Spiced Quince Pie Recipe: How to Make Quince Pie
Written by MasterClass
Last updated: Oct 23, 2024 • 4 min read
Learn how to make the best quince pie recipe with a buttery homemade crust and tender poached quince filling.
Learn From the Best
What Is Quince Pie?
Quince pie is an enclosed pastry with spiced poached quince filling. Quince fruit is an edible product of flowering quince trees. Most varieties of quince are too astringent to eat raw, so quince recipes almost always include pre-cooked or preserved fruit. Like apple pie, quinces bakers cook quinces before use as a pie filling.
How to Make Quince Pie
Follow these steps for making quince pie:
- 1. Rest your pie dough. Be careful not to overwork your dough. Once your dough has just come together, it's time to give it a rest. After mixing and rolling out your dough, allow it to rest in the refrigerator for at least two hours. This lets the fat cool and solidify, and the gluten molecules relax, so you have a soft, flaky crust.
- 2. Poach the quince. To ensure the quinces are tender and not astringent, poach them in juice or wine before building your pie filling. Similar to granny smith apple and cranberry, quince contains plenty of natural pectin to hold the filling together with minimal cornstarch or flour.
- 3. Place your pie plate on a baking sheet. Even after you've macerated your fruit and combined it with a thickener, there's still a chance of leakage. To avoid a mess in your oven, simply bake your pie on a rimmed baking sheet.
- 4. Blind bake your pie crust. Fillings, by nature, contain a ton of moisture—fruit-based ones, especially. When they bake, they release all those delicious juices into the nearest vessel at hand: the dough. In order for your crust to withstand that moisture, it’s crucial that you blind bake. Blind baking—the process of pre-baking the bottom crust in a pie pan using pie weights, dried beans, or sugar gives you a headstart on creating a base that will stand up to a wet filling.
- 5. Bake until the pie is golden. Wait until your pie is a deep golden brown before pulling it from the oven. To ensure the crust is shiny and golden, brush it with an egg wash before baking. Use an egg wash made from only egg yolks for a deeply golden crust.
Spiced Quince Pie Recipe
makes
1 9-inch pie (6–8 servings)prep time
30 mintotal time
1 hr 50 mincook time
1 hr 20 minIngredients
For the crust
For the quince filling
- 1
Combine the flour, sugar, and salt in a large bowl.
- 2
Add the cold butter to the flour mixture, and work it between your fingers until the dough resembles coarse crumbs and there are no large pieces left. The dough should just hold together when pressed in a handful.
- 3
Turn the dough out onto a clean work surface, and add the cold water and vinegar.
- 4
Comb through the dough with your fingers until well-combined, then begin to knead the dough until it comes together, no more than a couple of minutes.
- 5
Divide and form into two shaggy discs about 1-inch thick. Wrap in plastic wrap, and place in the refrigerator for at least two hours before rolling out with a rolling pin.
- 6
After the first rest, generously dust a clean work surface and roll the dough into an 11-inch circle. Roll up the dough and transfer it to a 9-inch pie dish. Crimp the edges into whatever pattern suits you, cover the pie shell with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for another two hours.
- 7
In a large saucepan, combine the quince slices, honey, ¼ cup sugar, ½ teaspoon kosher salt, and 2 cups water. Bring to a boil, then reduce to low heat to simmer, occasionally stirring, until fruit is tender, 10–15 minutes.
- 8
Strain the fruit, reserving poaching liquid in the saucepan.
- 9
Combine the remaining brown sugar, ½ teaspoon kosher salt, cinnamon, cardamom, and flour in a small bowl.
- 10
Add the dry ingredients and butter to the saucepan with poaching liquid and bring to a boil. Reduce to medium heat and cook until thickened, 2–5 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside to cool.
- 11
Stir in the quince and lemon juice.
- 12
When ready to blind bake, preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line the pie dough with aluminum foil and fill with your choice of pie weights. Bake for 15 minutes, until golden and set.
- 13
Roll out the remaining dough disc into a 9-inch circle on a floured surface.
- 14
Add the pie filling to the blind-baked bottom crust and place the top crust on top of the pie.
- 15
Brush the top of the pie with egg wash. Cut slits into the top crust.
- 16
Bake until the pie looks deep golden brown, about 45 minutes.
- 17
Let the pie cool on a wire rack at room temperature, 10 minutes.
- 18
Serve with vanilla ice cream or vanilla bean whipped cream, if desired.
Become a better chef with the MasterClass Annual Membership. Gain access to exclusive video lessons taught by the world’s best, including Alice Waters, Gabriela Cámara, Niki Nakayama, Chef Thomas Keller, Gordon Ramsay, Yotam Ottolenghi, Dominique Ansel, and more.
Note: The total time does not include 4 hours of inactive time.