A few weeks ago, I had the pleasure of cooking a six-course Thanksgiving pairing menu to go along with the French fortified wine, Pineau des Charentes. This was a press dinner hosted by PlaceInvaders for Sopexa, who represents the wine. A total of twelve guests spent the evening warmly tucked inside a Placeinvaders purple Victorian “mansion” in the heart of San Francisco’s Mission District. I conjured up the menu to evoke an autumnal European-American Thanksgiving vibe and, because I was the chef, I was bursting with fresh, fall-centric herbs.

With the menu and pairings, I set to strike the balance between warm, comfortable, yet elegant for our evening’s ambience. Host and wine expert/educator Hoke Harden told the story of the full spectrum of offerings in the Pineau des Charentes portfolio throughout the dining and drinking experience. Pineau des Charentes wine was new to me. It’s a regional French aperitif and much more commonly known in Europe than it is here. This was the point of the dinner—for the press to learn more.

Consequently, I also learned more. What I learned is that it’s an incredibly interesting and complex creature, and that I enjoy it for drinking, mixing into cocktails, and using in cooking. It’s made by mixing freshly pressed grape juice or lightly fermented grape juice with Cognac or a fruit brandy and then matured at various timeframes. There is a full spectrum of styles and colors: white, rose, red… All of these are aged differently, and some are aged over 5 years.

I’ll admit that the pairing part of the gig was a tad difficult. I had only been able to taste two of the wines prior to the actual dinner, and I hadn’t had much experience with this type of wine or brandy. Many of my pairings relied on tasting notes, research, and expert advice alone (always mixed with a little good fortune). From what Hoke told me, all the pairings worked wonderfully, including the one that originally had thrown him off  in theory. This was for the the dessert course and the Pineau des Charentes David Ramnoux. The tasting notes alone led me to  create the amazing new dessert. I rolled fresh rosemary and lemon zest into a puff pastry, layered with long pepper vanilla pastry cream and Cognac poached quince to make a decadent, homemade mille-feuille. The  dessert was accented with a dusting of lemon zest and anise hyssop petals as well as another new recipes I created, Sage & Black Truffle Whiskey Caramel and Black Pepper Hazelnuts. This pairing ended up being one of the nights favorites,  the dessert  alone was a big hit.

Unfortunately, I do not have many great photos that show the final dishes, as I was busy whipping it up and plating it with my sous chef for the night, Bridget Bartholome. I do have some photos from the preparations that Bridget and I had done in Bolinas over the course of the days leading up to the event. I also have some Instagram posts (that I kind of sort of stole) from guests which are probably the most fun to look at. I’m not posting all the recipes—just those I feel are the most special and that I have photos for. You can find a few of the recipes and accompanying garnishes online at Edible Marin and Wine Country. The Roasted Apple & Red Kuri Soup and The Chicory Waldorf Salad recipes appeared in an article I wrote, “Fall in Love with Apples Savory Side”.

My seasonal fall herb salts were born from this menu and are used in all the dishes. The Fall Herb Salt was placed on the table for guests, and it was a real crowd pleaser.

Technically I made three menus,  a vegetarian menu as well as a gluten and dairy free menu was additionally offered.

Fall Herb Salt

Makes 2 cups

This autumn salt has a warm, earthy flare to it. The woody stemmed herbs that pounce out of the ground in early fall are as present as the softer stemmed sultry marjoram. Tinges of mace and cinnamon give spice and added warmth while the orange zest locks in some freshness. It’s as if Thanksgiving has invited itself to your meal.

Ingredients

1 tablespoon chopped super fine sage leaves
1 tablespoon chopped super fine marjoram leaves
1 tablespoon chopped super fine rosemary leaves
1 tablespoon chopped super fine thyme leaves
1 ½ teaspoons Aleppo pepper
2 teaspoons finely cracked white pepper
¼ teaspoon ground mace
¼ teaspoon cinnamon
1 tablespoon orange zest
1 ½ cups Maldon flake salt

Directions

Preheat oven to 200 degrees F.

Mix together all of the fresh herbs, spices, and zest in a medium mixing bowl. Gently fold in the salt. Use your fingers to mix well, making sure the herbs and spices are well incorporated into the salt. Spread the salt-herb mix evenly and flat across a baking sheet covered with parchment paper. Place sheet in the oven and bake until the herbs seem to have lost most moisture but still appear greenish, about 15-20 minutes. They should not be totally dried out. Store in a small bowl on your counter for a few weeks.

Supersonic Flight of the Concord

Makes 2 cocktails and extra syrup

Egg white cocktails can be intimidating and hard to pull off at home. I never did it well until I got a clever home tip from a well-known mixologist. His advice was to use one of those inexpensive milk frothers and first froth the egg white into a meringue. Then you can use those in lieu of the egg white in the recipe.

Ingredients

For the Concord Grape-Jasmine Sour Mix:
¾ cup sugar
½ vanilla bean, scraped (seeds and pod reserved)
1 packed teaspoon lemon zest
1 packed teaspoon orange zest
1 tablespoon chopped purple sage leaves
30 jasmine flowers, roughly chopped
1 ½ cups water
2 cups concord grapes, smashed up
¾ cup orange juice
½ cup lemon juice

For the cocktail:
1 egg white, for frothing
1 teaspoon vanilla sugar*
3 ounces whiskey
2 ounces Pineau de Charentes Bache Gabrielsen, Aperitif or Cognac
2 ounces Concord Grape-Jasmine Sour Mix (from recipe above)
Monarch Bitters Grapefruit Cardamom Bitters (for garnish)

Directions

For the Concord Grape-Jasmine Sour:

Combine sugar, vanilla seeds and pod, lemon zest, orange zest, sage, and jasmine flowers in a medium shallow bowl. Rub it all together with your fingers, pulverizing the zest, vanilla, and herbs into the sugar. The sugar will turn a greenish/yellowish hue from the oils in the sage and zest.

Place the pulverized sugar in a medium saucepan. Add the water and grapes to the saucepan.

Bring the sour mix to a boil. Once the sour mix comes to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer about 8 minutes. Turn off the burner, and let the mix cool completely in the pan. Add the citrus juices.

Strain out the liquid, using a fine mesh strainer. Push down on the grapes using the back of a wooden spoon to extract every drop of liquid that you can. Bottle and refrigerate the liquid; discard the solids.

For the cocktail:

Using a milk frother, froth the egg white and sugar in the bottom of a cocktail shaker until the egg white becomes meringue like with soft peaks, about 2 minutes. Mix the whiskey, (your choice) apertif or cognac, and the concord grape-jasmine sour mix, and fill it with ice. Shake vigorously for about 2 minutes and strain into to coupe style cocktail glasses. Garnish with a sage leaf, jasmine flowers, and a few drops of bitters.

*Vanilla sugar is made by placing one cut-open vanilla bean in a jar with about 1 ½ cups of sugar and shaking regularly over the course of a few days before using.

Mezcal Cranberry Sauce

Makes 3 cups

This is my go-to cranberry sauce that has evolved over the years. The smokiness of mezcal pairs incredibly well with cranberries, and I love this on turkey. Subtle herb and spice seasonings give this depth, and the butter fried sage lends texture and a tinge more smokiness. The Vida mezcal also has a vegetal tone that brings this all together, making the final sauce the perfect combination of sweet, smoky, and savory. Blend some of this up, and glaze your bird with it.

Ingredients

2 cups fresh cranberries
½ cup raw or turbinado sugar
½ cup brown sugar
2 teaspoons orange zest
½ cup orange juice
½ cup Vida Organic Mezcal
2 cups water
1 teaspoon finely cracked white pepper
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon smoked salt, Alderwood or Cherrywood
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon nutmeg, freshly grated
¼ teaspoon Aleppo pepper
8 sage leaves, butter-fried and crispy and roughly chopped
¼ cup white balsamic vinegar

Directions

Combine all the ingredients in a medium saucepan, except the vinegar, on medium-high heat. Stirring often, bring the mixture to a boil. Continue to boil, still stirring, while the cranberries begin to pop and burst open. Once all the cranberries have opened, reduce the temperature, and simmer for about 30-40 minutes, stirring occasionally until the sauce is thick. Drizzle in the vinegar in the last few minutes of cooking the sauce. Remove from heat and cool. Once cooled this can be blended for an ultra-smooth sauce or glaze or kept thicker and more rugged.

Cranberry Mezcal Glazed Roasted Turkey Breast Roulade with Orange-Rosemary Gastrique Gravy

Serves 6-8

I always dry brine my turkeys because it leads to a more succulent turkey and ensures you don’t forget to thaw it out before the big day. It’s not only juicier but it cooks better, and you can impart a bit more seasoning into what can be (in my opinion) dull meat with the dry brine. The salt opens up the pores (not sure if that is the technical way to describe it). This recipe calls for dry brining 2 days prior to cooking, and it stuffs and rolls the breasts with rich cranberry sauce. Ask your butcher for a split breast, deboned, skin on. You will need kitchen twine to tie up the turkey roulade.

Ingredients

For the turkey breast
1 whole (split breast) de-boned turkey breast (6-8 pounds)
¼ cup Fall Herb Salt or Maldon salt
¼ cup chopped winter herbs; rosemary, sage, thyme, savory, marjoram
2 tablespoons orange zest
2 teaspoons white pepper
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon Aleppo pepper
1 cup Mezcal Cranberry Sauce, plus ½ cup blended into a smooth paste, reserved for glaze
¼ cup maple syrup
2 cups dry white wine

For the Orange-Rosemary Gastric Gravy:
1 – 1 ½ cups turkey juice/drippings
¼ cup Mezcal Cranberry Sauce
1 teaspoon orange zest
1 teaspoon cracked black pepper
1 tablespoon maple syrup
¼ cup honey balsamic vinegar

Directions

Set your dry brine 2 days before you plan to cook your turkey. Mix together the salt, zest, and spices in a medium bowl. To prepare the turkey breast, first pat it dry on a tray or baking sheet that will fit into your refrigerator. Next, gently loosen up the skin with your fingers, making sure not to rip the skin. Turn the turkey breast upside down and rub a tablespoon or two of the salt mixtures all inside the cavity. Flip back over, take another tablespoon and try and get it underneath the skin, still taking care not to break the skin. Rub the remainder of the salt as evenly as you can all over the breast, rubbing and packing it into the skin.

To roll the turkey roulade, you will need to prepare 6 strands of kitchen twine, 12-inches each in length. On a clean working surface, lay down 4 of the strands side by side so they are parallel and evenly spaced from one another. Lay the turkey breast (skin side down) over those strings, this will make it easier to tie the turkey without the sauce escaping. Spread 1 cup of the Mezcal Cranberry Sauce evenly over the breast. Tightly roll up the turkey breast, and tie with the 4 strands ready. Where needed, secure the rolled breast with the two remaining ties to hold it firmly into a roll.

Refrigerate the rolled turkey for the 2 days before cooking, wrapped in plastic (I use compostable bags). When you remove it after 2 days, the turkey will look dried out. This is good.

Preheat your oven to 325 degrees F on the day of cooking. Remove the dry brined turkey from your refrigerator and brush off any excess salt. Place the turkey breast on the rack of a roasting pan, with the tie side down.

Mix the ½ cup blended Mezcal Cranberry Sauce with the maple syrup. Gently brush it all over the top of the turkey breast, making sure every exposed part is covered in glaze. Set the remainder of the glaze aside. Pour the wine into the bottom of the roasting pan.

Roast the turkey for about 1- 1 ½ hours until the glazed skin is crisp and caramelized. Typically, roast turkey takes about 15 minutes per pound; when an instant meat thermometer poked deep into the breast reads 155-165 degrees F, you’ll know it is done. If the skin begins to brown too much after the first hour of cooking, tent it with aluminum foil so it doesn’t burn. Brush a little more glaze on periodically during the first hour of cooking, being careful not to take so much time you cool the turkey and the oven. At the 1 hour mark, remove the ties that hold the turkey together, remove and reserve the juices from the pan, and place the turkey back into the oven. Once the turkey is cooked, remove it from the oven, and let it rest for about 15 minutes before carving up.

For the Gastrique:
Combine all of the ingredients in a medium saucepan and bring it to a boil. Turn the temperature down low and let the sauce reduce by about half. The sauce should be thick and syrupy and coat the back of a spoon. Timewise it varies but should take approximately 15-20 minutes to reduce down by half.

Roasted Apples, Red Onions, Brussels Sprouts and Mint

Serves 4-6

This recipe has a permanent seat at my Thanksgiving table. It tastes great and provides a shock and awe element that I enjoy. When you tell your guests you paired apples and Brussels sprouts with fresh mint, they typically react with trepidation. I expect that, because the combination does seem weird. But fresh spearmint is versatile, cooks well, and it adds a freshness that compliments heavy fall meals well.

Ingredients

2 pounds Brussels sprouts, cleaned, trimmed, and halved lengthwise
2 tart apples, cored and chopped to bite-sized pieces (leave peel on)
1 medium red onion, chopped coarsely
2 tablespoons olive oil
½ tablespoon almond oil (optional)
½ cup roughly chopped mint leaves
1½ teaspoons salt
½ teaspoon cracked black pepper

Directions

Preheat oven to 400°F.

Mix together the Brussels sprouts, apples, and onions in a large mixing bowl with the oil(s). Toss in the fresh mint, season with the salt and pepper, and combine until all ingredients are well mixed.

Place the mixture in a heavy bottom ceramic or glass roasting dish and roast for about 25-35 minutes or until the Brussels sprouts and onions start to caramelize slightly. Shuffle and toss the spouts a few times during the process to allow for even cooking.

Rosemary-Lemon Quince Mille-feuille

Makes 5 tartlets

Sometimes a fancy dessert is in order. Don’t let the multiple components of this one scare you off. Each one is easy to pull off. The final presentation is exquisite, and the taste so perfect for fall and winter.

Long pepper is not hard to find. You can buy it online or at specially spice grocers. It’s similar to black pepper but softer and much more complex. It has a medley of varying notes like nutmeg, cinnamon, and cardamom which is probably my favorite spice combination for fall. If you are going to forgo using it, use a mixture of equal parts ground black pepper, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cardamom instead.

If you are pressed for time, skip the Whiskey Caramel and Peppered Hazelnuts!

Ingredients

For the Rosemary-Lemon Pastry:
1 package (14 ounces) frozen puff pastry
1 tablespoon chopped superfine rosemary leaves
1 tablespoon lemon zest
1 tablespoon raw sugar

For the Vanilla Bean-Long Pepper Pastry Crème:
1 cup whole milk
3 egg yolks
¼ cup sugar
2 tablespoons corn starch
½ vanilla bean, split
½ teaspoon freshly cracked long pepper

For the Cognac Poached Quince:
2 large quince (approximately 1.5 pounds)
Juice of 1 lemon
½ cup raw sugar
½ teaspoon finely cracked white pepper
¼ teaspoon salt ( I used my Anise Hyssop Salt)
1 ½ cups water
¾ cup cognac
½ vanilla bean, split

For the Peppered Hazelnuts:
1 tablespoon butter
¾ cup hazelnuts
1 tablespoon sugar
2 teaspoons cracked black pepper
1 pinch of salt

For the Whiskey Caramel:
½ cup butter (½ stick)
2 teaspoons chopped fine sage leaves
½ teaspoon salt (I used Fall Herbal Salt)
1 cup brown sugar
¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
¼ cup whiskey
½ cup heavy cream, room temperature

For the Anise Hyssop Rosemary Lemon Salt:
1 teaspoon of lemon zest
1 teaspoon chopped superfine rosemary leaves
1 teaspoon anise hyssop flower petals
1 tablespoon Maldon salt
Pinch of Aleppo pepper

Directions

For the Rosemary-Lemon Pastry:
Thaw the puff pastry according to the instructions on the package, making sure it is still very cold when rolling it out.

Mix together the rosemary, lemon zest, and sugar in a small bowl, and set aside.

Each package contains one sheet of puff pastry, cut it in half. On a lightly floured cold surface, roll out each side to measure roughly 12” x 8”. Sprinkle the rosemary sugar mixture evenly over the top of one of the rolled sheets and place the other rolled sheet over the top. Gently roll them together while enlarging the rectangle to about 16” x 12” inches. Using a 3”cookie cutter, cut out 15 circles.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Using a spatula, gently pick up the circle sand place them on a parchment lined baking sheet. Immediately refrigerate for 20 minutes until the dough gets cold again. Lay another piece of parchment paper on top, and then lay another baking sheet on top of the parchment paper. The top baking sheet adds weight to prevent the puff pastry from puffing up too much, keeping them crisp.

Place in the oven and bake for 25 minutes. Remove the top baking sheet, and bake for another 5-10 minutes until the pastry is a deep golden brown and crispy. Remove and cool for about 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

For the Vanilla Bean-Long Pepper Pastry Crème:
Whisk together ½ cup of the milk, egg yolks, sugar, and cornstarch in a medium bowl, making sure all of the cornstarch is dissolved completely.

Combine the remaining 1 ½ cups of milk in a heavy bottom medium sized saucepan. Scrape the vanilla bean and add the scraped seeds and the pod to the milk. Then add the long pepper as well. Stir well. Place the pan on medium high heat and bring to just about a boil. Do not stir while the milk is coming to a boil. Reduce the heat to simmer right before you proceed to the next step.

Take a little off the top of the hot milk and whisk it into the egg mixture, tempering the eggs. Repeat this step again and then add the egg mixture to the simmering milk mixture, whisking gently and constantly. It should take about 1 minute for the pastry cream to thicken. Take off the heat, remove the vanilla bean pod and whisk, making sure the mixture is totally smooth. Transfer to a ceramic or glass bowl and cover. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours before using.

Prior to using place in a pastry bag with a larger tip and keep in the refrigerator until use.

For the Cognac Poached Quince:
Peel, quarter, and remove the core of the quince. Place them in a small bowl and drizzle the lemon juice all over them. Let the quince stand in the lemon for about 5 minutes, and then cut each of the quarters into thirds making thin slices.

Mix the sugar, white pepper, salt, and water in a large heavy bottomed soup pan and place it on medium high heat. Scrape the seeds from the vanilla bean and add them to the pot of water, toss the pod in as well. Stir. Bring the poaching liquid to a boil, gently stirring to make sure all sugar is dissolved. Once the mixture is boiling reduce the heat and simmer. Add the cognac and gently stir and let stand for about a minute. Gently add the quince to the simmering liquid.

Simmer the fruit for about 45 -50 minutes or until the fruit is very tender. Take off heat and allow to cool completely. To prepare the quince for the dessert. Take 1 ½ cups of the poached quince out of the syrup and chop fine. Place the chopped fruit in bowl and add about ½ of a cup of the syrup to it, stir and refrigerate.

For the Peppered Hazelnuts:
Melt the butter in a small, heavy bottom sauté pan on medium heat. Add the nuts, gently stirring and coating with the melting butter. Add the sugar, cracked black pepper. and salt, and continue to stir well as the sugar melts and begins to coat the walnuts with a sticky caramel. Cook for a total of 3 minutes and then immediately take off the heat. Place the nuts on a piece of parchment paper or clean cutting board to cool completely.

For the Whiskey Caramel:
Melt the butter in small heavy bottom saucepan over medium heat. Add the sage and the salt, and fry the sage a little in the butter. Add the sugar, vanilla, and whisky. Simmer gently, whisking until the sugar dissolves, about five minutes. Mix in the cream, and continue to simmer the mixture until it’s thick and reduced by a third. This should take about 20 minutes. Place in a mason jar, and refrigerate until use.

You can heat it up in a water bath or microwave the jar.

For the Anise Hyssop Rosemary Lemon Salt:
Mix together all the ingredients in a small bowl.

To assemble the dessert:
Place one of the crispy puff circles down on the center of a plate. Add about 1 tablespoon of the chopped quince down of the center of the puff pastry. Place another circle over the top of the poached quince and pipe on a thick layer of the pastry cream. Place one more puff wheel over the top of the later of pastry cream and gently push down a little, making the dessert a bit more compact. Making sure that the layers don’t overflow out of the circle. Pipe a pretty little dollop on the very top and sprinkle a pinch of the salt over the top.

Garnish the plate with a Whiskey Caramel “Sauce Smear” with a few Pepper Hazelnuts on it.

A few hyssop flowers on the plate makes a pretty final addition.

Anise Hyssop Dessert Salt

Makes ¼ cup

Desserts often need salt, and this often goes neglected. Salt has a knack for coaxing out the natural flavors from almost any food item. This dessert salt contains a gentle mix of lemon zest, light and lovely anise hyssop flowers, a tinge of Aleppo pepper, and some flake salt. It works wonderfully on fall and winter desserts by adding a light licorice-lemon spark, and the salt brings the flavors of the actual dessert forward – taking that pleasing dessert feeling to new heights. Use just a pinch.

Ingredients

1 tablespoon lemon zest
1 tablespoon anise hyssop flower petals
¼ teaspoon Aleppo pepper
1 tablespoon Maldon salt

Directions

Mix together all ingredients gently in a small mixing bowl. Store in a little bowl on your counter top.

Rosemary-Lemon Quince Meringue Tartlet

Makes 5 tartlets

I recently started toasting my sugar for recipes. I discovered I could use less sugar this way because toasted sugar had more flavor and was richer. That idea (and obsession) led to toasting as many items as I could, so oats were a next natural fit. By no means am I the first person to toast oats, but I am probably one of the few that toasts them with herbs and spices. My motto is, since you are here doing this, why not go a tiny bit further and impart a more nuanced flavor to the toasting portion (or simple syrup if you are making that). For this gluten free/dairy free tart I infuse fresh rosemary and cinnamon into the toasted oats and fresh lemon zest into the final crust, making for a fresh and vibrant, cozy dessert holder in which to lay my cognac poached quince which is then topped by a torched vanilla and long pepper meringue. Fresh lemon zest on the dessert cuts the richness.

Ingredients

For the toasted oats:
1 ½ half cups rolled oats
½ teaspoon cinnamon
¼ teaspoon ground long pepper (optional)
2 teaspoons chopped fine rosemary leaves
1 tablespoon non-dairy margarine or coconut oil, melted
¼ teaspoon vanilla

For the tartlet shell:
1 ½ cup toasted oats
½ cup almond flour
1 tablespoon lemon zest
1/2 cup non-dairy margarine or coconut oil, melted

For the Cognac Poached Quince:
2 large quince (approximately 1.5 pounds)
Juice of 1 lemon
½ cup raw sugar
½ teaspoon finely cracked white pepper
¼ teaspoon salt (I used my Anise Hyssop Dessert Salt)
1 ½ cups water
¾ cup cognac
½ vanilla bean, split

For the meringue:
4 egg whites
1 teaspoon finely cracked long pepper or black pepper
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon cream of tartar
¾ cup vanilla bean sugar*
1 pinch of salt (I used my Anise Hyssop Dessert salt)

*Vanilla bean sugar: place 1 cup sugar in a mason jar with a vanilla bean that is spilt and scraped. Add the seeds to the sugar as well. Shake vigorously for a few days leading up to when you use it.

Directions

For the toasted oats:
Pre-heat oven to 355 degrees F. Mix together the oats, cinnamon, long pepper (if using), and rosemary. Add the vanilla to the melted margarine or coconut oil before mixing into the rolled oats. Using your fingers, gently mix together the oats and oil until all the oats are coated evenly. Lay out flat on a parchment lined baking sheet, and bake for about 8-10 minutes. The oats should be golden in color and give off a nutty aroma. Make sure to stir the oats a few times as they cook, using a spatula or wooden spoon.

For the tartlet shells:
Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease 5 sections of a muffin tin for large size muffins. Mix together the oats, flour, zest, and margarine in a medium mixing bowl until well mixed. It easiest to use your fingers because you want all of the oats covered in butter and mixed in with the almost flour. The dough should be crumbly, and a little sticky. Place a heaping ½ cup in each greased section and, using your fingers, pack it down into the muffin tin forming a well. I like to use a cocktail muddler to make this process easier. You will need to put something heavy on top of each section so it doesn’t puff up and rise. I use little ramekins but parchment paper with beans or rice or pie weights works well too. Place in the oven, and bake for about 10-12 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool in the pan for about 5-8 minutes, and then gently remove the shells from the muffin tin, and let cool completely on a baking rack.

For the Cognac Poached Quince:
Peel, quarter, and remove the core of the quince. Place them in a small bowl, and drizzle the lemon juice all over them. Let the quince stand in the lemon for about 5 minutes, and then cut each of the quarters into thirds making thin slices.

Mix the sugar, white pepper, salt, and water in a large heavy bottomed soup pan and place it over medium-high heat. Scrape the seeds from the vanilla bean and add them to the pot of water. Toss the pod in as well. Stir. Bring the poaching liquid to a boil, gently stirring to make sure all sugar is dissolved. Once the mixture is boiling, reduce the heat and simmer. Add the cognac and gently stir, and let stand for about a minute. Gently add the quince to the simmering liquid.

Simmer the fruit for about 45-50 minutes or until the fruit is very tender. Take off heat and allow to cool completely. To prepare the quince for the dessert, take 1 ½ cups of the poached quince out of the syrup and chop fine. Place the chopped fruit in bowl, and add about ½ of a cup of the syrup to it, stir, and refrigerate.

For the meringue:
Using a stand mixer with the whisk attachment, mix the egg whites, long pepper, vanilla, and cream of tartar on medium-high speed until soft peaks form. Gradually add the sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time and continue to whisk on medium speed. Add the pinch of salt after the sugar. Beat the egg whites until stiff glossy peaks form. Spoon the mixture into a large pastry bag fitted with a tip of choice (star tip is what I usually use) and use to assemble the tartlets.

To assemble the tartlets:
Place one of the tartlet shells down on a dessert plate and add about ¼ cup of the poached quince into the inside of the shell. Repeat with the remaining 4 tartlets. Pipe meringue onto the top of each tartlet. Sprinkle a little vanilla sugar over the top and using a kitchen torch, torch the meringue until its caramelized and toasted. You can also place them under a pre-heated broiler in your oven for 2-3 minutes max.