Pain Perdu with Candied Quince

Photo credit: © Eatwell101.com

If you want an idea of something divinely sweet, tasty and generous, then this pain perdu and candied quince recipe is for you! It is ideal for a winter snack or even better, for breakfast or brunch on Sunday morning when the alarm clock is a little late. Be careful though, quince preparation is long and it is better to anticipate. There is no problem to cook the quinces the day before and reheat gently in a pan on the day J.

It is for me a really comforting dish. Yes, I say “a dish” because the recipe described here is a little too rich to finish a lunch or dinner meal. However, nothing prevents you to offer only the candied quince syrup topped with orange, with cottage cheese for example. It is fresher and undoubtedly lighter!

Ingredients list for 4 persons

Candied quince (the longest part of the recipe)

To cook quinces:

• 3 quinces
• 1 pint (1/2 L) water
• 1 pint (1/2 L) orange juice –
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 3 anise stars
• 2 cloves
• 1 vanilla pod
• 3 tablespoons of brown sugar

To brown the quince in the pan:

•  1 2/3 ounces (50g) salted butter
• 3 tablespoons of brown sugar

For the french toast (pain perdu): 8 slices

• 2 eggs
• 1 large bowl of milk
• About 5 tablespoons brown sugar
• White bread, brioche… whatever you like

Cooking instructions

This recipe is divided in two steps: the confied quinces and the orange syrup, then the french toast that we’ll make as “pain perdu”.

Cooking the quinces and syrup

1. In a large saucepan, add water and orange juice. Add the cinnamon, star anise, cloves and vanilla bean, split in two. Bring to a boil.

2. Meanwhile, peel the quinces and cut them in half. Remove the seeds but do not try to remove the hearts. The operation would be too tedious at this stage of the recipe (quince fruits are tough and you could lose your fingers and patience…).

3. Dip peeled quinces in the pan. Cook them for thirty minutes until fruit is tender (check the cooking with the blade of a knife ; it should sink easily into the flesh). Drain on a plate and wait a few minutes until they get cooler.

4. Add three tablespoons of sugar in the saucepan and bring to a boil. Let reduce for about fifteen minutes to get a thicker syrup. The orange syrup is ready.

5. Meanwhile, cut the quince halves into quarters. At this point, you can withdraw the core (too hard and unpleasant to eat!). Cooking fruits makes this step much easier!

6. In a skillet, melt butter. Sprinkle the quince wedges with sugar then caramelize the fruit over high heat. Turn them regularly so quinces will caramelize on all sides.

Preparing the pain perdu

1. Melt sugar, eggs and milk in a shallow plate or dish.

2. Soak the bread or brioche slices with this mixture.

3. Brown the soaked slices in a skillet with a knob of butter. Be careful as it can burn easily if fire is too hot.

Plating the dish

1. Dispose the quinces wedges on a dessert plate.

2. Add the pain perdu slices.

3. Pour the syrup over quince (and bread if you want).

Enjoy your brunch!

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