Skip to content Skip to navigation

Quince Brown Betty With Toffee Sauce

We have the Four Seasons Cookbook to thank for this beautifully sweet and crumbly pie that really makes the most of the fragrant quince.

Four Seasons Tips:
Quince browns very quickly once it is peeled, but mixing with lemon juice helps keep this to a minimum. You can use thinly sliced cooking apples for this dish if you prefer. If you have pears, under-ripe pears work better; adjust the sugar to sweeten the filling accordingly.
To freeze, bake in a freezerproof dish, leave to cool completely then freeze for up to 3 months. To reheat from frozen, cover with foil and bake in a preheated oven at 200°C/180°fan/Gas 6 for about 30 minutes until piping hot. Make the toffee sauce while the pudding is in the oven.

  • Preparation time:
    35
    min(s)
  • Cooking time:
    55
    min(s)
  • Servings:
    6

What you'll need

  • 200g (7oz) fresh breadcrumbs (white or wholemeal)
  • 675g (1½lb) ripe quince
  • 4tbsp lemon juice
  • 1tsp vanilla extract
  • 125ml (4fl oz) double cream
  • 150g (5oz) lightly salted butter
  • 2tsp ground cinnamon
  • 215g (7½oz) soft light brown sugar

Products used

How to make

  1. Preheat the oven to 180°C/160°fan/Gas 4. Put the breadcrumbs in a bowl. Melt 100g (3½oz) butter and stir into the crumbs along with 50g (2oz) sugar. Spoon half of the mixture into a 1.5 litre (2½ pint) ovenproof dish.
  2. Peel and core the quince. Cut into thin slices and place in a bowl. Toss in the lemon juice, and mix in the cinnamon and 50g (2oz) sugar. Spoon evenly into the dish over the crumbs. Spoon over 4 tablespoons water and top with the remaining breadcrumb mixture.
  3. Stand the dish on a baking tray and bake for about 50 minutes until the quince is tender – test with a skewer. Cover with foil if the topping browns too quickly.
  4. While the pudding is in the oven, make the toffee sauce. Put the remaining sugar, butter and half the cream in a saucepan and heat gently, stirring until dissolved. Increase the heat and boil for 4–5 minutes, stirring to prevent burning, until thick and syrupy. Remove from the heat and stir in the remaining cream and vanilla. Cover and keep warm – it will thicken as it cools.
  5. Serve the pudding hot or warm, drizzled with the toffee sauce.