Upside down quince and cinnamon pie

Serves 4

• 3-4 quinces weighing 1.2kg-1.3kg, peeled, quartered and the core cut out
• 150g sugar
• 1 stick of cinnamon
• 6 cloves
• Juice of 1 lemon
• 1 small egg, beaten
• 1tbsp sugar

for the pastry:

• 120g plain flour
• 30g butter, cut into small pieces
• 30g lard, cut into small pieces (if you do not have/like/dare, double the butter instead)
• 30g sugar
• 1 egg yolk
• Water to mix

1. Put the quince in a saucepan with the sugar, cloves, cinnamon and lemon juice.
2. Cover well with water, bring to the boil and simmer for 45 minutes to 1 hour until they are soft and tender. You may need to top up the water.
3. Pre-heat the oven to 180°C/350F.
4. Drain quince over a bowl into a colander then return the liquid to a pan and simmer until it’s reduced by about half and thickened.
5. Lay the quince into a pie dish, or individual ones, and pour over the reduced syrup.

For the pastry:

6. Rub the butter and lard into the flour with your fingers to form a breadcrumb-like consistency.
7. Add the sugar, egg yolk and a little water to make a moderately soft dough.
8. Knead lightly for a minute then roll out on a floured table to about 1/2cm thick and slightly larger than the pie dish.
9. Leave in the fridge for 30 minutes.

Combine:

10. If you are using a large pie dish you may want to put a pie funnel in the centre. With the funnel poking through the pastry the steam can be let out keeping the pastry crisp.
11. Lay the pastry over the quinces overlapping the edges of the pie dish by 1cm or so then trim the excess with a small knife.
12. Brush the top with beaten egg and scatter over it the sugar.
13. Bake the pie or pies for 35-40 minutes or until golden.
14. Let cool down before you serve it with thick cream or custard.

You can, if you dare, put the large plate flat on the pie dish before you slice the portions and flip the whole content onto the plate, crust on the bottom, fruit on the top…. might work (might be smart to check the status of the pie bottom – if glass, you will see the stuck or burned pieces potentially preventing the elegant flip …).