Ed Balls Treacle Tart Food

TREACLE TART

Steps:

• Sieve the flour and salt into a large bowl. Add the butter and rub together with your fingers to a fine breadcrumb-like texture (you can also do this part in a food processor). Stir though the icing sugar, then quickly add the egg yolks and 2 tbsp water, mixing swiftly with a cutlery knife to combine. Form into a ball (add another tbsp water if you need to), wrap and chill for 30 mins. Roll out to the thickness of a pound coin, and line a 22cm fluted tart tin with the pastry, leaving an overhang. Return to the fridge for 30 mins.
• Heat the oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Put a baking sheet into the oven to heat up. Line the pastry case with baking parchment and baking beans, then put in the oven on the baking sheet, and bake for 15 mins. Remove the parchment and bake for a further 10 mins or until the pastry is golden brown. Leave the pastry to cool before trimming off the overhanging edges with a small serrated knife.
• Lower the oven temperature to 160C/140C fan/gas 4. Combine the golden syrup, ginger, ginger syrup, lemon, eggs and breadcrumbs in a bowl, briefly whisking everything together until combined. Carefully pour the filling into the pastry case put in the lower part of the oven to bake for 35-40 mins or until the filling is just set. Remove from the oven and leave to cool down for 20 mins before serving with ice cream or thick clotted cream.

MARY BERRY'S TREACLE TART

Steps:

• First make the shortcrust pastry: measure the flour into a large bowl and rub in the butter with your fingertips until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs (alternatively, this can be done in a food processor). Add about three tablespoons of cold water and mix to a firm dough, wrap in cling film and chill in the fridge for about 20 minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 200C/400F/Gas 6 and put a heavy baking tray in the oven to heat up. Grease a deep 18cm/7in loose-bottomed fluted flan tin with butter.
• Remove about 150g/5½oz of pastry from the main ball and set aside for the lattice top.
• Roll the rest of the pastry out thinly on a lightly floured work surface and line the prepared flan tin with the pastry.
• Prick the base with a fork, to stop the base rising up during baking.
• Place the reserved pastry for the lattice top on cling film and roll out thinly. Egg wash the pastry and set aside to chill in the fridge (the cling film makes it easier to move about). Do not cut into strips at this stage. Do not egg wash the strips once they are on the tart as it will drip into the treacle mixture.
• To make the filling, heat the syrup gently in a large pan but do not boil.
• Once melted, add the breadcrumbs, lemon juice and zest to the syrup. (You can add less lemon if you would prefer less citrus taste.) If the mixture looks runny, add a few more breadcrumbs. Pour the syrup mixture into the lined tin and level the surface.
• Remove the reserved pastry from the fridge and cut into long strips, 1cm/½in wide. Make sure they are all longer than the edges of the tart tin.
• Egg wash the edge of the pastry in the tin, and start to make the woven laying lattice pattern over the mixture, leave the strips hanging over the edge of the tin.
• Once the lattice is in place, use the tin edge to cut off the strips by pressing down with your hands, creating a neat finish.
• Bake on the pre-heated baking tray in the hot oven for about 10 minutes until the pastry has started to colour, and then reduce the oven temperature to 180C/350F/Gas 4. If at this stage the lattice seems to be getting too dark brown, cover the tart with tin foil.
• Bake for a further 25-30 minutes until the pastry is golden-brown and the filling set. Remove the tart from the oven and leave to firm up in the tin. Serve warm or cold.

TRADITIONAL TREACLE TART

Steps:

• For the Shortcrust Pastry:Place the flour and salt in a food processor and pulse to blend. Next add the cold butter and lard. Pulse a few more times until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add the water a little at a time, pulsing between additions, until the mixture begins to come together. DO NOT over-mix the dough or the pastry crust will be tough and won't be flaky.The mixture is done when it resembles large streusel-like crumbs and when you take some and press it between your fingers it will hold together.Form the dough into a ball, flatten into a 1-inch thick disk, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before using. (The shortcrust pastry can be refrigerated for a few days or frozen for up to 3 months.)
• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.Roll out the pastry dough. I find it easiest to roll it out on to plastic wrap, it makes transferring it to the tart pan easy. Roll the pastry dough out so that there's a little excess around all sides of the tart pan (it will shrink when baked). You will need a 9-inch fluted tart pan with a removable bottom (also commonly called quiche pans).Carefully place the pastry crust into the tart pan and pierce it multiple times with a fork.Line the pastry crust with parchment paper and fill it with dried beans or similar.Place the tart on the middle shelf of the oven and bake for 10-15 minutes.Remove the beans and parchment paper and continue to bake for another 5-10 minutes or until the crust is a very pale golden.
• For the treacle filling: While the shortcrust is baking prepare the filling.Place the golden syrup, lemon zest and lemon juice in a medium saucepan. Heat the syrup until hot and runny and then stir in the breadcrumbs. Turn off the heat and let the mixture sit for 5 minutes.Lightly beat the egg and cream together with a fork. Pour the egg/cream mixture into the saucepan with the treacle mixture and stir quickly to combine.Pour the hot mixture into the tart crust.Place the tart on the middle shelf of the oven (still heated at 375 degreesF) and bake for 20-25 minutes or until the pastry is golden and the filling is nicely browned.Remove the tart from the oven and let it cool.
• Treacle tart is traditionally served warm with clotted cream, whipped cream, or custard. You can also serve it with ice cream.

IPA TREACLE TART

Steps:

• To make the pastry, put the flour and butter in a bowl and rub together with your fingertips until it resembles breadcrumbs. Mix in the icing sugar followed by the yolks. If the pastry feels too dry, add 2 tbsp water. Shape into a ball, flatten it out into a disc, wrap it in cling film, then chill for 30 mins.
• Roll out the pastry on a lightly floured surface until big enough to line a 23cm fluted tart tin, about 3cm deep. Line the tin with the pastry, allowing the edges to overhang. Chill for another 30 mins.
• Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Line the tart with baking parchment and baking beans. Bake blind for 20 mins. Remove the beans and parchment and bake for 10-15 mins more until the pastry is golden and crisp.
• While the pastry is cooking, mix the golden syrup, honey, breadcrumbs, grapefruit zest, beer and eggs together in a large jug or bowl.
• Lower oven to 160C/140C fan/gas 3. Use a small serrated knife to trim the pastry edges, then fill with the treacle mixture. Bake for 55 mins-1 hr until golden. Scatter over the honeycomb shards before serving, if you like.