Quince Tart: An Aromatic Autumnal Delight
Aromatic, fragrant and colourful, quince tart makes a delightful change to quince jelly or cheese. This simple yet satisfying recipe pairs almond pastry made with wholemeal flour and poached quinces. The nutty notes and crumbly texture beautifully complements the unique flavour of the cooked quince. With its rich autumn hue, this tart is a visually appealing dessert fit to grace any table.
Servings: 8 slices
Calories: 307kcal
Ingredients
Poached Quinces
- 750 ml water
- 300 g golden caster sugar or granulated sugar - divided into 250g and 50g
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 1 lemon peel and juice
- 1 kilo quince 3-4 depending on size
- 1 tsp rose water
Pastry
- 125 g wholemeal flour (whole wheat) (I used wholemeal spelt)
- 25 g ground almonds
- 25 g icing sugar
- 1 pinch fine sea or rock salt
- 80 g unsalted butter fridge cold and cubed
- 2 tbsp natural yoghurt
Instructions
Poached Quinces
- In a large pan, dissolve the sugar in the water over a low heat. Add the cinnamon stick.750 ml water, 300 g golden caster sugar, 1 cinnamon stick
- Pare the lemon, ensuring there's no pith attached and add the peel to the water along with the juice.1 lemon
- Using a strong sharp knife, quarter the quinces. There's no need to peel them or remove the cores at this stage. As soon as you've cut them slip them into the syrup; they brown in the air almost instantaneously.1 kilo quince
- Bring the pan to a simmer and gently press a round of greaseproof or parchment paper over the top of the quinces to keep them submerged. Cover the pan with a lid and allow the quinces to cook gently until a knife slips easily through the skin and into the flesh. This can take anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour.
- Drain the quinces in a colander, making sure you capture all of the liquid.
- Whilst the quinces are cooling enough to handle, pour the liquid back into the pan. Add a further 50g of sugar and replace the cinnamon stick. Stir to dissolve the sugar.
- Remove the cores from the quince quarters with a sharp knife, then slice lengthways into two or three pieces.
- Place the slices back in the liquid and simmer for ten minutes so that they get a chance to absorb more of the flavour and sweetness.
- Drain the slices in a colander once again making sure to keep the syrup.
- Bring the liquid back to the boil and reduce it down to about half or until it has a syrupy consistency.
- Take off the heat and stir in the rosewater, if using.1 tsp rose water
Pastry
- Whilst the quinces cook, make your pastry. Rub the cubed butter into the dry ingredients with your finger tips until the mixture resembles rough breadcrumbs.125 g wholemeal flour (whole wheat), 25 g ground almonds, 25 g icing sugar, 1 pinch fine sea or rock salt, 80 g unsalted butter
- Add the yoghurt and mix it together with a flat bladed knife or fork until it starts to form a dough. If it's too dry, add a little more yoghurt, but go carefully as a wet dough usually results in a tough pastry.2 tbsp natural yoghurt
- Form the dough into a flat round with your hands, cover it with a tea towel, a wrap or a plastic bag and leave it in a cool place to rest for 30 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 180℃ (160℃ fan, 350℉, Gas 4).
- Lightly butter a 23 cm (9-inch) fluted tart tin with a removable bottom. Roll out your dough into a round big enough to line the bottom and sides of your tin - about 3-4 mm (⅛ inch) in thickness. Press the dough into the sides of the tin, then trim the edges with a knife.
- Lay the quince slices over the tart in a double layer, then generously brush the top with some of the syrup.
- Place the tart in the top part of the oven and bake for 35 minutes or until the crust is golden and the quinces are just starting to caramelise.
- Transfer the tart to a wire rack and generously brush more syrup over the top. Allow it to cool for ten minutes before removing the tin and placing on a serving plate.
- Eat warm with ice cream or custard or at room temperature with clotted cream or crème fraîche.
Notes
If you have any leftover dough, pinch a few slices of the quince and make a mini galette.
Pour any leftover syrup into a sterilised jar and use to eat with ice cream, porridge, rice pudding or yoghurt. It might even set and then you have quince jelly. It keeps for ages.
To make this tart vegan, swap the butter for vegan butter or coconut oil.
At its best on the day of baking, but it will keep in an airtight container for a couple of days.
You’ll find additional tips and info about this recipe in the main body of the post.
Please note: calories and other nutritional information are per serving. They’re approximate and will depend on serving size and exact ingredients used. Please refer to my nutrition disclaimer for further information.
Nutrition
Calories: 307kcal | Carbohydrates: 54g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 10g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 0.3g | Cholesterol: 22mg | Sodium: 14mg | Potassium: 88mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 41g | Vitamin A: 261IU | Vitamin C: 7mg | Calcium: 31mg | Iron: 1mg