Tarte fine of quince with elderberry ripple ice cream, crab apple jelly and hazelnut oil

Serves 8 Desserts and puddings

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Method

Roll out the puff pastry on a lightly floured surface to a thickness of 2-3mm. Allow it to rest in a cool place for 30 minutes, then cut out 8 discs measuring 15cm in diameter. Prick them all over with a fork, leaving a 1cm border clear all round the edge. Set aside on a tray in the fridge.

To make the crab apple jelly, start by cutting the crab apples into quarters. Place in a heavybased pan, barely cover with water and add the bay leaf. Set over a medium heat and bring to the boil. Simmer for 1 hour, stirring frequently. Drain overnight through a double layer of muslin or in a jelly bag. You should have 400ml juice. Place 5 saucers in the freezer. Pour the juice into a heavy-based pan and add the lemon juice and sugar. Bring to the boil and cook at a rolling boil for 40 minutes, skimming off any scum.

Remove a saucer from the freezer, put a teaspoon of the jelly syrup on it and leave for 30 seconds, then push with a finger. If the jelly wrinkles, it has reached setting point; if not, continue to cook, testing every 10 minutes. Pour the jelly into a small bowl to cool, then cover and keep in the fridge.

For the elderberry glaze, put the elderberries in a large heatproof bowl, cover with cling film and set over a bowl of barely simmering water. Poach for 2 hours. Strain the juice through a fine sieve into a heavy-based pan; discard the solids left in the sieve.
You should have 120ml juice. Add the sugar and bring to the boil over a medium heat, then boil until reduced to 75ml of rich, glossy syrup. Transfer to a small container and set aside.

To make the elderberry ripple ice cream, combine the milk and sugar in a heavy-based pan and bring to the boil, over a high heat.

Remove from the heat. Whisk the eggs with the sugar to mix. Pour the milk on to the eggs, whisking, then return to the pan. Cook, stirring with a wooden spoon, until the temperature reaches 84°C/183°F; the custard should be thickenough to coat the back of the spoon. Pass through a sieve into a bowl and set aside to cool for 30 minutes.
Add the mascarpone and whisk to combine. Cover and chill until required. Up to 2 hours before using, churn the ice cream in an ice cream maker, then keep in the freezer.

About an hour before serving, remove the ice cream from the freezer (if it has become a bit too firm, leave it to soften a bit). Drizzle over the elderberry glaze and fold in to give a rippled effect. Return to the freezer. To prepare the quinces, peel them, then cut them in half and scoop out the core. Place in a large bowl containing the hazelnut oil, sugar and lemon juice. Coat the quinces thoroughly in the mix, then wrap each quince half in foil. Place them on a baking tray and bake in an oven preheated to 150°C/300°F/ Gas 2 for 8 minutes.

Remove from the oven and leave to cool for 1 hour. Remove the quince halves from the foil and cut them into slices 2-3mm thick. Set aside, covered, at room temperature.
To assemble and cook the tartes fines, you will need 4 completely flat baking sheets. Lay a sheet of baking parchment on 2 of the baking sheets and place 4 puff pastry discs on each.

Fan the quince slices over the pastry discs, making the best use of their size and shape. Dust the tartes fines generously with icing sugar, then place in an oven preheated to 180°C/350°F/Gas 4 and bake for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven.

Place a sheet of baking parchment over the top of the tarts on one baking sheet. Set another baking sheet on top of this and, holding them together, very carefully flip the whole assembly so that the tartes fines are on the new baking sheet, upside down.
Lift off the first baking sheet and the original baking parchment. Do the same with the remaining 4 tarts. Return to the oven to bake for 10 minutes. Then repeat the flipping process so the tarts are back on the original side, and bake for a final 6 minutes. Remove from the oven, transfer to wire racks and cool slightly.

Remove the ice cream from the freezer 15 minutes before serving. Lay out 8 large, warmed plates and set a tarte fine on each. Dust lightly with icing sugar. Finish with a scoop of ice cream and drizzle of hazelnut oil and serve with the jelly in a dish on the side