Treacle tart
SERVES
8
PEOPLE
PREP TIME
30
MINUTES
COOKING TIME
55
MINUTES
CUISINE
COURSE
Baking
Method
Sieve the flour into a large bowl. Cut the butter into cubes, toss in the flour, rub in with the fingertips until the mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs.
Whisk the egg with 2 teaspoons of cold water and add enough to bind the mixture. But do not make the pastry too wet — it should come away cleanly from the bowl. Flatten into a round and wrap in cling film and rest in the fridge for 15 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 180˚C.
Using 150g of the pastry (save the rest for the lattice top, cover and chill until needed), roll out thinly on a lightly floured worktop and use it to line a 23cm flan tin. Line with kitchen or greaseproof paper and fill to the top with dried beans. Rest for 15 minutes in the fridge.
Bake the tart base blind for about 25 minutes or until pale and golden, remove the beans and paper. Brush the pre-baked tart shell with a little beaten egg and pop back into the oven for 3-4 minutes or until almost cooked. Cool.
Be careful not to overcook because if this pastry gets too brown, it will be bitter, hard and unappetising.
Place the reserved pastry for the lattice top on cling film and roll out thinly. Egg wash the pastry and set aside to chill in the fridge (the cling film makes it easier to move later). Do not cut into strips at this stage. Do not egg wash the strips once they are on the tart as it will dribble into the treacle mixture.
Meanwhile, make the filling. Heat the syrup gently in a sauté pan. When the syrup has melted, add the breadcrumbs, lemon juice and the finely-grated zest to the syrup. If the mixture looks too runny, add a few more breadcrumbs. Cool for a few minutes. Pour the syrup mixture into the lined tin and level the surface.
Take the reserved pastry from the fridge and cut into 1cm wide strips. Make them longer than the edges of the tart tin. Egg wash the edge of the pastry in the tin, lattice the top of the tart pressing each strip down at the edge to create a neat finish.
Bake for about 30-40 minutes until the pastry is a deep golden and the filling is set. Remove the tart from the oven and allow leave to firm up in the tin. Serve warm or cold.
Ingredients
For the shortcrust pastry:
225g plain flour
110g butter
1 egg
For the filling:
400g golden syrup
150g fine white breadcrumbs
2 lemons, zest and juice
1 egg, beaten (for egg wash)
Method
Sieve the flour into a large bowl. Cut the butter into cubes, toss in the flour, rub in with the fingertips until the mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs.
Whisk the egg with 2 teaspoons of cold water and add enough to bind the mixture. But do not make the pastry too wet — it should come away cleanly from the bowl. Flatten into a round and wrap in cling film and rest in the fridge for 15 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 180˚C.
Using 150g of the pastry (save the rest for the lattice top, cover and chill until needed), roll out thinly on a lightly floured worktop and use it to line a 23cm flan tin. Line with kitchen or greaseproof paper and fill to the top with dried beans. Rest for 15 minutes in the fridge.
Bake the tart base blind for about 25 minutes or until pale and golden, remove the beans and paper. Brush the pre-baked tart shell with a little beaten egg and pop back into the oven for 3-4 minutes or until almost cooked. Cool.
Be careful not to overcook because if this pastry gets too brown, it will be bitter, hard and unappetising.
Place the reserved pastry for the lattice top on cling film and roll out thinly. Egg wash the pastry and set aside to chill in the fridge (the cling film makes it easier to move later). Do not cut into strips at this stage. Do not egg wash the strips once they are on the tart as it will dribble into the treacle mixture.
Meanwhile, make the filling. Heat the syrup gently in a sauté pan. When the syrup has melted, add the breadcrumbs, lemon juice and the finely-grated zest to the syrup. If the mixture looks too runny, add a few more breadcrumbs. Cool for a few minutes. Pour the syrup mixture into the lined tin and level the surface.
Take the reserved pastry from the fridge and cut into 1cm wide strips. Make them longer than the edges of the tart tin. Egg wash the edge of the pastry in the tin, lattice the top of the tart pressing each strip down at the edge to create a neat finish.
Bake for about 30-40 minutes until the pastry is a deep golden and the filling is set. Remove the tart from the oven and allow leave to firm up in the tin. Serve warm or cold.
