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quince tarte tatin
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Quince Tarte Tatin

Course: Appetizer, Dessert, Main Course

Ingredients

For the Easy Everyday Dough

  • 2 ¼ cups unbleached all-purpose flour
  • 1 ½ tsp salt
  • ½ cup cold, unsalted butter, cut into ½" cubes
  • ⅓ cup ice water
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 tbsp vinegar, white, apple, or rice

For the Quince Tarte Tatin*

  • 7 cups water
  • 1 cup sugar
  • ½ cup honey
  • 1 lemon, cut in half
  • ¼ tsp vanilla extract
  • ¼ tsp spice of choice, ginger, cinnamon, allspice
  • 6 large quince

Instructions

For the Easy Everyday Dough

  • In a large bowl, toss the flour with salt. Knead the butter into the flour with your hands, until the mixture looks crumbly.
  • In a smaller bowl, beat the egg together with vinegar and water.
  • Add the egg mixture to the flour mixture while stirring with a fork, until barely incorporated. Be careful not to mix too much.
  • Turn the mixture out onto a floured surface. Knead with your hand's heel twice, just enough to make it into a quick dough. Shape the dough into a flat 1-2" tall circle and wrap it in plastic. Let the dough chill for at least an hour.

For the Quince Tarte Tatin

  • Mix the water, sugar, honey, lemon, spice, and vanilla in a large pot over medium-high heat.
  • While the liquid is heating, quarter, peel and remove the cores of each quince.
  • Add quinces to the simmering water. Cover the pot with lid, leaving it partially open to allow some steam to escape.
  • Reduce heat to low and simmer, do not boil, for at least an hour, until the quince are cooked through. Cooking time will vary, depending on the quince. They're done when they are cooked through but are not mushy. Test by piercing one with the tip of a sharp paring knife. Remove from the poaching liquid, pat dry and reserve 1 ¼ of the poaching liquid.

For the Quince Tarte Tatin Assembly

  • Pre-heat the oven to 375F.
  • Pour 1 ¼ cup of strained fruit poaching liquid into a nonstick skillet. Cook over medium heat until the liquid is thick and syrupy (the consistency of honey), and then remove from heat. You should have ¼ cup left.
  • Pat the quince quarters dry, and lay the poached quince snugly against each other, rounded side down, in the pan. Pack them in tightly as they'll settle down once baked.
  • Remove the dough from the fridge. On a lightly-floured surface, roll the dough to ⅛" thick and into a circle a few inches bigger than the pan you're using. Only roll as much dough as you'll need for this recipe. Refrigerate leftover dough for another dish.
  • Drape the dough over the quince, tucking in the edges, and bake on a lower oven rack for 45 minutes. The tart is done when the dough is deep golden brown.
  • Remove the Quince Tarte Tatin from the oven and let it rest for a few minutes. Place a rimmed serving platter or baking sheet over the tart. Flip the tart over. You may wish to wear long oven mitts and be sure to take appropriate precautions as hot liquid will inevitably escape. Save this hot liquid to glaze the tart!
  • Serve with yogurt or whipped cream.

Notes

Easy Everyday Dough can be used for empanadas, pizza, hand pies, and other basic dough-based recipes. Makes enough dough for 12 empanadas, two individual pizzas, or 1-2 tarte tatin.
*Quince Tarte Tatin is adapted from David Leibovitz. You can use apples, pear, or other fruit in place of quince.