Name: Chocolate, quince and almond tart
Prep time: 50 min
Cook time: 240 min
Total time: 290 min
Yield: 10
Ingredients: Pot-roasted quinces; 500 gram quinces, peeled, cored and cut into large wedges; squeeze of lemon juice; 250 millilitre water; 150 millilitre verjuice (plus an extra 100 ml if needed); 140 gram caster sugar; Chocolate and almond cream; 90 gram unsalted butter, softened; 110 gram caster sugar; 2 free-range eggs; 1 free-range egg yolk; 40 gram dark chocolate cocoa; 60 millilitre vino cotto; 150 gram ground almond meal; To finish; 1 300 g packet carême dark chocolate shortcrust pastry; crème fraîche or mascarpone, to serve

Ingredients

Pot-roasted quinces

500 gram quinces, peeled, cored and cut into large wedges

squeeze of lemon juice

250 millilitre water

150 millilitre verjuice (plus an extra 100 ml if needed)

140 gram caster sugar

Chocolate and almond cream

90 gram unsalted butter, softened

110 gram caster sugar

2 free-range eggs

1 free-range egg yolk

40 gram dark chocolate cocoa

60 millilitre vino cotto

150 gram ground almond meal

To finish

1 300 g packet carême dark chocolate shortcrust pastry

crème fraîche or mascarpone, to serve

Method

1.Pre-heat a fan-forced oven to 170°C (or 190°C for non-fan-forced).

2.As you peel and core the quinces, place then in a pot of water with the squeeze of lemon juice. This will help stop them oxidising.

3.Make pot-roast quinces: Place the quinces, 250 ml of water, verjuice and caster sugar in a medium-sized heavy-based ovenproof pot. Place this over a high heatand bring to the boil, cover with a lid and place in the oven. Cook for 1 hour, then remove the lid and give the quinces a very light toss, making sure not to break up the wedges.

4.Place back in the oven and cook for another 1–1½ hours. Check the quinces every15–20 minutes to make sure that the liquid has not all evaporated; if it starts to,and they look like they will catch on the bottom, add an extra 100 ml of verjuice.

5.Once the quinces are cooked they should be a beautiful ruby-red colour with asmall amount of syrup in the base of the pot. They should not be dry or caughton the base of the pot. Remove the quinces and place on a plate or tray to cool.

6.Increase the oven temperature to 200°C (220°C non-fan-forced).

7.To make the chocolate and almond cream, place the butter and caster sugar in a food mixer and beat on high until light and creamy (approximately 6 minutes).With the mixer still running, add the eggs and yolk (one at a time), then the cocoa and vino cotto and mix for a further minute. Add the almond meal and mix untilwell combined. Set aside until ready to use.

8.To finish, grease a flan tin (24 cm x 2½ cm) and line with the pastry. Cut off the excess pastry around the edge but allow the pastry to come above the tin by 5 mm,to allow for shrinkage during blind-baking. Place in the fridge for 15 minutes to chill.

9.Remove the chilled tart shell from the fridge, spike the bottom with a fork, line the top with non-stick baking paper and place blind-baking beans on top (ordinary dried beans or rice work just as well). Bake for 15 minutes, then remove the beans and paper and cook for a further 5 minutes.

10.Remove the tart shell and reduce the oven temperature to 175°C (195°C non-fanforced).

11.Place a third of the chocolate and almond cream on the base of the tart shell.Top with cooked quince wedges and dot the remaining chocolate and almond cream on top. Return the tart to the oven for 50–60 minutes; this time will depend on your oven, but you need to make sure that the chocolate and almond cream is cooked in the centre.

12.Remove from the oven and allow to cool. Serve with crème fraîche or mascarpone.

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Ingredients

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