Prue Leith's Grapefruit treacle tart

About this recipe

"I know treacle tart is not the healthiest of recipes but it’s certainly a recipe for revival. A mouthful of sweetness is extraordinarily restorative. And the fresh grapefruit segments on top cut the sweetness and make the tart even more refreshing. I serve it in very thin slices at teatime or slightly bigger with a dollop of plain yogurt or creme fraiche for dessert." Prue Leith

Serves 12

Ingredients

For the tart

3 pink grapefruit

3 large eggs

450g golden syrup

50ml double cream

100g coarse fresh white breadcrumbs

2 tbsp caster sugar

For the pastry

140g cold unsalted butter, cut into cubes

250g plain flour, plus extra for dusting

A pinch of salt

2 large egg yolks

2 to 3 tbsp iced water

Method

Step 1

To make the pastry, put the butter, flour and salt in a large mixing bowl and rub the butter into the flour lightly using your fingertips until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Use a butter knife to mix in the egg yolks and enough water to bring it together to a crumbly dough. It should only just hold together. Wrap the dough in cling film and chill in the fridge for at least 1 hour, until firm.

Step 2

Finely grate the zest of one grapefruit. Cut the fruit in half and extract the juice. Put the grapefruit juice into a saucepan and bring to the boil. Boil rapidly until the juice has reduced by about two thirds and has become syrupy. Peel and segment the other two grapefruit, removing all pith.

Step 3

To make the filling, whisk the eggs in a medium bowl until the yolks and whites are smoothly combined, then add the golden syrup, cream, reduced grapefruit juice and zest, and the breadcrumbs. Stir vigorously to combine.

Step 4

Heat the oven to 190°C / fan 170°C / gas mark 5. Place a baking sheet in the oven to heat up. Grease a 24cm (9½in) loose-bottomed flan tin.

Step 5

Unwrap the pastry and roll it out as thinly as you can on a dusted surface, ideally to a thickness of only 1mm. Line the greased tin with the pastry, then put it in the freezer for 20 minutes to chill.

Step 6

Trim the excess pastry from the top of the pastry case, then fill it with the treacle mixture. Put it directly onto the pre-heated baking sheet in the oven. Bake in the middle of the oven for 40 to 50 minutes, covering it with foil towards the end of cooking if it is browning too much on top.