Quince upon a time...

This is possibly one of my favourite desserts to make, as I love the surprise when the tart is flipped out of the pan to serve.

Using quince results in a stunning amber colour and unique flavour that pairs well with the caramel. Cooking apples can also be used, such as granny smith or braeburn.

Preparation time: 20 minutes Cooking time: 40 minutes Serves 6-8

4 large quinces or apples Lemon juice

1⁄2 cup (100g) sugar

75g butter

1 sheet of butter puff pastry, thawed

Peel and core the quinces (or apples) and cut into 1cm wedges. Place in a bowl with a squeeze of lemon and half of the sugar, toss to evenly coat.

Heat an oven-proof frying pan (I used a 25 cm cast iron pan) over a moderate heat. Add the butter and, once melted, scatter over the remaining sugar then remove from the heat. Carefully arrange the quince wedges in the base of the pan in two even layers. Return the pan to a moderate heat and cook, without moving the fruit, for 8 minutes. Turn up the heat and cook until the butter and sugar caramelise in the base of the pan, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and cool for 15 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 190C (170C fan bake).

Cut the pastry into a circle, then lay it over the caramelised quince in the pan using a spatula to tuck in around the sides. Bake for 20 minutes, until the pastry is golden.

Cool for 10 minutes, then invert a large plate over the pan, hold with oven gloves and quickly flip over. Give a gentle shake to release the quince from the base of the pan (if some stay put, rearrange them on top of the tart). Slice into wedges and serve warm with yoghurt or cream.