Quince tart recipe, the slow-poached way

This tart poaches quince low and slow until the flesh turns a deep rose-pink, then sets it into a French-style almond cream on a shortcrust base — the classic way to use the last hard fruit of the season before the citrus arrives.

Raw quince is barely edible: rock-hard, astringent, no good until it's cooked. An hour in spiced syrup fixes that, softening the flesh and pulling out a colour that autumn's other stone fruits never quite reach. It sits alongside other cold-weather bakes such as our chestnut Mont Blanc, one of the few desserts built entirely around what's ready to pick in October.

Ingredients

Raw quince is good for nothing; an hour of slow poaching turns it into a different fruit.

• 200g plain flour
• 100g cold unsalted butter, cubed
• 70g icing sugar
• 1 egg yolk, plus 1-2 tbsp cold water
• Pinch of salt
• 4 quinces (about 1kg)
• 800ml water
• 300g caster sugar
• 1 vanilla pod, split lengthways
• 1 cinnamon stick
• Juice of 1 lemon
• 100g soft unsalted butter (for the almond cream)
• 100g caster sugar (for the almond cream)
• 100g ground almonds
• 2 eggs
• 1 tbsp plain flour
• 2 tbsp apricot jam

Method

1. Rub the cold butter into the flour, icing sugar and salt until it looks like breadcrumbs, then bind with the egg yolk and cold water. Wrap and chill for 30 minutes — resting relaxes the gluten so the shell won't shrink when it hits the oven.
2. Peel, core and cut the quinces into eighths, tossing each piece in lemon juice as you go. Quince flesh browns within minutes of contact with air, and the acid holds it pale until it meets the syrup.
3. Bring the water, caster sugar, vanilla and cinnamon to a simmer, add the quince and poach for 40-50 minutes until a knife slides in easily and the flesh has turned deep rose-pink. That colour only develops with slow, sustained heat — it's also what softens the fruit's stony texture.
4. Lift the quince out with a slotted spoon. Boil the poaching liquid hard until reduced by half and syrupy, then set it aside to glaze the tart later.
5. Roll the pastry to 3mm and line a 24cm tart tin. Chill for 15 minutes, then blind-bake at 180°C (160°C fan) for 15 minutes with baking beans, then 5 minutes without, until pale gold.
6. Beat the soft butter and sugar for the almond cream until light, add the eggs one at a time, then fold in the ground almonds and flour. The mixture should be loose enough to spread but firm enough to hold the fruit.
7. Spread the almond cream over the part-baked shell and arrange the quince wedges on top in a fan, pressing them in slightly. Bake at 180°C (160°C fan) for 30-35 minutes, until risen, golden and set in the centre.
8. Warm the apricot jam with a splash of water and brush it, with the reduced poaching syrup, over the tart while both are still warm — the glaze won't cling once everything has cooled.

Serve it warm, or swap the fruit

A spoonful of crème fraîche or a scoop of vanilla ice cream cuts through the sweetness better than cream does. Out of quince, ripe pears take the poaching well too, though they'll need only half the time in the syrup.

Leftover poaching syrup keeps in the fridge for a week and is worth saving: stirred into sparkling water or spooned over yoghurt, it's the same rose-pink flavour with none of the baking.

Can I make this quince tart recipe ahead? Yes — bake it a day ahead and store at room temperature; the almond cream stays moist and the glaze keeps its shine under a loose cover.