Treacle tart

My gran used to make this for me when I was a child and so I am going to used her basic recipe which is frugal.  I will then offer ideas of how to make it more luxurious, richer tart, but the egg helps with this if you have one.  I find this tart quite sweet, which is good as it means that I only need a little piece for it to satisfy me.  We serve it hot with custard, or have it cold as a slice on it’s own or with cream or ice cream.

Ingredients

4 to 60z short crust pastry  By this it means using 4 or 6 oz flour to make it.

4 tbsp of golden syrup

3oz fresh bread crumbs

lemon zest from half a lemon

1 Egg (optional but better if one is used)

Method

1. Heat the oven to 200C (180C fan)
2. Grease a 7 or 8 inch tart tin (my gran used to made this on a plate that wasn’t very deep).
3. Line to tin with pastry
4. Prick and bind bake it for 20 minutes (use scrunched up foil or baking beads to stop the tart collapsing)
5. Mix together the bread crumbs, golden syrup and lemon juice. (Add the egg if using one).
6. Spread the mixture on to the pastry base.
7. If you have any spare pastry trimming, roll them into a long thin sausage and place them on top of the mixture to form a cross.
8. Cook on the top shelf of the oven for 15 to 20minutes until golden.

Ways to make the tart more luxurious or different.

1. Add some cream to the mixture instead of egg.
2. Add a couple of egg yolks instead of a whole egg.
3. Use sweet short crust pastry
4. Add some chopped stem ginger
5. Grate an apple into the mixture
6. Use cake crumbs instead of bread crumbs
7. Use shattered corn flakes instead of bread crumbs.

Any spare mixture can be stored in a glass jar in a fridge if there is no egg in it.  It is nice on toast.