Preheat the
oven to Gas 6, 400F, 15 minutes before baking. Sift flour into a mixing
bowl, then rub fat in with the fingertips until mixture resembles fine
breadcrumbs. Mix to a soft and pliable dough with 5-6 tbsp cold water.
Knead the pastry on a lightly floured surface until it is smooth and
free from cracks.
Roll out to
6mm thick and use to line a 23cm pie plate. Prick base lightly with a
fork. Roll out trimmings and cut out eight 6mm wide strips with a pastry
wheel, and with a 1.25cm pastry cutter stamp out approx 45 rounds. Chill
pastry lined plate white preparing filling.
Melt syrup
and butter or margarine in a small pan. Stir in breadcrumbs, lemon rind
and stem ginger (if using). Draw off heat, cool slightly then mix in the
beaten egg. Spoon the treacle filling into the center of the pastry
lined plate, allowing the filling to come to within 2.5cm of the edge of
the plate. Dampen edges with a little water then arrange pastry strips
across the tart to give a lattice effect as illustrated.
Dampen the
little pastry rounds with a little water and fix into position round
edge of pastry, as illustrated. Knock edges together with a round bladed
knife. If you like, brush the pasty with a little beaten egg to glaze.
Bake in a
preheated oven for 20-25 minutes or until the pastry is golden brown and
cooked. Serve warm with custard or cream. As an alternative to ginger,
try 1 tsp ground cinnamon or mixed spice. For added crunch add 50g
toasted chopped almonds to the filling before cooking.
Can you
remember the gooey treacle tart that your grandma used to make ? Well,
we'll bring these memories flooding back with this super easy recipe -
you will just love it ! To make it extra special we have added a hint of
ginger.
