Nut & Star Anise Caramel Tart

Serves 10 – 12

75g butter, softened

¼ cup caster sugar

½ tsp finely grated orange zest ½ tsp ground cinnamon

1 egg

1¼ cups flour Whipped cream, to serve

FILLING

1¼ cups caster sugar

2 star anise

½ cup cream

400g assorted nuts and seeds (eg. almonds, cashews, brazils, pistachios, walnuts, pine nuts, hazelnuts, pumpkin seeds)

To prepare the pastry, place the butter, caster sugar, orange zest, cinnamon, egg and flour into the bowl of a food processor.

Process just until a dough is formed. Shape dough into a disc then wrap in plastic wrap and chill for 30 minutes. Roll out the pastry between two sheets of baking paper and use it to line a 22cm x 2cm loose-based flan tin. Prick the base and sides of the crust with a fork. Chill for 15 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 180˚C (160˚C fan forced). Line the crust with baking paper then fill with pie weights or dried beans. Bake in the preheated oven for 15 minutes until the crust starts to brown lightly. Remove the paper and beans and bake for another 5-10 minutes.

To make the caramel, combine the sugar, ¼ cup water and star anise in a medium-large saucepan over low heat.

Cook, stirring continuously, until sugar dissolves. Increase the heat to medium and cook, without stirring, occasionally brushing down the sides of the pan with a wet pastry brush. Cook for 8-10 minutes until a rich caramel forms.

Remove the caramel from the heat and carefully stir in the cream. (Be careful as the mixture will bubble up significantly.)

Remove the star anise with tongs. Stir in the nuts and seeds then pour filling into the pie crust. Bake for a further 15-20 minutes until the filling starts to bubble. Cool on a wire rack before serving.

Serve warm or cold with whipped cream.