Poached Quince Tarte Tatin

Poached Quince Tarte Tatin with chestnut puff pastry and buttermilk icecream

Chestnut Puff Pastry – Makes 1.2kg puff pastry (enough for 8-10 Tartes Tatin)

300g plain flour
200g chestnut flour
500g firm butter
Pinch salt
250ml iced water

Method

1. Remove butter from refrigerator 1 hour before using. Cut into small cubes while firm.

2. Sift flours into a mixing bowl and make a well in the centre.

3. Place butter and salt in the well and use your fingertips to rub the flour and butter until a coarse crumb consistency has formed.

4. Add the water a little at a time, gently working the dough until it comes together to form a firm dough flecked with butter.

5. Place the dough on a lightly dusted work surface and roll it away from you to form a long rectangle approximately 20cm x 40cm x 5mm thick.

6. Fold the shorter ends upon each other to form 3 layers (a book fold).

7. Rotate the pastry 90 degrees and roll it away from you again to form a long rectangle, same size as before.

8. Repeat step 6.

9. Wrap pastry in cling film and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

10. Repeat step 6 again, then chill again for 30 minutes before using.

Note: Chestnut Puff Pastry can be kept in the refrigerator for two days or up to a week in the freezer.

Poached Quince

4 cups water
3 cups sugar
Juice of 1 lemon
2 cinnamon quills
4 star anise
4 cardamom pods
8 quinces, peeled and cored, cut into quarters

Method

Place all ingredients except quinces in a saucepan and bring to the boil. Add quinces, reduce heat and poach until soft.

Buttermilk Ice-cream

Makes approximately 1 litre

2 cups cream
2 cups buttermilk
1 vanilla pod, seeds scraped
10 free-range egg yolks
350g caster sugar

Method

1. In a saucepan add cream, buttermilk, vanilla pod and scraped seeds and bring to a simmer to allow vanilla to infuse.

2. In a mixing bowl add egg yolks and sugar. Whisk until well combined.

3. Slowly pour cream and buttermilk mixture into the bowl of eggs and sugar while continuing to whisk.

4. Return the whole mixture to the saucepan and bring to a low heat, continuing to stir with a wooden spoon or spatula. This ‘tempers’ or stabilises the egg yolks but be careful – if the temperature is too hot the yolks may scramble.

5. The mixture should thicken enough to coat the back of the spoon or spatula.

6. Remove from heat and strain to remove vanilla pod.

7. Refer to your ice-cream machine directions to churn the mixture into ice-cream.

Tarte Tatin Method

Preheat the oven to 180C.

Use 10-12cm diameter cast iron baking pans
2 tbsp butter, per pan
2 tbsp brown sugar, per pan

1. Roll out chestnut puff pastry to a large rectangle, 3mm thick.

2. Cut pastry circles to fit your cast iron pans.

3. Add butter and brown sugar to each baking pan. Arrange poached quince quarters in a circular pattern around the pan.

4. Place chestnut puff pastry on top of quince pieces and bake in oven for 15-20 minutes until pastry is puffed and golden.

To Serve

Turn out each tarte tatin onto individual plates, drizzling remaining caramel sauce from pans over each tarte. Serve with buttermilk ice-cream, dust with icing sugar.