“I was sad to hear that Rock in the Hunter Valley had closed. Any chance they would share their wonderful quince tart recipe?”
Pia Marsh, Coogee, NSW
To request a recipe, write to Fare Exchange, , GPO Box 4088, Sydney, NSW 2001, or email us. All requests should include the restaurant’s name and address or business card, as well as your name and address.
Ingredients
Poached quince
Frangipane
Method
Main
1.For poached quince, peel, quarter and core quince (discard seeds and peel) and set aside in acidulated water. Bring remaining ingredients and 1.5 litres water to the boil in a saucepan over medium heat, stirring until sugar dissolves. Add quince, cover closely with a round of baking paper, reduce heat to low, simmer until tender and ruby coloured (2-3 hours), cool in liquid. Purée 8 quince quarters in a food processor until smooth and set aside. Transfer 300ml poaching liquid (discard remainder) to a saucepan over medium-high heat and reduce to a syrup consistency (7-10 minutes).
2.Meanwhile, pulse flour, butter and a pinch of salt in a food processor until mixture resembles fine crumbs. Add 60ml iced water and pulse until mixture comes together. Turn onto a lightly floured surface, gently knead to combine, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate to rest (1 hour).
3.Roll out pastry to a 3mm-thick round, line a 25cm-diameter tart tin, trim edges and refrigerate to rest (1 hour).
4.Preheat oven to 180C. Blind bake pastry case until light golden (15-20 minutes). Remove paper and weights and bake until base is golden (10-12 minutes), set aside to cool.
5.Meanwhile, for frangipane, beat butter and sugar in an electric mixer until pale and creamy (2-3 minutes). Add almond meal, then Armagnac, then add eggs one at a time, beating after each addition until well combined. Sift flour over and stir to combine.
6.Spread puréed quince in base of pastry case, top with frangipane, smooth top, and bake until frangipane is golden and cooked through and springs back when lightly pressed (30-35 minutes). Cool slightly, then serve warm with poached quince, reduced quince syrup and vanilla bean ice-cream.
Armagnac is available from select bottle shops. If unavailable, substitute brandy.
This recipe is from the August 2011 issue of
.
Notes
