King St Treacle Tart

Method

1. For the short-crust:

2. Combine the flour, sugar and a pinch of salt in a food processor and pulse for a few seconds to combine. Add the cubed butter and pulse repeatedly, cutting the pieces into the flour until irregular pea-sized bits form, about 1 minute.

3. One at a time, add the egg yolks to the processor, blitzing each one in before adding the next. Stop blitzing once a dry, crumbly dough that’s mostly uniform comes together. Turn the dough out onto a sheet of parchment paper, divide it in half, and pat each half into a log. Wrap each one in parchment paper and chill in the fridge until firm, at least 30 minutes.

4. Once the dough is firm, grate one log directly into a 25cm tart shell, using the largest holes of a box grater. Then, working from the edges in, press the dough together, forming a 5mm thick pastry shell. Pay extra attention to the corners, as they can typically build up and get too dense.

5. Chill the tart shell in the fridge until cold to the touch, about 20 minutes, before using. The prepared shell holds, covered, for a day in the fridge. Freeze the extra log if you’re not making a second tart - it will keep until infinity. When ready to use, thaw it in the fridge.

6. For the tart:

7. Preheat the oven to 180°C/Gas Mark 4.

8. Prick the tart shell all over the bottom with a fork. Set the pan on a baking sheet and bake in the oven until the shell is golden brown, about 25 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool completely, at least 35 minutes.

9. To make the filling, brown the butter by heating it in a medium pot over a medium-low heat until it smells nutty and is a rich golden brown, 8 minutes. Do not let the butter burn! Turn off the heat.

10. Stir in the golden syrup, heavy cream and 2 teaspoons of salt into the browned butter and warm over medium heat, whisking, until the mixture emulsifies, 2-3 minutes. Remove from the heat and allow to cool slightly, about 4 minutes, then finely zest the lemons directly into the pot. Stir to combine and cool the syrup until just warm to the touch, about 30 minutes.

11. Meanwhile, juice the zested lemons, strain the juice, and set aside.

12. When the syrup has partially cooled, whisk the eggs together in a large bowl. Whisk in a small amount of the warm syrup to temper the mixture so the eggs don’t curdle, then add the remaining syrup a little bit at a time. Whisk in the lemon juice and breadcrumbs.

13. Pour the filling into the cooled tart shell and bake in the oven until golden brown, about 45 minutes. As the tart bakes, rotate the tin every 15 minutes so it cooks evenly.

14. Remove the tart from the oven and allow it to cool on a rack. Once cool enough to handle, but still warm enough that any leaked treacle is pliable, gently pop the tart of the tin’s ring.

15. Slice the tart and serve with cold cream.