Quince and apple browned butter tart *
Do you like quinces? If so, make this tart.
Not sure if you like quinces? Doesn’t matter, make this tart.
Don’t like quinces? Make this tart anyway. Someone in your life will appreciate it.
It is deliciously delicious and worth the effort.
This tart has layers of poached quinces and apples, topped with a browned butter filling on a shortcrust pastry. It’s fruity, not too sweet, and caramelly from the browned butter.
I know I’m strongly encouraging everyone to make this, but at the same time I do feel the need to be honest.
It is a bit of work to put together, though mostly that’s hands off time. The quinces need to be poached first because they take a while, so this is best done the day before assembling the tart.
The quinces are poached them in a sugar syrup with some vanilla bean paste and lemon juice on the stove for several hours on a very, very low simmer. After they were ready (ie I got bored of waiting), I removed all the fruit to set aside to cool, and reduced the syrup to use for later.
The following day, I made shortcrust pastry and briefly poached some apple slices with the reserved quince cooking syrup. It’s best to use apples that don’t cook into mush – I used Granny Smiths.
And finally (sort of) the browned butter filling.
It’s just made from melted butter, eggs, sugar and a bit of flour. Once the butter has browned, it develops glorious deep nutty flavours and eeeeeee is so good.
I may have taste tested a fair amount of the filling while I was pouring it into the tart…
The apple was then layered with the quince slices and topped with the browned butter filling.
Try and resist it, just try (don’t try). It is delicious. Make it.
Ingredients
- 4 ripe quinces
- 600ml water
- 250g sugar
- 1 vanilla bean pod, opened and seeds scraped into the water
- Juice of one lemon
- 200g plain (all-purpose) flour
- 100g cold butter, chopped
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 2-3 tablespoons iced water (you may need more or less water, depending on your flour)
- 4 apples, peeled, cored, and cut into thick slices
- 1 cup of the reserved quince poaching liquid
- 125g unsalted butter
- 2 eggs
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1 heaped tablespoon plain flour
Instructions
- Dissolve the sugar and water in a pot and boil together for a couple of minutes.
- Add the vanilla pod, vanilla seeds, and lemon juice.
- Wash the quinces well, core them, and cut into thick slices. Place them immediately into the hot syrup (otherwise they will brown).
- Cover and simmer for a couple of hours on a very low heat until the fruit is red and tender.
- Remove the quinces from the cooking liquid and set aside to cool.
- Boil the cooking liquid to reduce to a thick syrup - about ten minutes or so. Set aside for later.
- Preheat the oven to 200ยฐC.
- In a food processor, place the flour, butter and salt and process briefly until the mixture resembles large breadcrumbs.
- With the motor running, add enough water for it to come together into a smooth dough.
- Take out of the food processor, knead the dough lightly, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
- Roll out the pastry on a lightly floured surface until 2-3mm thick and line a 24cm tart tin with the pastry.
- Place a piece of non-stick baking paper over the pastry and fill with baking weights or uncooked rice or beans. Bake for 10 minutes, remove the weights and bake for a further 10 minutes or until the pastry is golden.
- In a pot, bring the reserved quince poaching liquid to a boil.
- Add the slices of apple, turn down to a low simmer, and poach for 5-10 minutes or until the apple is just tender. Drain the apple from the liquid and set aside.
- Once the tart shell has baked, assemble the tart by arranging slices of quince and apples into layers. You might want to slip the skins off the quince slices and discard them before putting them into the tart shell.
- Set aside and make the browned butter filling.
- Melt the butter in a pot and cook until it's a deep golden brown colour.
- In a separate bowl, beat the eggs and sugar together until thick and pale. Add the flour.
- Strain the butter into the egg mixture and combine.
- Pour the filling over the prepared fruit.
- Bake for 25 minutes, or until the filling has set.
- If desired, serve the tart with some of the reserved quince poaching liquid. Best served warm.
Notes
Adapted from The Cooks Companion
leaf (the indolent cook)
July 3, 2013 @ 10:51 pm
It all sounded so promising until you got honest about the effort involved. How about you make it for me… and I’ll repay you somehow… :p But honestly, it does look freaking awesome.
Agnes
July 10, 2013 @ 9:21 pm
Hehehe make itttttt, go on, it’s not that much work (okay, it is).
Keren
July 4, 2013 @ 7:46 am
I’m not sure that I’ve ever even tried quince before … maybe this would be a good introduction for me ๐ Looks delicious!
Agnes
July 10, 2013 @ 9:19 pm
It is SO good. Do it ๐
Daisy@Nevertoosweet
July 4, 2013 @ 11:43 am
YAY Thank you for posting this recipe up so quickly! I’m kinda new to Quinces but like you said either way just MAKE IT ๐
Agnes
July 10, 2013 @ 9:19 pm
Make it, just make it (or more correctly – get Ricky to make it). :p
Cara @ Gourmet Chick
July 4, 2013 @ 9:26 pm
Wow looks amazing! I haven’t cooked with quinces before but love quince paste with my cheese so think I need to get on board…
Agnes
July 10, 2013 @ 9:18 pm
Oh yes! Get on board the quince loving ๐
Iron Chef Shellie
July 6, 2013 @ 9:49 pm
LOL you are HILARIOUS!!
I feel like I need to make this tart… not sure why…
Agnes
July 10, 2013 @ 9:16 pm
Shellie, give me all your money. Give me all your money. Give me all your money.
(Do you feel the need to give me all your money??) ๐
msihua
July 6, 2013 @ 10:34 pm
Yum town! The Boy made something similar too! So good.. love quince!
Agnes
July 10, 2013 @ 9:11 pm
Quinces are so lovely and they smell divine. Yay for quince tarts.