Autumn Quinces

It's an Autumn evening, crisply cold outside. The fire is crackling in the hearth. We are watching our traditional Friday night movie as a family. Our bellies are full with dinner cooked by Dad for Special Night. Due to miscommunication, there are two desserts waiting to be eaten, maybe mine can wait until tomorrow. It looks like his choice of sago pudding will be our dessert.

This afternoon I made a new recipe, elastic Mom style , using quinces that were given to me. The recipe for Upside Down Quince Tart came from a delightful South African cookbook, Prickly Pears and Pomegrantaes by Bernadette le Roux. The recipe is a variation of Tarte Tatin, the traditional French caramelised apple tart which I first tasted as a student on the streets of Paris.

I try to cook everything that we eat from what we grow ourselves, but this time I cheated and used a shop-bought puff pastry. The basic concept is so simple and can be extended to any fruit:

Caramelise some butter and sugar on the hob in a glass or metal pie dish, arrange your poached or fresh fruit over the caramel, top with pastry and bake. It is delicious. So simple, but French cuisine at its glorious best.