Ginger twist with quince and spiced custard recipe | Baking recipe | Gourmet Traveller recipe (2024)

1

For ginger-poached quince, preheat oven to 150C. Stir ingredients, except quince, and 600ml water in a large saucepan over medium-high heat until sugar dissolves. Bring to the boil, then remove from heat. Add quince and place a round of baking paper directly on top. Place reserved quince peel and cores on paper and push down to submerge. Cover with foil or a lid and cook in oven until quince are rosy coloured and tender (4-5 hours). Discard peel, cores and baking paper, and set aside. Quince will keep refrigerated for 3 weeks.

2

Preheat oven to 180C. Stir milk and yeast in a small bowl to dissolve and stand until foamy (5 minutes). Meanwhile, combine dry ingredients and rind with a pinch of salt in an electric mixer fitted with a dough hook. Add yeast mixture, eggs and orange juice, then mix on medium speed to form a soft dough. Gradually add butter, kneading to form a soft dough, then transfer to a buttered bowl, cover with plastic wrap and stand in a warm place until doubled in size (45 minutes to 1 hour).

3

For hazelnut filling, coarsely chop hazelnuts in a food processor and set aside 30gm. Add 180gm butter, brown sugar, 110gm caster sugar, 100gm flour and rind. Process until smooth and set aside. Rub together remaining butter, sugar, hazelnuts and flour in a bowl to form a crumble.

4

Knock back dough on a well-floured surface, roll out to a 30cm x 60cm rectangle and spread evenly with hazelnut filling. Roll from the longest side to form a cylinder, then cut in half. Twist each half around one another to form a rope and place in a buttered 11.5cm x 25cm loaf tin. Stand until slightly risen (30 minutes). Brush with eggwash, scatter with reserved crumble and bake until golden and risen (45 minutes to 1 hour). Cover with foil if loaf gets too dark.

5

For spiced custard, bring cream, milk and spices to a simmer over low heat, set aside to infuse (30 minutes), then bring back to a simmer. Whisk yolks and sugar in a bowl until pale, then pour in warm cream mixture and whisk to combine. Return to pan and stir continuously over medium heat until mixture thickly coats the back of a spoon (4-5 minutes), then transfer to a bowl.

6

Dust ginger twist with icing sugar, slice thickly and serve with warm spiced custard and quince.