STICKY TREACLE TART WITH A HINT OF GINGER

THIS classic tart is an easy one to master and shows how to bake a shortcrust pastry base before the filling goes in, which is known as blind baking.

Makes 8 slices

Kit you’ll need

23cm (9in) round, 2.5cm (1in) deep fluted loose-bottomed flan tin Baking sheet Baking paper Baking beans

For the shortcrust pastry

175g (6oz) plain flour 95g (3¼oz) chilled butter, diced

For the filling

1 medium egg, beaten 300g (10½oz) golden syrup 1 tbsp black treacle 75g (2¾oz) fresh white breadcrumbs 1 tsp ground ginger Finely grated zest of 1 small lemon 1 tbsp lemon juice 2 tbsp double cream 25g (1oz) pecans, chopped 1 Tip the flour and butter for the pastry into a large bowl. Rub in until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Pour in 2 tbsp cold water and stir with a round-bladed knife to form a dough. Gently work the dough into a smooth ball with your hands, being careful not to over-handle it. (Or make the pastry in a food processor.) Shape the dough into a thick disc, wrap in cling film and chill in the fridge for 15 to 20 minutes, until firm, but not hard. 2 Roll out the pastry on a lightly floured surface to about the thickness of a £1 coin. Use it to line the tin, easing the pastry into the corners. Trim the pastry edges and wrap and keep the excess in case you need to patch any cracks later. Press the pastry into the flutes of the tin so it is slightly raised above the edge of the tin, keeping the top edges neat. Prick the pastry base lightly with a fork, then chill for 20 minutes. Preheat the oven to 200c/180c fan/400f/gas 6. Put a baking sheet in the oven to heat up. 3 Line the pastry case with baking paper, then fill with baking beans or uncooked rice. Place on the hot baking sheet and blind bake the pastry for 15 minutes. Remove the paper and beans and bake for another five minutes or until the base looks cooked and light golden all over. Remove, and reduce the oven temperature to 180c/160c fan/350f/gas 4. If necessary, patch up any pastry cracks that have appeared, or the filling may leak. 4 While the pastry bakes, beat the egg for the filling in a bowl, then stir in the golden syrup and black treacle (soften the treacle first by putting the tin in a heatproof bowl and pouring in boiling water part way up the tin). Stir in the breadcrumbs, ground ginger, lemon zest and juice, and the double cream. 5 Pour the filling into the pastry case and scatter the pecans over the top. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until the filling is set and a golden brown. Leave for a few minutes before taking out of the tin. Serve warm or cold.