Quince tart with walnuts on a Budva November afternoon

November on the Budva coast still brings quince from inland orchards, firm and fragrant before citrus fully takes the market.

At Muffin Taffin the fruit is peeled, cored and baked low with lemon zest until the flesh turns a soft rose and yields to a spoon.

From the oven to the afternoon counter

Walnuts are toasted and folded in while the quince is still warm, so their oil scents the filling without a heavy syrup.

The filling sits in a thinly rolled short crust, baked until the edge is dry and the centre just set, then cooled on a rack by the window.

Slices are cut for late afternoon, when people come in from the Old Town for something baked rather than iced.

If the tray is gone, the same quince often returns the next morning in a small hand pie with the leftover nuts.