Treacle & Pear Tart

Treacle tart was one of those desserts my grandma would often make when we went for a weekend visit. I now own the "pie plate" that she used to bake it on, so being made on a plate it was quite flat and she would stud it with cornflakes. She would serve it with a drizzle of evaporated milk and we would eat it hot, often burning our mouths on the hot filling, and scratching our gums on the crunchy cornflakes!

I'm not sure I would enjoy a treacle tart like that these days but here is a recipe for one that I do enjoy during pear season. The inclusion of pear, lemon and creme fraiche cuts through the sweetness of the syrup and gives the filling a more complex range of flavours.

Treacle & Pear Tart

Ready made large tart pastry case
1 egg
3 tbsp creme fraiche
175g golden syrup
1 tbsp black treacle
1 ripe pear
50g fresh white breadcrumbs
1 lemon

You can also make a pastry case using 115g plain flour, 55g margarine or butter, 25g caster sugar and a little water. If doing this, rub the flour and the margarine together to form crumbs then stir in the sugar and drip in just enough water to bind together as a dough. Roll out to fill a small, greased flan dish then tidy the edges and gently prick the base. Blind bake for 10-15 minutes.

For the filling, preheat the oven to 180°C. Beat the egg into a bowl then stir in the creme fraiche then add the other ingredients and leave to stand for 10-15 minutes to thicken slightly. Pour the filling into the pastry case and bake for 30 minutes until visibly set all the way to the middle of the tart. Serve hot or cold with cream.