I used to love macaroon slice. I use past tense here not because my affection has waned, but more for the simple fact I think I was about 12 the last time I can remember eating it. Another life. My Mum used to make it in enormous slabs and cut it up to freeze for our school lunches. And she also used to make it with the whitest sugar and flour, and store bought jam. That’s definitely another life! Didn’t stop a fairly serious hankering for it yesterday though. It was pouring with rain outside and the wind was auditioning for Titanic, so when macaroon slice stood up it was noticed.

The other thing that helped the arrival at macaroon slice was a bowl of pot roasted quinces I wanted to make delicious use of. My inner nana loves saying things like ‘a bowl of pot roasted quinces’. I’m sure I’ve mentioned them taking 5 - 6 hours of cooking time before, so well worth the effort to cook more than you’re likely to need for one recipe if you do find a quince roasting window. If that idea seems ludicrous, then stewed apples or pears would be equally appropriate in about 5 hours less time. To the macaroon...

I was thinking how much life had changed when I mentioned the word ‘macaroon’ on the phone to a friend when she called mid baking, and she automatically jumped to the land of Fauchon where all things dainty and French reside. My open Ladies Guild cookbook, circa 1956, told a different tale.

I did some swapping of ingredients after calling my Mum to get her recipe, just to see if it might be open to a little healthier version of itself without losing what I’d come for. Nostalgia. And tea. The tea bit was a deciding factor in all of this too because at the same time quince macaroon slice popped into my head I remembered I was supposed to be blending our new ‘Sunday Roast’ tea for the Scullery. Roasted barley and wattleseed with black tea leaves, ginger and spice - perfect with a quince friend. Will keep you posted on that one. In the meantime here’s my version of an anything but posh macaroon...

Spiced Quince Macaroon Slice

makes a 20 x 30 cm slice

For the base:

80g organic coconut butter (or cow’s milk butter)

1/2 cup organic rapadura sugar, or any other unrefined sugar

3 free range organic egg yolks

1 1/2 cups organic wholemeal SR flour

For the filling:

2 cups pot roasted quinces, or other stewed fruit

4 free range organic egg whites

3/4 cup organic rapadura sugar, or any other unrefined sugar

2 cups organic shredded coconut

50g flaked almonds

1/2 tsp freshly grated nutmeg

Pre heat the oven to 180C.

Line a 20 x 30cm cake pan with baking paper.

To make the base, cream the butter and sugar with an electric mixer. Add egg yolks one at a time and continue mixing. Stir through flour to incorporate.

Press the mixture evenly into the base of the baking tray.

Spread the cut fruit over the base and then make the macaroon topping by whisking egg whites in a clean bowl with an electric mixer until soft peaks form.

Add the sugar in gradually while continuing to mix, similar to a meringue technique. Stir in the 2 cups of shredded coconut.

Pour the macaroon mixture over the fruit and gently spread it to be roughly even across the pan. Scatter the almond flakes over the top and dust with the grated nutmeg.

Bake for 25 - 30 minutes or until golden brown and puffed on top.

Remove from the oven and leave to cool in the pan for 10 minutes before slicing into squares to serve.

If you’re keen to be one of the 10 tea tasters needed to decide the all important question of whether to go down the cloves and cinnamon, or the black pepper and fennel trail with our new Sunday Roast tea, please email me with your address details so I can pop a couple of samples in the post for your feedback.

Thanks so much!