Tuesday, December 1, 2009

TWD: Rosy Poached Pear (Quince) and Pistachio Tart


Tuesdays With Dorie begins the month of December with Rosy Poached Pear and Pistachio Tart. Thanks to Josh’s brother, we have become acquainted with a very nice farmer. Amy runs the Petaluma Bounty Farm and, among other accolades, was featured in this article, “40 Farmers Under 40.” She knows I like to bake and on Thanksgiving she kindly gave me some pineapple quinces, which she thought I would enjoy. I had never worked with quinces before, but since they are a relative of pears, I figured I could use them for this tart. The quince were an excellent poaching fruit: they are not as hard and crunchy as apples, but have more give than pears, so they held up well and sliced nicely. I poached three large quinces and only made one tiny tart, so I will be making quince sorbet with the leftovers (and hopefully posting it).



Last month we had the privilege of posting the recipes out of order, and I will confess that I was a bit wistful for November, as this tart was a bit of a production to make just a few days after Thanksgiving, and I did not have the foresight to divide the labor up over a couple days. In addition to the fruit, there was pistachio pastry cream, a tart shell, candied pistachios, and a glaze made with the poaching liquid. The tart was really lovely, though, and though the pastry cream ended up being my least favorite part, it smelled amazing as the pistachios and sugar steeped in milk. I think the combination of textures in this tart may have been as good as the flavors, particularly the fruit and crunchy pistachios.



This recipe received a 7.5 for Deliciousness and a 4.5 for Effort, giving it an EDR 1.66. If I had a ranking for aesthetic appeal, this is a definite 10 – so pretty. Many thanks to Lauren of I’ll Eat You for selecting this dessert. You can find the recipe here on Lauren’s site and visit the TWD blogroll to see what the other bakers thought of this tart.

22 comments:

Hindy said...

Doesn't that quince hold up beautifully! I love your little tartlet.

Amanda said...

I've seen qince but never tried it, it looks fabulous! I had to pass this week, posted Nutella Peanut Butter Cookies instead that I made a few weeks ago. The holiday put me way behind, just never had time! ;-/

Paula said...

Quine is new to me too. Soaked up the color well though. Very cute little tartlet.

vibi said...

Beautiful! The colours are simply amazing... you really got a rosy pear tone! WOW! ...and on a green plate it becomes even more of a killer!

Unknown said...

Gorgeous tart Margot! How nice that you've become friendly with a local farmer - maybe the quince are just the start of the fun items she'll share! I haven't had time to get this tart done. I, too, wish we could have gone out of order this month!

Mary Ann said...

Your tart looks amazing. I love that you used quince in it. Beautiful!

Isabelle said...

Your tart looks gorgeous! I've never tasted quince but it sounds delicious!

Lillian said...

That is a lovely little tart!

Anonymous said...

I love your last photo! I had quince jam once and loved it; I'll have to look for some and try baking with it.

Cakelaw said...

Agreed - it is so pretty, although it is a lot of work! Love the quince substitution - quinces are not that easy to get here, but I'd love to use them more.

Susan said...

Your tart(let) looks so good. I have heard of quince, but never used them. Love your tart stand. So pretty.

betty geek said...

Your tart does look so pretty!

I didn't make it because I wasn't patient with all the components involved and of course, Monday Night Football wins.

Your blog is a fun read each and every time. Keep up the beautiful work.

Heather said...

I love this! Your work is beautiful and very well presented.

Sarah said...

Your tart is beautiful! I've been wishing we had the same lenience with December posting as well. I couldn't swing the tart. I'm really hoping to make it before next Tuesday, well see. I love all of the colors in your tart, and it looks lovely on your little green stand! I've been wanting to experiment with quinces, but can't get them where I live...

Megan said...

I've never had a quince before - but they look very interesting.

I'm with you - I wish we could have done the December recipes out of order too.

Leslie said...

This is beautifully done, Margot! Very clever to use quince instead of the pears.

steph- whisk/spoon said...

oh that sounds so good! poached quince are delicious!

Unknown said...

Margot, your tart looks fabulous! Love that you subbed quince for pear!! Perfect substitute-I bet it was delicious!!

spike. said...

That is gorgeous! The pineapple quince sound fab

TeaLady said...

Quinces. I don't think I have ever had one.

Your tart looks fantastic.

Teanna DiMicco said...

Quinces! What a fantastic idea! I have only worked with them once, and haven't used them again because they are always so expensive! But your tart looks stunning!

Nancy/n.o.e said...

Quince tart, quince sorbet - it all sounds so seasonal and sophisticated. All you need now is a "runcible spoon" (do you know The Owl and The Pussycat poem? I've only baked with quince once and didn't do it justice I'm afraid. Poaching just might be the ticket.