Filo Apple pie with Quince, Prune & Cinnamon

House & Garden UK

FILO APPLE PIE WITH QUINCE, PRUNE & CINNAMON

Ingredients

3 medium-ripe quinces (about 700g)

2 oranges, juiced

70g sugar, plus extra for dusting

1/2 vanilla pod, halved lengthways

2cm piece of cinnamon stick

1/2 lemon, peel

4 large Braeburn, Cox or Jonagold apples

75g demerara sugar

Pinch of cinnamon powder

1 orange, grated zest

8 pre-soaked prunes, halved and stones removed

125g butter

Pinch each of cinnamon, cloves, allspice and ginger or 1 level tsp mixed spice

12 sheets filo pastry

To serve

Whipped cream or ice cream

Method

Peel, quarter and core the quinces. Cut each piece in half and place in a pan with 250ml water, the orange juice, 50g sugar, vanilla, cinnamon stick and lemon peel. Bring to the boil, cover, then simmer for up to 30 minutes or until tender when pierced with a knife. Allow to cool in the juices.

Peel, quarter and core the apples, and add to a bowl with the demerara sugar, pinch of cinnamon powder and orange zest. Add the prune halves and toss together.

For the pastry, warm the butter, the remaining 20g sugar and the spices together over a low heat. Place one filo sheet on a clean tea towel. Using a pastry brush, brush the spiced butter onto the filo and place a second sheet on top. Place this into a 20cm tart tin or a shallow cake tin with a removable base, pressing the pastry into the corners and allowing the ends to fall over the outside rim. Continue with the remaining sheets, placing them in a star pattern so the outside edges are irregular.

Drain the quince well, reserving the juices, and add the quince to the apple mix. Pile the fruit into the centre of the tart, then scoop the pastry edges over and around the tart decoratively. This will make the finished tart look attractive, so do not worry if it looks a bit like crumpled sheets at this stage.

Heat the oven to 180°C/fan oven 160°C/mark 4. Brush the top with the remaining spiced butter, sprinkle with a little extra sugar and bake in the oven for 1 hour, or until the pastry is crisp, golden brown and firm at the edges as well as underneath.

Meanwhile, reduce the quince juices over a high heat until syrupy and pour into a serving jug. Allow the tart to cool a little before removing from the tin, sliding the base away and serving on a flat dish. Serve warm or cool with the syrup and cream or ice cream.

Top Tips

Filo pastry is the only item we buy in ready-made at the restaurant as it is too difficult to make consistently well - so no one should feel guilty about doing the same.

Feature Image: Kristin Perers