Those with a sweet tooth will love this treacle tart recipe from Mat Follas of the Bramble Café & Deli in Poundbury
Crackling fires, fireworks, wet walks, autumn leaves, early nights and, most importantly, comfort food ... this is what late autumn means to me. November can be a slow month in the food trade before the party season starts but, as a cook, it has some of the most luxurious food on offer.
Not only loved by Harry Potter, few dishes are more English to me than a treacle tart and it is so easy to make.
It is often on the counter at the Bramble Café during the week and is a must for many of our regulars at Bramble on a Sunday to follow their roast!
My treacle tart gains depth of flavour and a nuttiness from browned butter and granary bread in the mixture and an egg makes the tart extra tasty but light.
PS ... If the pastry scares you, then buy some pastry cases at the supermarket and just make the filling.
TREACLE TART
Ingredients
175g (6oz) plain flour, plus extra for dusting
85g (3oz) butter, cubed
1 tsp caster sugar
1 egg yolk
Zest of 1 lemon, finely grated
50g butter
1 egg
50ml cream
400g golden syrup
100g breadcrumbs from a granary loaf
Method
1. Preheat the oven to 160°C (375°F/Gas 5). To make the pastry, sift the flour into a bowl. Add the butter, and rub in with your fingertips, until the mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs. Add the sugar. Mix the egg yolk with 3 tbsp cold water, and add to the mixture. Combine to form a dough.
2. On a lightly floured surface, roll the pastry into a circle, and use to line a 200mm round tin, allow extra pastry to roll over the side of the tin edges. Prick it lightly all over with a fork. Chill for 30 minutes.
3. Place the pastry case in the oven for 10 minutes until it is just starting to colour before removing and setting aside to fill with the tart mixture.
4. To make the filling, in a heavy saucepan, heat the butter on a low heat until it is foaming and just starting to turn brown, it will smell nutty. Take off the heat and immediately add the cream and whisk to cool. Add the egg, lemon zest then the golden syrup and whisk to combine fully before adding the bread crumbs. Mix well then pour into the tart base.
5. Bake in the oven for 25–30 minutes. Remove from the oven and straighten the edges with a knife, removing all of the excess pastry. Leave to cool a little (10 minutes) before serving.
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