Quince Persimmon and Cranberry Marzipan Crumble

If you don’t bake with quince, you really should.

This Asian fruit looks like a cross between a gnarly pear and an apple.  It peels like an unripe pear.  Its flesh is yellow when raw.  And you really shouldn’t eat it raw.  But that’s alright, because once you’ve poached or roasted it, the quince turns the most lovely shade of pink, so it’s worth waiting for.  It has a delightful, light fragrance, which enhances anything you add it to.

It is an autumn fruit, so you’ll probably start seeing it at the markets right about now.  It’s not small- think almost twice the size of a Bartlett pear.  I love adding it to apple pies.  I’ve never baked an entire pie with just quince, but I think that may change this year.  

Today though, I’m sharing a charming little Autumn dessert.  I have all these cranberries to use up.  And we were craving crumble.  So I thought about what I would like to add those cranberries to.  Of course I could use the obvious apple or pear.  But then I thought, if those fruits are obviously great in a crumble or crisp, then what about the fruit that makes me think of both of them: quince!?  So I went to the market it search of some.

When I arrived at the market, low and behold, the Fuyu Persimmons were also in the baskets.  Oh my, persimmon season has also started.  Those lovely orange firm fleshed orbs (use the Fuyu- they are sweet, and their skin is edible.  The larger, pointier ones are bitter with an aftertaste)  So I stared and them and thought, persimmon…quince…together!  I would use both, along with a small portion of the plethora of cranberries at home.  

To use the quince in the crumble, I would first have to poach or roast them.  Poaching is faster.  So I peeled, cored and cubed them into bite sized pieces.  I added star anise and a cinnamon stick to the poaching liquid, and cooked them until they had softened.  It only takes about 10 minutes on medium low.

I sliced and cubed the persimmons and placed them in a bowl, along with the cooled down quince cubes.  I added a cup or so of cranberries, and then tossed them in golden brown sugar and maple syrup, and a touch more cinnamon.

While the persimmons were poaching I made the crumble topping.  AP flour (but go ahead and use your favourite gluten free flour instead) and ground almonds, cinnamon, and butter of course.  But I went a bit further.  The fruit really needed to be showcased with a defined flavour of topping.  So out came my stash of marzipan.  This firm almond paste would add a lovely fragrance, as well as a creamy texture once baked.  And for a bit of crunch, some slivered almonds.  Mix and spread out on a parchment lined baking sheet to place in the freezer to keep the butter cold.  Like a pie, this will help it create a tender crumb when it finally goes into the oven.

Once ready to bake off, it’s just a matter of putting the fruit into a greased baking dish.  Top with the crumble, and into the oven.  In no time the kitchen smelled amazing.

Serve this simple yet seasonal crumble with a good vanilla ice cream or maple sweetened whipping cream.  

And it makes a great breakfast.  It is mostly fruit after all. 🙂

Love Jen

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Quince Persimmon and Cranberry Marzipan Crumble

Perfectly fragrant, autumnal fruit such as quince and persimmon deserve to share the stage with cranberries in this delightful crumble. Marzipan in the crumble guarantees and tender texture.

Course Dessert

Prep Time 30 minutes

Cook Time 40 minutes

Servings 8

Ingredients

Filling

• 2 large quince when peeled, cored and sliced, you should have 4 cups of fruit
• 1/3 cup granulated sugar
• 1/3 cup honey
• 1 star anise
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 8 Fuyu Persimmons ripe but not over-ripe
• 1 1/2 cups fresh or frozen cranberries don't thaw if frozen
• 2 tbsp honey
• 1 tbsp lemon or orange juice
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp ground cloves

Topping

• 3/4 cup AP flour or a gluten free version that you like, like Bob's Red Mill 1:1 GF flour
• 1/4 cup ground almonds
• 4 1/2 oz 120 grams marzipan, cut into rough pieces
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 cup 3 1/2 oz; 100 grams cold butter, cut into 1/2 inch (1 cm) cubes
• 1/4 cup 1 oz; 25 grams slivered almonds

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350F (180C) Prepare a large baking dish or casserole or even individual cocottes by greasing well.

2. Have a pot with 2 cups water, 1/3 cup granulated sugar and 1/3 cup honey or maple syrup ready. Add the star anise and cinnamon stick.

3. Halve and core the quinces. Quarter or even cut into 8 lengths. This will make it easier for peeling and then cutting into bite size slices. Once cut, add them to the pot of water and sweetener.

4. Once filled, bring the pot of water to a boil. Then reduce and simmer on medium low until the quince slices are tender enough to pierce with a fork. Remove and drain. Place these into a large bowl.

5. While the quince slices are simmering away, remove the tops from the persimmons. You don't need to peel Fuyo persimmons. Slice into quarters and then cut into bite sized slices. Add these to the bowl with the quince slices.

6. Add the cranberries, the honey or maple syrup, citrus juice and spices. Toss to coat.

Topping

1. While the quince is simmering on the stove you can also prepare the topping.

2. Combine the flour, ground almonds, marzipan and cinnamon in a food processor. Give it a few pulses until a regular sized crumb takes shape.

3. Add the cubed butter and pulse till it is evenly dispersed.

4. Add the slivered almonds and give it one or two pulses. There should still be large-ish almond slices visible.

5. Place the entire mixture onto a parchment lined baking sheet and put in the freezer for 10 minutes. This will help keep the butter and marzipan chilled.
6. Place the filling into the desired vessel and then scatter the topping all over evenly.
7. Bake until the top is golden and the fruit is gently bubbling away. This should take between 35-40 minutes. If you find that the top is getting too brown before the filling is cooked through, place a piece of foil gently and loosely on top.
8. Let set and cool down for at least 15 minutes. Serve with vanilla ice cream or sweetened whipped cream.

Recipe Notes

Feel free to use maple syrup instead of honey.

The topping is a riff on a Curtis Stone topping for his quince crumble, here