A bitingly cold day needs… treacle tart!

Here is my friend Judith’s treacle tart:

Judith’s treacle tart

Pastry

• 6 oz gr plain flour
• 2 tablespoons of icing sugar
• 3 oz unsalted butter (cut into small pieces)
• 1 egg yolk
• ½ lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon cold water

(You need to make the pastry first and put it in the dish then bake it ‘blind’ this means you put foil or greaseproof paper in the pastry case, put dried beans on it and bake it in the oven for 15 minutes, at 200◦C/ gas mark 6; take out the foil/paper and beans and put it back in the oven for another five minutes)

1. Mix icing sugar and flour together in a bowl,
2. Add butter and rub it in with your fingertips so it looks like breadcrumbs (or use a mixer)
3. Mix egg yolk, lemon juice and water and put into flour and butter, pull it together gently into a ball (if it is too dry add a tiny amount of water)
4. Put it in the fridge wrapped in cling film for at least 15mins
5. Roll out pastry and put into greased tin and bake blind (see above)

Filling

• 14 oz golden syrup (treacle)
• 2 oz  melted  butter
• 3 tablespoons double cream
• 1 large egg
• Pinch of salt
• 5 oz stale  bread made into breadcrumbs
• zest of lemon

1. Put syrup in a pan and heat gently over low heat
2. Take it off the heat and stir in melted butter
3. Beat the cream and eggs together then stir into the syrup and butter
4. Stir in salt breadcrumbs and lemon zest
5. Pour into pastry case
6. Bake for 40-45 minutes until it is golden and set
7. Leave it to get cold in the tin
8. Serve with cream or yoghurt