Poached Quince Clafoutis

Cook Time 4 hours 30 minutes

Servings 6

Ingredients

For the poached quince

2 large quinces

650g caster sugar

2 star-anise

1 cinnamon stick

8 cloves

10 black peppercorns

1 vanilla bean split

Juice and peel of 1 lemon

For the clafoutis

Soft butter, to grease

1½ tbsp plain flour

40g ground almonds

85g caster sugar

2 eggs

4 egg yolks

220g mascarpone cheese

Chopped walnuts, to serve

Method

Peel and quarter the quinces, remove the cores. Wrap the peel and cores in muslin cloth, combine the sugar, spices, lemon juice and peel in a large saucepan. Add the quince quarters and muslin bag, pour in 1.2 litres of water, cover and bring to the boil, reduce the heat to very low and simmer for 3½ - 4 hours, keep checking these constantly so you do not overcook. Once cooked, remove gently from the pan with a slotted spoon. Slice the quince lengthways and fan out.

Whisk the flour, ground almonds, sugar, eggs, yolks, and mascarpone together until smooth, allow to rest at room temperature for 1 hour.

Preheat the oven to 230°C. Grease a 20cm x 20cm x 5cm pan lightly with butter, pour the batter into the prepared dish and place the quince slices on top. Bake for 10-12 minutes until golden, slightly risen, and bouncy to the touch, stand for 1 -2 minutes before serving. Sprinkle the hot clafoutis with the chopped walnuts, some honeycomb and vanilla ice cream and serve.