karine moinaux's quince paste

there is no denying that one of the best things about the winter cold is eating, and karine's homemade quince paste has quickly staked out a spot at the top of our fireside platter essentials list.

and it's little wonder that we should adore it so - there's such a wonderful story and such fond memories attached to it that, as we are rolling the taste of it around in our mouths and throwing our eyes heavenward in rapturous bliss, we can virtually see our own happy quince paste memories materialising. we already know this paste is something we are going to tell our children's children about (it is going to achieve the mythic status of the turkish delight in narnia and the ginger beer and lashings of whipped cream enjoyed by the famous five).

enough dithering: let us tell you the story. karine's quince paste is made according to an old recipe passed through generations of her family and taught her by her very own maman. as a little girl in toulouse, karine can remember snacking on it with petits beurres (french biscuits just made for such things as quince paste) for her afternoon goûter on her way home from school.

karine, who is now all growed up, still loves her quince paste and recommends that adults who are nurturing a snacking inner-child (heh-hem ... that means us) enjoy it with nuts, their preferred cheeses and a warmed red wine. well, we don't need asking twice. pass us that central pinot and point us to the comfiest chair by the fire!

bon appétit! XX

p.s. you can find karine's quince paste on our website (click here to be redirected via the wonders of the internet). it comes wrapped in cellophane and sealed with j herbin wax or a little gold heart and is made from locally grown wanaka quince. miam miam!

lita's rustic plum (or whatever takes your fancy) tart

yum yum yum ... thank you for this recipe, lita! no prizes for guessing what we'll be munching on this long weekend. (yes, we know the picture is not of plums. but we were hard-pressed to find one prettier than this, and we did so want to share it with you. isn't it lovely?)

xx

for the crust

1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
2 tablespoons sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt

120g chilled unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces

3 tablespoons (approx.) ice-cold water



for the topping


700g (approx.) plums, halved, pitted and each half cut into 6 slices
6 tablespoons sugar

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 tablespoon all purpose flour

30g unsalted butter, melted

1 egg, beaten (for glaze)


1/4 cup preserved apricots (or chunky apricot jam)

to make the crust

blend the flour, sugar and salt in a food processor. add the butter and cut it into the flour mixture by pulsing the food processor. do this until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. add 2 tablespoons of the ice-cold water. blend until moist clumps form, adding more water by teaspoonfuls if the mixture is dry. gather the dough into a ball the flatten it into a circle. wrap the dough in gladwrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

to make the topping

preheat the oven to 200°c. toss the plums with 4 tablespoons of the sugar, the ginger and the cinnamon in bowl.
on a floured surface, roll out the dough into a 32cm round. transfer the rolled-out dough to a rimmed circular baking tray.
mix 1 tablespoon of the sugar with 1 tablespoon of the flour in a small bowl and sprinkle over the dough, leaving a 5cm border.
arrange the plums in concentric circles on the dough, again leaving a 5cm plain border. drizzle the plums with the melted butter.
fold the dough border in toward the centre. brush the border with the beaten egg to glaze and sprinkle with the remaining tablespoon of sugar.
bake the tart until the plums are tender and the crust is golden - usually about 45 minutes.

stir the preserved apricots in a saucepan over low heat until gently heated, then brush over the plums. allow the tart to cool for 1 hour on the baking tray. run a long thin knife under the tart to loosen it before transferring it to a plate. serve at room temperature.