Well, we may as well chuck it in style, that dithery diet we have been trying to adhere to for the past few weeks, and here is the way to blow it out of your life . . .
"Oh, if I had a penny for every time a customer has said this is the best treacle tart they've ever had," writes Peter Gordon in The Sugar Club Cookbook. The invention of his sous chef, Ann O'Carroll, this treacle tart is delicious, the sweet note of the syrup undercut by the lemon zest in both the filling and the pastry. It is so moreish as to be almost untrue.
Before you set out to blitz the diet, however, a few words of caution about the recipe. Chefs make things in large quantities, and so while Peter Gordon describes his quantities as being suitable for an 11-12 inch tart tin, I actually found I only needed to use half his pastry for a 10-inch tin, and I cut the quantity of his filling exactly in half and found this made just the perfect amount of filling for my tart. If you have a big enough food processor (I use a Magimix 2800S and it only just accommodated the dough), then I do advise making the entire quantity, however, as cutting it in half is awkward. Simply freeze the other half and it is ready the next time you want to make the tart. The filling quantities can be neatly cut in half however.
Ann O'Carroll's Treacle Tart
Sweet lemon pastry
300g (11oz) unsalted butter, very cold and cut into 1-2cm (1/2-inch) cubes
500g (18oz) plain flour
2 teaspoons finely grated lemon zest
200g (7oz) icing sugar One egg, lightly beaten
50ml (13/4 fl oz) cold milk
Filling
4 eggs
Finely grated zest and juice of one lemon
550ml (19 fl oz) golden syrup
450ml (15 fl oz) double cream
150g (5oz) brioche crumbs (or bread or croissant crumbs)
Pulse the butter and flour in a food processer for one minute, then add the lemon zest and icing sugar and pulse for 10 seconds. Add the egg and half the milk and pulse until it forms a ball. It is important not to overwork the pastry as it will toughen - if it's too dry add a little more milk. Remove the pastry and knead it gently for a few seconds, then wrap it in clingfilm and leave in the fridge for 30 minutes.
Take the base from the tart tin and press the pastry on to this, spreading it with the back of your hand. Dust the worktop and the pastry with flour and roll the pastry, still on the base, out into a circle until it is 3-5mm (less than 1/4 inch) thick; the circle should be large enough to cover the sides of the tin. Carefully lift the pastry and base from the worktop and sit in the tart tin. Press the pastry gently in, trim off any excess and put the case in the fridge or freezer for at least an hour. Then line the pastry with baking parchment, fill with cooking beans and bake for 15 minutes in an oven preheated to 180 C/350 F/Gas 4. Remove beans and paper and cook for a further 10-15 minutes until the case is an even, golden colour.
For the filling, set the oven at 160C/ 320 F/Gas 3. Whisk the eggs, lemon juice and zest for half a minute, then add the golden syrup and cream and whisk until the mix emulsifies. Finally, add the crumbs and mix well. Pour the mixture immediately into the pre-cooked tart case, place on a baking tray and put in the oven. Check after 35 minutes. The tart is cooked when the filling is golden and slightly puffy. Rock the tart on its tray: it should wobble. If it shows signs of uncooked filling, return to the oven until done.