Recipe- Quince Tarte Tatin With Lemon Meringue Is A Perfect Dessert

Juicy and refreshing, sorbets sit at the lighter end of the dessert spectrum and are the perfect end to an ever-so-slightly overindulgent meal. They are also capable of deftly dancing the line between sweet and savoury with significantly more ease than ice cream, and savoury sorbets are an increasingly popular addition alongside cured fish and other cold starters.

A perfect dessert for making the most of autumn and winter quince, Daniele Usai's take on a tarte Tatin is given extra kick with the addition of a lemon meringue sorbet and crisp little meringue pieces. The sorbet, meringues, tart and crumble can all be made ahead of serving, making this an ideal dinner party dessert recipe; simply caramelise the quince topping before serving.

Ingredients

Tarte Tatin

800g of quince, peeled, cored and thinly sliced
50g of soft dark brown sugar
150g of 00 flour
90g of butter
50g of Demerara sugar, plus 4 tsp extra for sprinkling
30g of egg yolk
20g of water
1 pinch of salt

Meringue sorbet

2 lemons, zest of 1 and 50g of juice
100g of sugar
55g of egg white

Meringue

150g of sugar
50g of water
55g of egg white

Crumble

60g of butter
82g of soft dark brown sugar
75g of 00 flour
75g of hazelnut flour
12g of rum
fresh rosemary, or fir, to garnish (optional)

Method

* Begin by preparing the meringue sorbet. Place the egg whites into a large bowl or food processor with a whisk attachment and whisk until they begin to form soft peaks .

* Meanwhile, heat the lemon juice and sugar in a small pan until the sugar dissolves and the mixture reaches 121°C. Slowly pour the hot lemon syrup over the egg whites, continually whisking until it reaches a stiff meringue. Mix in the lemon zest, stir until combined and transfer to a freezable container. Place in the freezer for at least 3–4 hours to set .

* Preheat the oven to 110°C/gas mark ½

* For the meringue, semi-whisk the egg whites in a large bowl until they form soft peaks. In a pan, mix together the sugar and water and heat to 121°C to form a syrup, then pour this over the egg whites while whisking continuously. Continue to whisk until it becomes a stiff meringue

* Transfer the meringue mixture to a piping bag and pipe small dots across a silicone or well-lined baking tray. Bake in the oven for 2 hours, or until the meringues are completely dried and crisp. Leave to cool and set aside until ready to serve

* Meanwhile, prepare the tarte Tatin. Mix together the flour, butter, sugar, egg yolk and salt in a bowl, then add the water and stir well to form a dough. Once thoroughly combined set aside the dough to rest until required
150g of 00 flour
90g of butter
50g of Demerara sugar
30g of egg yolk
20g of water
1 pinch of salt

* Preheat the oven to 170°C/gas mark 3½. Line a deep baking tray with baking paper

* Sprinkle the dark brown sugar across the lined baking tray in an even layer and arrange the quince slices over the top, overlapping the slices until the base is completely covered.

* Roll out the dough into roughly the same size and shape as the baking tray and place it carefully over the top, lightly pressing down over the quince to stick. Bake in the oven for 40 minutes, or until golden brown and crisp
50g of soft dark brown sugar
800g of quince, peeled, cored and thinly sliced

* Meanwhile, place all the crumble ingredients in a bowl and rub the butter and rum into the dry ingredients to form crumbly mixture. Spread this out on a baking tray and bake in the same oven for 30 minutes, or until cooked through. Midway through cooking, break up any large clumps to make a more consistent crumble
60g of butter
82g of soft dark brown sugar
75g of 00 flour
75g of hazelnut flour
12g of rum

* Remove the tarte Tatin and crumble from the oven and allow to cool. Use a 10cm round cutter to cut four discs from the tarte Tatin, removing these carefully from the tray and placing them pastry-side down on a wooden board. Sprinkle the extra Demerara sugar over each tarte Tatin and caramelise evenly with a blowtorch

* To serve, place one of the caramelised tarte Tatins onto each plate alongside a circle of the crumble. Top the crumble with a quenelle of sorbet, studding it with pieces of meringue. Garnish with a sprig of rosemary or fir and serve immediately.