This quince tart is one of my signature dishes. The buttery topping oozes into the pastry so that it almost tastes like shortbread, and the dark-pink quinces can just be glimpsed through the slightly puffed topping. The tart is best served warm, but is also good cold, and is delicious with really good cream. It keeps very well but is best if not refrigerated.
Ingredients
1 quantity Shortcrust Pastry (recipe in the Cook’s Companion App and book)
30 thick slices Poached Quince (recipe in the Cook’s Companion App and book)
filling
2 eggs
½ cup sugar
1 heaped tablespoon plain flour
125 g unsalted butter
Method
Preheat oven to 200°C. Line a 24 cm loose-bottomed flan tin with pastry and bake blind at 200°C for 20 minutes. Remove from oven and reduce temperature to 180°C. Allow pastry case to cool, then remove foil and weights. Drain quince well, then arrange slices in a circle around edge and fill in centre with remaining quince.
To make the filling, beat eggs and sugar until thick and pale, then add flour. Melt butter and cook until a deep gold. Add butter to egg mixture and spoon over fruit in pastry case. Bake for 25 minutes or until filling has set. It will look golden brown and be a little puffed but will subside as it cools. Serve warm or cold (but not chilled) with double cream.
Pears and plums This tart is also delicious made with poached, drained pears or blood plums.
