Quince Tarte Tatin Recipe

Why not follow this French 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 tarte Tatin with a scoop of ice cream and watch it disappear!

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I remember wondering what to make with quinces when I got them from one of my husband's co-workers a few years ago.

I found out that those fall fruit looked like apples or pears, but the flesh and core were really tough.

I first made French quince tarte Tatin (Tarte Tatin aux coings in French) in 2019.

Each fall, I make this quince dessert, improving the recipe. It seems it has become a traditional seasonal treat in our family.

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 resulted from 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, cabbage, etc.

Tarte Tatin pan

The proper tarte Tatin pan is a costly 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.

You can easily use a simple 9-inch/23 pie pan, a tart pan with a removable bottom, or even cast iron.

Why you should try this recipe

1. This quince tart recipe is easy to make.
2. It is the best way to use seasonal fruit, which is hard to eat on its own.
3. Adding spices to a poaching liquid brings great flavors to quinces.
4. Using a store-bought puff pastry and quinces poached in advance allows making the quince tart within an hour.

Ingredients

Here is a quick overview of what ingredients you will need. Follow the full recipe below for exact 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, such as shortcrust pastry.

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

Lemon juice: use an organic, untreated lemon and citrus juicer 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 large saucepan, heat water, brown sugar, honey, vanilla, whole star anise, and lemon juice over medium-high heat. 

Lower the heat to simmer and add quince slices to the liquid (photo 1).

Cover the pan with a parchment paper circle 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 cooked quince, 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 over moderate heat until sugar melts into the sugar syrup and starts caramelizing. Watch for the deep amber color of caramel.

Add butter and let cook until melted, occasionally stirring with a wooden spoon (photo 3).

Remove the pan from the heat and arrange poached quince wedges in the bottom of the pan over the caramel.

Pack them in a nice pattern - concentric circles - with the cut sides facing up 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 the oven to 355 degrees F/180 degrees C. Let a sheet of puff pastry thaw at room temperature. Roll dough with a rolling pin on a work surface.

Cut a circle of pasty equal to the pan size you are using. Freeze the excess dough to use next time.

Gather dough, place it over quinces, and tuck edges of the dough (photo 5).

Then place skillet in the center of the oven and 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 rimmed serving dish to catch extra syrup, using oven mitts (photo 8).

Recipe variations

This recipe brings three quince desserts: quince tarte Tatin, quince puree, and quince jelly.

To make quince purée, poach more quinces than this recipe requires and process fruit, using a food processor and/or an immersion blender 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. Enjoy this quince filling with French crepes or a slice of bleu cheese. 

Storage

Tarte Tatin is best 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.

Once baked, the tarte Tatin can be stored at room temperature for up to 24 hours and not in the fridge.

It is not recommended to freeze baked tarte Tatin or its leftovers since it will affect texture and taste.

You can freeze the unbaked assembled tart (with the raw dough placed on it) for up to one to two weeks. First, cover it tightly with plastic wrap, then foil, and freeze.

To bake, thaw it in the fridge overnight and bake as directed in the recipe.

Expert tips

1. Watch out for the 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 for up to one week.
3. Do not burn the caramel: once it gets deep amber color, 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 baking dish 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 the edges. Then invert the pan onto a serving plate.

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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.