Quince season is underway, and we have a supply from Flying Squirrel Farm in Bucksport this year. If you’ve never cooked with quince before, you might think they work similarly to pears because they look alike. But quince start out much more dense and astringent. They need to be poached before baking to bring out the delicate flavor and soft texture. But once they are, the tart, floral, honey-like flavor will delight. In this recipe, we’ve paired them with puff pastry and vanilla cream cheese, balancing their tartness perfectly. The recipe uses two puff pastry sheets, but you can cut the recipe in half and make a rectangular pie.
On the Ingredients
- Quinces are a fruit related to apples and pears. When ripe, the fruit is hard, tart, and astringent. They must be cooked and are usually processed into jam or jelly (quinces are very high in pectin) but you can also poach them and use them in baking. Quince has a mild citrus and floral flavor with apple, pear, and honey notes. They are high in fiber, nutrients, and antioxidants. (Read more about quince.)
Recipe Notes and Substitutions
You can make this recipe with pears instead of quinces, but you only need poach the pears for 20 minutes instead of two hours.
Quince Pastry Pie
6
servings30
minutes2
hours40
minutes3
hours10
minutesQuince season is underway, and we have a supply from Flying Squirrel Farm in Bucksport this year. If you’ve never cooked with quince before, you might think they work similarly to pears because they look alike. But quince start out much more dense and astringent. They need to be poached before baking to bring out the delicate flavor and soft texture. But once they are, the tart, floral, honey-like flavor will delight. In this recipe, we’ve paired them with puff pastry and vanilla cream cheese, balancing their tartness perfectly. The recipe uses two puff pastry sheets, but you can cut the recipe in half and make a rectangular pie.
Ingredients
6 quince
1 cup sake
1 tbsp mulling spices
1 1/2 cups + 3 tbsp sugar OR monkfruit sweetener
8 oz cream cheese (room temp)
1/2 cup powdered sugar OR Swerve powdered sweetener
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp salt
2 tbsp butter (room temp
2 sheets puff pastry
1 egg + 1 egg yolk
Directions
- To poach the quince, partially fill a mixing bowl with cold water and set it to the side of your workspace. Process the quince one at a time, as they turn brown very quickly. Peel the quince and cut them into thirds discarding the core. If the seeds are difficult to cut out, use a spoon to scrap them from the flesh (a grapefruit spoon works well). As you cut each quince, place the fruit in the bowl of water to help slow the oxidization (browning).
- When the quince are all cut, transfer them to a saucepan and add enough water to cover them. Add the sake, mulling spices, and 1 1/2 cups of sweetener. Cover and let the quince simmer for 1-2 hours until the fruit is tender. Use a slotted spoon to remove the quince from the water, set them on a plate, and cool to room temperature.
- Strain the mulling spices from the liquid and save, it’s a delicious drink.
- Preheat the oven to 400° F.
- Thaw the puff pastry according to the directions on the box.
- Mix together the cream cheese, powdered sweetener, salt, egg yolk, and vanilla. Place one sheet of puff pasty on a parchment-lined baking tray. Spread 2/3 of the cream cheese mixture on it, leaving 1-inch of bare pastry around the edge. Arrange the poached quince on top of the cream cheese and sprinkle with 3 tbsp of sweetener. Distribute some blobs of soft butter around the quince, then drizzle the remaining cream cheese over the quince.
- Lightly flour a work surface and place the second puff pastry sheet on it. Use a rolling pin to gently roll the sheet until it’s about an inch wider and taller. Moisten the bare edges of the first sheet and lay the second sheet over the quince and cream cheese mixture.
- Use a fork to seal the edges. Beat an egg with a tbsp of water and brush the top of the pastry with the wash. Use a knife to cut a few slits on the top of the pie.
- Bake for 30-40 minutes until the pastry is golden brown. Serve warm!
