French Quince Tarte Tatin Recipe

Why not follow this French quince recipe to make a gorgeous Quince Tarte Tatin? It marries golden, buttery puff pastry and seasonal quinces in a delicious family treat. Serve 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 French quince dessert, improving the recipe. It seems it has become a traditional seasonal treat in our family.

Jump to:

• What is Tarte Tatin?
• What pan to use to make Tarte Tatin
• Why French quince Tarte Tatin recipe works
• How to make quince Tarte Tatin step by step
• Expert tips
• More delicious tart recipe you will love
• French Quince Tarte Tatin Recipe

What is Tarte Tatin?

Tarte 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. 

What pan to use to make Tarte Tatin

The proper Tart Tatin mold 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 pie pan * 9-inch/23 in diameter, which works great.

Why French quince Tarte Tatin recipe works

1. This 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 Crepes or a slice of bleu cheese. 

How to make quince Tarte Tatin step by step

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, stirring occasionally (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). 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). Serve Quince Tarte Tatin warm with a dollop of whipped cream or a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

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.
7. 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.
8. Ideally, Tarte Tatin should be eaten on the same day it is made.

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