Serves 8
Shortcrust pastry
170g plain flour
90g unsalted butter
45g caster sugar
¼ tsp vanilla paste
1 egg, for pastry
1 egg, for egg wash
20ml milk, for egg wash
22cm flan shell with removable bottom
Almond cream (frangipane)
115g almond meal
115g caster sugar
2 eggs
100g unsalted butter
¼ tsp vanilla bean paste
25g plain flour
10g flaked almonds
Poached quince – Prepare a day before
3 quinces
500g caster sugar
500ml water
½ cinnamon quill
Method – Poached quince
Heat oven to 150C
1. Top and tail the quince, then peel, cut into quarters and cut out seeds. Place all the quince pieces, trims and seeds included, in a deep roasting dish.
2. Bring sugar and water up to the boil with the cinnamon quill. Pour over the quince and cover with baking paper.
3. Braise the quince in the heated oven for 5 hours, turn off the oven and leave inside to completely cool, overnight is best.
Method – Shortcrust pastry, tart base
Heat oven to 180C
1. Combine flour, cold butter and sugar in a food processor. Process until it has the consistency of bread crumbs.
2. Place mixture in a bowl, make a well in the centre and add the vanilla paste and one egg.
3. Bind together and softly kneed to form a smooth pastry dough. Remove from bowl, wrap in clingfilm and refrigerate for one hour.
4. Remove dough from refrigerator and remove cling film. On a lightly floured, clean work surface work the dough into a round shape with fingers, then perfect it with a rolling pin. Roll the pastry in one direction only, turning the pastry as you go.
5. Double check that the pastry will fit your 22cm flan shell then lightly dust it with flour.
6. Roll the pastry up onto the rolling pin and then back over the greased flan shell.
7. Lightly press pastry into the corners of the shell and trim edges, leaving some pastry overhanging, as the pastry may shrink a little.
8. Place on a baking tray, cover and rest in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
9. Once the tart shell is well chilled, line it with some baking paper, fill with blind baking beads, rice or dried legumes. Fill it right to the edge of the pastry to prevent shrinking and bubbling when blind baking. Bake for 10-15 minutes in the heated oven.
10. Remove the tart shell from the oven and carefully lift out the baking paper and beads. Return the tart shell to the oven for three minutes, then turning it in the oven and bake for three more minutes to ensure it cooks evenly.
11. Remove the baked tart shell from the oven and brush with an egg/milk wash, glazing the top and inside of the shell.
12. Place the shell back into the oven and bake for another three minutes
13. Turn oven down to 160C in preparation for next stage.
Method – Almond cream (frangipane)
(prepare while the shell is being blind-baked)
1. To make the almond cream (frangipane) mix, place all ingredients except the flaked almonds into a clean, cold food processor.
2. Process until the ingredients have combined, scrape the edges of the food processor bowl and give one last pulse.
3. Place slivers of poached quince on the cooked tart pastry shell.
4. Fill the shell with the almond cream mix, spreading it out evenly.
5. Slice the rest of the quinces a little thicker and arrange on top of the almond cream, sprinkle with flaked almonds.
6. Bake for 40-50 minutes until the centre of the tart is firm.
7. Allow to rest on a cooling rack for 30 minutes.
To Serve
Serve with whipped Chantilly cream.
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