Treacle Tart

I haven't made a Treacle Tart for years and I'm not exactly sure why. A great, old-fashioned treacle tart is the ultimate comfort food, especially on a chilly winter's day. Unctuous, sweet and oozing, what's not to love? So, having been bought Lorraine Pascale's "Baking Made Easy" by my husband as a sort of post-Christmas present, I set about making her Treacle Tart so we could all enjoy a rare pudding.

Ingredients:


FOR THE RICH SHORTCRUST PASTRY (Makes 400g - sufficient for a 30cm pie dish)

185g plain flour
95g softened butter
95g caster sugar
1 egg
pinch of salt
30ml water


FOR THE FILLING

450g golden syrup
Finely grated zest and juice of a lemon (leave this out of you like a really sweet treacle tart)
60g butter
1 tsp ground ginger
250g breadcrumbs


EQUIPMENT

23cm loose bottomed tart tin (I used a 30cm pie dish and this worked perfectly.)


1. Preheat the oven to 180 degs C/170 degs C fan/gas mark 4

2. To make the pastry, blitz all the ingredients in a food processor until the dough forms a ball. Leave in a cool place for 30 minutes.

3. Roll out the pastry on a lightly floured surface to about 3mm thick and use to line the tart tin. Prick the base lightly with a fork.

4. Take a piece of baking parchment and cover the pastry. Top with some baking beans and "blind bake" the pastry case in the oven for 15-20 minutes, until the edges are slightly coloured and the base is dry to the touch. Remove the baking beans and paper and return the pastry to the oven for a further 5 minutes, until golden. Set aside.

5. To make the filling, put the golden syrup, lemon zest and juice, butter and ground ginger into a large pan and melt gently over a low heat.

Stir in the breadcrumbs...

...and tip the mixture into the pastry case. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until lightly browned and set. Serve hot, warm or cold with clotted cream, custard, ice-cream or just on its own. Enjoy!


This recipe comes from Baking Made Easy by Lorraine Pascale