Quince Tarte Tatin

Quince from the neighbors

I love the classic Tarte Tatin with carmelized apples.  We had a bowl of fresh quince, which grow prolifically around the Petite Chateau in the Loire Valley (the “jardin de France” as the French say).  So we dreamed up this recipe one day made with carmelized quince, butter, and agave.  We made a gluten free butter crust with almond flour.  Of course if you prefer the real thing you could use brown sugar in place of the agave, and white flour in place of the almond flour.  Quince turn a beautiful orange color with cooking.  One time we added a little fresh fig, which also grow in the Loire. A great variation of the tart.

For the quince mixture:
4-5 fresh quince, peeled, cored and sliced (quince are very hard, so be careful)
1/3 stick of butter
1/3 cup of agave

Sautée the quince for 10-15 minutes in the butter and agave until the quince is slightly soft. Arrange the slices artfully in the bottom of the pan or transfer to a pie plate for arrangement.

Quince Tarte Tatin at the Loire Petite Chateau

The crust:
1-1/4 cups of almond flour.
2/3 stick of cold butter worked into the almond flour with a pastry cutter.
Mix 1 large egg or two small eggs with the almond/butter mix.
Add a tablespoon or more of of cold water as need to form into a cohesive pastry ball.
Roll out the crust on a little loose flour.

Baking and forming the tart:
Place the crust over the arranged quince. Tuck crust ends into the side of the baking pan or pie plate.
Bake at 350 F (180 C) for about an hour until the tart is bubbling nicely.
Remove from the oven and cool for 5-10 minutes.
Place a large serving plate on top of the tart baking pan; with the plate on top of the tart baking pan, turn the tart over on to a serving plate.  You may need to remove any sticking quince pieces from the baking pan.

Cool and serve with crème fraîche, chantilly (whipped cream), or vanilla ice cream.  It may take you a few times to get the timing right for your preferred level of  carmelization.