12455 Croustade with Quince and Prunes Serves 6 to 8 Wed Aug 06 01:08:00 -0700 2008 Wed Feb 04 15:34:06 -0800 2009 Licensed http://www.chow.com/recipes/12455 Wed, 04 Feb 2009 23:34:06 GMT This croustade, an enclosed pie with a rich, intensely flavored filling of quince and prunes, originates in the Languedoc, where it is subtitled en cabessal. The pastry, made of strudel-type dough, is brushed lavishly with melted butter and oil so that when it is curved into a coil it will not crack or break.

This croustade is beloved in the Languedoc for its special aroma and taste. Quince preserve (rather than jelly) is full of flavor and texture. The taste of quince is tangy and balances the sweetness of the prunes. In my version I have substituted a light, flaky pastry for the strudel dough and have shaped the croustade into a simple round.

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  • If the prunes are hard, soak them in the tea until soft, 10 to 15 minutes. Drain, discarding the tea.
  • Place the sugar and 1½ cups water in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil, stirring until sugar dissolves; boil for 5 minutes. Add the prunes to the syrup. Reduce the heat and simmer for 20 minutes. Remove from the heat and let the prunes cool in the syrup. Add the vanilla, lemon juice, and lemon zest. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour.
  • Meanwhile, bring the pastry dough to room temperature.
  • Drain the prunes, reserving the syrup. Coarsely chop the prunes. Put in a bowl and stir in the eau-de-vie.
  • Gently heat the quince preserves in a small saucepan until just melted. Stir in one fourth of the reserved prune syrup and let cool completely.
  • Preheat the oven to 425°F. Divide the dough into two equal parts. Roll out 1 piece of dough between two sheets of lightly floured waxed paper into an 11-inch circle. Fit the pastry into a 9- or 10-inch tart pan with a removable bottom, leaving an extra inch of overhang. Prick the bottom with the tines of a fork. Roll out the second piece of pastry.
  • Spread the quince preserves over the bottom of the pastry-lined pan. Top with the prunes in an even layer. Brush the exposed margin of pastry with egg glaze. Cover with the second round of dough, pressing the edges together to seal. Trim to ½ inch and crimp the edges to seal.
  • Brush the top of the pie with the egg glaze. Score the top of the tart pastry with crisscross lines and make a few holes on top with the point of a sharp knife so that steam can escape during baking.
  • Bake in the oven for 15 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 350°F and bake for 35 minutes longer. Dust the top with confectioners' sugar and bake until the top is shiny and glazed, about 10 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool. Serve lukewarm or cold with crème fraîche or unsweetened whipped cream.
    • ]]>     http://www.chow.com Paula Wolfert 50 Main ¾ pound pitted prunes

    ]]>     2 cups warm brewed tea, preferably linden or orange pekoe (optional)

    ]]>     ¾ cup granulated sugar

    ]]>     1 teaspoon vanilla extract

    ]]>     1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

    ]]>     ½ teaspoon grated lemon zest

    ]]>     1½ tablespoons prune eau-de-vie, Slivovitz, or Armagnac

    ]]>     Pâte Brisée (page 92)]]> 1 cup quince preserves

    ]]>     Egg glaze: 1 egg yolk beaten with 1 tablespoon milk

    ]]>     Confectioners' sugar

    ]]>     Crème fraîche or unsweetened whipped cream

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