Quince Tart Tatin Recipes

Steps:

• In a large stockpot, combine 10 cups water and 1 cup sugar. Using a vegetable peeler, remove the zest from 1/2 lemon, and add to the pot. Halve the lemons, and juice 1 1/2 of them directly into the pot; set the other half aside.
• Peel, halve, and core the quince, and add to the pot. Bring to a boil. Cover, reduce to a simmer, and cook until tender, but not completely cooked, 8 to 10 minutes. Drain, and set aside.
• Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a 10-inch tarte Tatin pan or cast-iron skillet, combine remaining 3/4 cup sugar and the salt. Place over medium heat, and cook until it begins to thicken and turn a golden brown. Remove from heat, and stir in butter.
• Arrange the quince in the pan, cut sides up, in a slightly overlapping circular pattern. (Remember that since the tarte Tatin is inverted after it is cooked, the fruit on the bottom will be visible when served.) Place a few quince halves in the center, cut side up. Sprinkle with the juice of the remaining lemon half.
• On a lightly floured work surface, roll dough out into a 12-inch round, about 1/8 inch thick. Place dough over quince, tucking the edges of the dough around the fruit. Bake until juices are bubbling and crust is golden brown, about 45 minutes. Remove from oven, and let stand for 10 minutes. Using a paring knife, loosen the pastry from the edges of the pan. Place a serving platter over the pan, and carefully invert. Serve warm.

Steps:

• For crust:
• Mix first 3 ingredients in processor. Using on/off turns, cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse meal. Mix 3 tablespoons ice water and vinegar in small bowl; add to processor. Blend until moist clumps form, adding more ice water by teaspoonfuls if dough is dry. Gather dough into ball; flatten into disk. Wrap in plastic; refrigerate at least 1 hour. Do ahead Can be made 1 day ahead. Keep refrigerated. Soften slightly at room temperature before rolling out.
• For filling:
• Fill large skillet with ice cubes; set aside.
• Combine first 3 ingredients in heavy 11-inch-diameter ovenproof skillet. Stir over medium heat until sugar dissolves. Increase heat to medium-high; boil until caramel is deep amber color, occasionally brushing down sides of skillet with wet pastry brush and swirling skillet, about 8 minutes. Remove from heat; stir in butter and cinnamon. Immediately place skillet with caramel atop ice in large skillet; let stand until caramel is cold and hardened, about 30 minutes. Remove skillet from ice.
• Position rack in center of oven; preheat to 400°F. Arrange quince wedges tightly together, rounded side down, in concentric circles atop caramel in skillet. Fill center with any broken quince pieces. Roll out dough on lightly floured surface to 12 1/2-inch round. Place dough atop quinces; tuck edges of dough down around sides of quinces. Make three 2-inch-long cuts in center of dough to allow steam to escape during baking. Place skillet on rimmed baking sheet. Bake until quinces are tender and crust is deep golden brown, about 1 hour 15 minutes. Remove from oven; let cool 30 minutes.
• Place large platter atop skillet. Using oven mitts, hold platter and skillet firmly together and invert, allowing tart to slide out onto platter. Rearrange any dislodged quince wedges, if necessary. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Steps:

• To make the dough, in a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or in a bowl with a pastry blender), mix together the flour, the 2 teaspoons sugar, and the salt. Add the 4 tablespoons (2 ounces/60 g) chilled butter pieces and keep mixing until the butter pieces are about the size of corn kernels. Add the ice water and mix until the dough comes together. Gather the dough and shape it into a disk, wrap it in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
• To prepare the fruit and assemble the tart, peel, quarter, and core the apples. Peel, quarter, and core the quinces, then cut them into 1/4-inch (6-mm) slices. Melt the 3 tablespoons (1 1/2 ounces/145 g) butter in a 10-inch (25-cm) cast iron skillet. Sprinkle the 3/4 cup (150 g) sugar over the bottom of the pan and remove from the heat.
• Pack the apples tightly in the pan, standing them on end, with the cored sides facing inward. It may seem like a lot of fruit, but they'll cook down considerably. Insert the quince slices between the apples.
• Place the skillet on the stovetop and cook over medium heat until the juices thicken and become lightly caramelized, about 25 minutes. While they're cooking, press down on the apples to ease them into the pan and promote caramelization.
• Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C).
• Lightly flour a work surface and roll out the dough into a 12-inch (30-cm) circle. Drape the dough over the apples in the skillet and tuck the edges down between the sides of the skillet and the apples.
• Bake the tart until the pastry has browned, about 40 minutes. Remove from the oven and invert a serving plate over the skillet. Wearing long oven mitts, grasp both the skillet and the plate and turn them over together, away from you, to unmold the tart. Be careful of any hot juices that may spill out!
• Although purists say tarte Tatin is best served on its own, others appreciate a spoonful of crème fraîche or Vanilla Ice Cream (page 143) on top or alongside.
• The dough can be made up to 2 days ahead and refrigerated, or frozen for up to 1 month. Tarte Tatin should be served warm the day it's made. You can make it an hour or so in advance and leave it on the serving plate, under the overturned skillet, to keep it warm after baking. It can also be rewarmed in a low oven.
• Poaching the quince before assembling the tart will turn them a lovely ruby-red color and bring out even more flavor: In a medium saucepan, bring 1/2 cup (100 g) sugar, 1 1/2 cups (375 ml) water, and a 2-inch (5-cm) piece of vanilla bean, split lengthwise, stirring to dissolve the sugar, then decrease the heat to maintain a simmer.
• Peel, core, and cut the quinces into eighths. Put the pieces in the saucepan, cover with a circle of parchment paper cut to fit inside the pan, and simmer gently, covered, until tender, 30 to 60 minutes. Once poached, the quince can be kept in the refrigerator in the poaching liquid for up to 1 week. When assembling the tart, tuck the poached quince pieces between the apples. The poaching liquid can be reduced in a skillet until thick and syrupy, cooled slightly, and used as a sauce, if desired.
• Use a full-flavored apple, one that won't turn to mush during cooking. Winesap, Granny Smith, Northern Spy, Pippin, and Jonagold work well.

Steps:

• To make the quince purée, put the quinces into a large pan with 350ml water. Cover with a lid and simmer for 1 hr or until the quinces change colour and are pulpy. Remove from the heat and allow to cool slightly, then whizz with a stick blender until smooth. Pass the quince purée through a sieve into a clean pan and stir in the sugar, lemon zest and juice, and cinnamon. Cook the purée until it is reduced by one-third, then mix the cornflour with a little water and stir into the purée until it's thick. Remove from the heat and allow to cool.
• Heat oven to 160C/140C fan/gas 3. To make the pastry, rub the butter into the flour and almonds. Add the sugar and zest, then the egg and the egg yolk. Bring everything together, wrap in cling film and chill for 15 mins.
• Roll out the pastry on a lightly floured surface to line a 22cm tart tin. Place in the tin, trim the edges of the pastry if required, and chill for 15 mins. Line the pastry with baking parchment and baking beans, then bake blind for 20 mins. Remove the beans and paper, then cook for a further 15 mins until the base is biscuity. Remove from the oven and allow to cool slightly.
• Increase oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Meanwhile, to make the crumble topping, mix the flour, oats and sugar with a pinch of salt, then rub in the butter until you have an uneven crumbly mix.
• To assemble the tart, pour the quince purée into the tart shell so it comes just below the top, sprinkle over the crumble topping and cook for 25-30 mins or until the crumble is golden and the quince is bubbling around the edges. Serve warm with cream or custard if you like.