French Quince Tarte Tatin Recipe

Why not follow this quince dessert recipe to make a gorgeous Quince Tarte Tatin? It marries golden, buttery puff pastry and seasonal quinces in a delicious family treat. Serve the tarte Tatin with a scoop of ice-cream and watch it disappear!

I remember how I was wondering about what to make with quinces when I got them from one of my husband’s co-workers three years ago. I found out that quinces looked like apples or pears, but the flesh and core were really tough.

It was three years ago when I first made quince tarte Tatin. Each fall, I make this quince dessert, improving the recipe. It seems it has become a traditional seasonal treat in our family.

Jump to:

• What is tarte Tatin?
• Tarte Tatin pan
• Why quince tarte Tatin recipe works
• Ingredients
• How to make quince tarte Tatin
• Expert tips
• Frequently Asked Questions
• More delicious tart recipes you will love
• French Quince Tarte Tatin Recipe

What is tarte Tatin?

Tarte Tatin (sometimes spelled tart Tatin) is a classic French upside-down pastry made with caramelized apples. There is an exciting story of how Classic Apple Tarte Tatin was born.

The dessert was the result of a cooking mishap where one of the sisters with the last name Tatin dropped a tart, but served it anyways, in its overturned state.

Nowadays, tarte Tatin is made with other fruit such as pears, quinces, plums, peaches, pineapple, or even vegetables, such as onion, artichoke, tomato, and even cabbage. 

Tarte Tatin pan

The proper tarte Tatin pan is a very expensive tarte tatin copper mold made by the French company Matfer Bourgeat. Less expensive options are an authentic tarte tatin pan or even the simpler version of the tarte tatin pan.

They both provide the best heat distribution and excellent heat retention. The former one has inverted handles for easy flipping. I use a simple 9-inch/23 pie pan, which works great.

Why quince tarte Tatin recipe works

1. This quince dessert is the best way to use seasonal fruit, which is hard to eat on its own.
2. Adding spices to a poaching liquid brings great flavors to quinces.
3. Using a store-bought puff pastry and quinces poached in advance allows making the dessert within an hour.
4. One recipe brings three sweet treats: quince tarte Tatin, quince puree, and quince jelly. To make quince puree, poach more quinces that this recipe requires and process fruit, using a food processor to make the quince puree. Enjoy the puree on its own or make Coconut Macaroons, replacing applesauce with quince puree. To make quince jelly, reduce the poaching syrup over medium heat until it is thick and enjoy with French crepes or a slice of bleu cheese. 

Ingredients

Here is a quick overview of what ingredients you will need. Follow the full recipe below for detailed amounts and instructions. I recommend making this recipe as written for the best results. 

Puff pastry dough: Use a store-bought butter-based puff pastry. If you are not a fan of puff pastry, replace it with your favorite pie crust.

Quinces: the recipe calls for large seasonal quinces. Choose the fully ripened fruit which is yellow to golden and is free of any kind of bruises, wrinkling, or other signs of damage.

Lemon juice: use an organic untreated lemon to make homemade lemon juice.

Brown sugar: use either golden brown or dark brown sugar.

Honey: try to use flower honey such as clover or acacia honey and avoid intensely flavored coffee, eucalyptus, or lavender honey. You still want to keep the delicate, fruity aroma of quinces.

Star anise: use whole star anise in the recipe.

Vanilla bean: use the best quality wholesale Madagascar vanilla beans that are the most flavorful.

Sugar: use regular granulated white sugar or caster sugar.

Butter: the recipe calls for unsalted butter. Please, do not substitute it for margarine.

How to make quince tarte Tatin

To poach quinces, peel fruit with a vegetable peeler, remove the quince core and cut in quarters. In a saucepan, heat water, brown sugar, honey, vanilla, whole star anise, and lemon juice. Add quince quarters into the simmering liquid (photo 1).

Cover the pan with a circle of parchment paper with a small hole cut in the center and place it on top. Simmer quince quarters (do not boil) for two hours, maybe longer.

To test the fruit, insert the tip of a knife: it must come in and out easily. Remove from heat, drain quinces with a colander or remove them from the syrup with a slotted spoon and let cool (photo 2).

To make the caramel, place sugar with lemon juice in a tarte Tatin pan or a pie pan 9-inch/23 cm in diameter. Cook until sugar melts and starts caramelizing. Add butter and let cook until melted, occasionally stirring (photo 3).

Remove the pan from the heat and arrange poached quinces over the caramel in a spiral with the cut sides facing up, packing them as tight as possible (photo 4).

Bring the pan over medium heat and cook for about 7 minutes to caramelize the fruit. Remove from the heat and let cool.

Preheat oven to 355 F/180 C. Roll the dough with a rolling pin and cut a circle of the pan size you are using. Place the puff pastry over quinces (photo 5). Then bake for about 25 minutes (photo 6).

After baking, allow the dessert to rest for about 5 minutes (photo 7), then invert the pan onto a serving plate, using oven mitts (photo 8).

Expert tips

1. Watch out for readiness of quinces while poaching the fruit. The required time is about 2 hours, sometimes longer; so, test fruit for readiness from time to time while cooking.
2. Store poached quinces in the fridge in an airtight container, submerged in the syrup up to one week.
3. Do not burn the caramel: once it turns golden brown, add butter.
4. Use a store-bought butter-based puff pastry. If you are not a fan of puff pastry, replace it with your favorite pie crust.
5. Prick the puff pastry with a fork before covering quinces. This step is optional here, but it allows the steam to escape during baking.
6. Do not let the baked quince tarte Tatin stay in the pan longer than 5 minutes: the dessert will stick to the pan. If it happens, place the pan over low heat, stirring gently to remove the dessert from edges. Then invert the pan onto a plate.

Frequently Asked Questions

How to serve tarte Tatin

Serve quince tarte Tatin warm with vanilla creme Anglaise, a dollop of whipped cream or a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

How to store tarte Tatin

Ideally, tarte Tatin should be eaten on the same day it is made. If you are picnicking, leave, and transport tarte Tatin in the pan. Reheat the pan on the barbecue or fire, then turn out and serve warm.

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The nutrition information has been calculated using an online recipe nutrition calculator and is intended for informational purposes only and should be used as a general guideline. If the nutrition information is important to you, you should independently verify it using your preferred tool. Please, read the disclaimers in our Privacy Policy.

The recipe was originally published on October 06, 2019. It has been revised to include improved content and photos. All posted pictures are mine.