Prep Time : 1 hour | Cook Time : 45 Minutes | Total Time : 4 hours | Difficulty : Fiddly
This tart was made possible by my amazing dad. My parents grow quinces in the Waikato region and the other week I said “send me some”. Well. Quinces don’t travel well unless…. you send them in a hand-made wooden box by courier, which he did! They arrived in perfect condition even if I had to improvise to unscrew the lid at the office.
So this wonderful aromatic, fruity, buttery tart is for my dad – whose birthday it is today – maybe mum will make you one!
We need to do two things ahead of time then we can put our feet up for an hour or so. First put 1 cup of water and 1 cup of sugar into a medium saucepan. Peel the quinces and slice into wedges. Cut out the core and a little bit more from each wedge to remove the grainy part at the centre. Put the slices into the saucepan and keep going until you can’t fit any more under the liquid. You will need about 2 large quinces, maybe more. Cut the vanilla bean into 3 pieces – do not split or scrape! – and add to the pot. Bring the whole lot to a simmer then cover it up and leave it to gently cook for about 20-30 minutes. The quince pieces should be soft and starting to turn faintly pink. Remove from the heat and leave to cool in the syrup.
While the quince is cooking we can make the tart crust either by hand or using a food processor. These days I find doing it by hand is just as fast – and I hate cleaning the food processor bowl!
Sift the dry ingredients.
Rub in the butter.
Add the egg yolk and water until it comes together and knead for about 30 seconds until smooth.
Wrap the dough – it will be fairly soft – in plastic wrap or put it in a ziplock bag and chill for at least an hour. By the time the quinces are cool, the dough will be chilled.
Now it’s pie making time! Preheat the oven to 190C (375F). Roll out the crust and gently press into a 9 or 10 inch loose bottomed tart tin. Because the dough is soft you can use an off-cut to patch any holes. Prick the base with a fork to prevent unnecessary puffery. Pop the shaped tart shell back in the fridge for 30 minutes to re-chill. This will absolutely help it to keep its shape while baking.
Blind bake the shell for about 20 minutes until set and starting to brown at the edges. While the shell is baking drain the quince slices making sure to save the vanilla pieces. Save the syrup as well – it’s delicious in mixed drinks!
To make the frangipane start by creaming the butter and sugar until fluffy. Scrape the seeds from the pieces of vanilla bean we used earlier and add to the butter and sugar. Beat together along with the eggs and vanilla extract. Lastly fold in the almonds.
When the shell is ready, arrange the quince pieces in the bottom and spread the frangipane over the top. If you have been very generous with the quinces you may have a little frangipane left over.
Bake for 20-30 minutes more until the top is dark golden and feels firm when you press gently in the centre. Remove from the oven and leave to cool in the tin for a while. The tart is best served slightly warmed so that a little whipped cream will just start to melt invitingly as you reach for a fork…
Quince + Vanilla Bean Frangipane Tart
Prep Time : 1 hour | Cook Time : 45 mins | Total Time : 4 hours | Difficulty : Fiddly | Makes : 1 x 9-10 inch tart
An aromatic buttery tart bursting with quince and almond flavour.
Ingredients:
- 250 ml | 8.9 fl oz | 1 metric cup water
- 230 gm | 8.6 oz | 1 metric cup sugar
- 2-3 large quinces
- 1 vanilla bean
- 175 gm | 6.3 oz | 1 cup plus 1 tbsp flour
- 30 gm | 1.1 oz | 3 tbsp ground almonds
- 65 gm | 2.3 oz | 1/3 cup lightly scooped icing sugar
- 125 gm | 4.5 oz | 1 stick plus 1 tbsp cold butter
- 1 egg yolk
- 1 tbsp cold water
- 120 gm | 4.3 oz | 1 stick plus 1/2 tbsp butter
- 150 gm | 5.4 oz | 2/3 cup caster sugar
- 200 gm | 7.1 oz | 2 cups minus 1 tbsp ground almonds
- 2 eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Directions:
We need to do two things ahead of time then we can put our feet up for an hour or so. First put 1 cup of water and 1 cup of sugar into a medium saucepan. Peel the quinces and slice into wedges. Cut out the core and a little bit more from each wedge to remove the grainy part at the centre. Put the slices into the saucepan and keep going until you can’t fit any more under the liquid. You will need about 2 large quinces, maybe more. Cut the vanilla bean into 3 pieces – do not split or scrape! – and add to the pot. Bring the whole lot to a simmer then cover it up and leave it to gently cook for about 20-30 minutes. The quince pieces should be soft and starting to turn faintly pink. Remove from the heat and leave to cool in the syrup.
While the quince is cooking we can make the tart crust either by hand or using a food processor. Sift the dry ingredients. Rub in the butter. Add the egg yolk and water until it comes together and knead for about 30 seconds until smooth. Wrap the dough – it will be fairly soft – in plastic wrap or put it in a ziplock bag and chill for at least an hour. By the time the quinces are cool, the dough will be chilled.
Now it’s pie making time! Preheat the oven to 190C (375F). Roll out the crust and gently press into a 9 or 10 inch loose bottomed tart tin. Because the dough is soft you can use an off-cut to patch any holes. Prick the base with a fork to prevent unnecessary puffery. Chill the shaped tart shell for another 30 minutes to help it keep it’s shape while baking.
Blind bake the shell for about 20 minutes until set and starting to brown at the edges. While the shell is baking drain the quince slices making sure to save the vanilla pieces. Save the syrup as well – it’s delicious in mixed drinks!
To make the frangipane start by creaming the butter and sugar until fluffy. Scrape the seeds from the pieces of vanilla bean we used earlier and add to the butter and sugar. Beat together along with the eggs and vanilla extract. Lastly fold in the almonds.
When the shell is ready, arrange the quince pieces in the bottom and spread the frangipane over the top. If you have been very generous with the quinces you may have a little frangipane left over.
Bake for 20-30 minutes more until the top is dark golden and feels firm when you press gently in the centre. Remove from the oven and leave to cool in the tin for a while.
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