forests that are abundant in the Transform world. We chose the seasonal quince and lovingly infused it with sweet port, leaves and spices, caramelised to a deep pink perfection.

Ingredients

• 2 medium-sized quinces
• 1 l red port
• 1 orange (peel and juice)
• 1 kaffir lime leaf
• 1 lemon myrtle leaf
• 1 cinnamon leaf
• 1 tsp cloves
• pinch of allspice

Preparation

Cut the quince in small, bite-sized pieces. Peel the orange and juice it. Bring the port to the boil, add orange juice and peel, leaves and spices. Once on the boil add quince. Cover with a lid and boil until the quince is soft but firm. Use a slotted ladle to take the quince out of the liquid and set aside. Keep boiling the liquid on high flame until reduced to a thick syrup. Take off the fire, discard the leaves and cloves. If you want a completely smooth liquid, pass it through the sieve. Pour the syrup over the quince, cool and reserve in the fridge overnight.

Serving

Spoon several pieces of quince and syrup into oyster shells and serve with bamboo skewers.

Sourcing

Quinces came from the Molenbeek market in Brussels, Belgium. Port from Delhaize supermarket. Orange from the Tanclub organic shop. Cinnamon leaf and allspice were a gift from a Veronique Linard and Hans de Man living in Jamaica. Cloves came from an organic farm in Tanzania. Kaffir lime and lemon myrtle from the Adelaide Market in Australia. All ingredients were ferally traded in our luggage on our way back from various work and family related travels.

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This recipe is part of 🍴Food Futures > Tasting Tomorrow