In South America, quince is often paired with cheese, usually by serving a slice of
quince paste with a sliver of manchego. This tart has the same flavors, with a slightly more decadent presentation. Candied slices of quince top a rich queso fresco and blue cheese filling in a puff pastry shell. Serve this tart warm with a glass of wine.
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 45 minutes
Ingredients:
- 1 sheet of frozen puff pastry (1/2 of 17 ounce package), thawed
- 1 cup queso fresco, or farmer's cheese, crumbled
- 1/2 cup crumbled blue cheese, crumbled
- 2 eggs
- 1/3 cup cream
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 1 1/2 cups candied quince preserves (see recipe link below)
Preparation:
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
- On a floured surface, roll out the puff pastry sheet into a 14 inch square. With a pizza cutter, cut a circle about 12 inches in diameter.
- Place the circle into a 9-inch tart pan. Press the dough into the bottom and sides of the pan. Fold over the extra dough and press into the sides, letting the edge of dough come up slighly over the edge of the pan.
- Prick the bottom of the tart shell all over with a fork. Gently place a piece of foil over the dough, and weight the foil with dried beans.
- Bake tart shell for 15-20 minutes, until golden. Remove from oven and gently lift foil off. Reduce oven temperature to 350 degress. Let tart shell cool for 5 minutes.
- In a bowl, mix the cheeses with the eggs and the cream. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Spread cheese filling into the crust.
- Layer slices of candied quince in a circle over the cheese, overlapping them slightly.
- Return tart to the oven and bake for 20 to 25 minutes more. Tart will puff up and turn light golden brown. Remove from oven when center is no longer jiggly.
- Let tart cool (it will deflate slightly) and serve warm.
