love tart

cardamom poached quince, pistachio & rosewater frangipane

this is my take on persian love cake - pistachios, rosewater, cardamom, cinnamon, nutmeg and slow-poached quinces

yields a small (10cm) tart for two

ingredients

cardamom poached quince

1 quince, peeled and cored (about 240g)

240mL boiling water

140g caster sugar

juice of half a lemon

8 cardamom pods

infused butter

60g butter

8 cardamom pods

0.25 whole nutmeg, freshly grated

rye tart base

makes enough for two tart bases

40g rye flour

3g caster sugar

pinch salt

pinch cinnamon

30g infused butter, cold

15g greek yoghurt

about 10g cold water (if required)

pistachio & rosewater frangipane

30g infused butter

30g caster sugar

30g finely ground pistachios

5g plain flour

0.5 tsp vanilla paste

0.25 tsp ground cinnamon

0.25 tsp rosewater

pinch salt

method

cardamom poached quince

peel and core the quince (1) and cut into chunks

in a slow cooker (or rice cooker!), combine the water (240mL), sugar (140g), lemon juice (from half a lemon) and cardamom pods (8) and bring to a boil

add the quince chunks, cover and cook for six hours (yes, six hours!!) until the quince turns from beige to ruby red

cover and let cool completely in the syrup

infused butter

gently melt the butter (60g) together with the cardamom pods (8) and freshly-ground nutmeg (0.25 whole)

let sit and infuse while the butter cools and solidifies, then pluck out and discard the cardamom pods

rye tart base

in a food processor, blitz together half the infused butter (30g), rye flour (40g), caster sugar (3g), greek yoghurt (15g) and a pinch each of cinnamon and salt, and cold water as required, to just bring the dough together into one mass

press the dough into a rough circle shape, wrap in baking paper and tuck in the fridge to chill for 1 hour

preheat the oven to 180°C

remove the tart dough from the fridge and roll out into a rough circle until about 2mm thick

lay the tart dough into a small (10cm) tart tin, making sure to press into the corners and trim the edges

bake for about 15 minutes

set aside to cool while you prepare the pistachio & rosewater frangipane

pistachio & rosewater frangipane

beat together the rest of the infused butter (30g), caster sugar (30g), pistachios (30g), flour (5g) to form a thick spread

mix in the vanilla paste (0.5 tsp), cinnamon (0.25 tsp), rosewater (0.25 tsp), and a pinch of salt

spoon into the baked and cooled rye pastry base

assembly

preheat the oven to 180°C

slice the quince chunks crosswise into thin slices and arrange on top of the pistachio & rosewater frangipane

bake for 25 minutes or until the edges of the frangipane are just golden brown

let cool completely

eat with love