The Bear Who Baked (Treacle Tart)

It's very common to have stuffed bears, to give them names. 

It's even very common to take them around with you all the time.

It's very common when you're 5 years old.

I'm 30, my bear is called Chocolat, and he travels with me everywhere. 

His journey started in Quebec (without me actually, a friend took him on holidays with him) 7 years ago. He came back with lots of funny pictures and that's how I realised he would be a perfect model for my travel pictures. (You can fall out with a boyfriend or a friend...no chance I'll want to tear up the holiday pictures of my stuffed bear in million pieces in a year or two)

Since then, we went to Jordan, Morocco, Argentina, NYC,... we even went to the Olympic Games and met Jamie Oliver together. 

Funnily enough, I also discovered that Chocolat is a great conversation starter. When I'm in a country where I don't understand the language, just the fact that my bear brings smiles on people's faces (even if it's to make fun of me) makes a first contact with locals easy. 

Smiling is the best international language I know.

And well, maybe I'm just a child and I find it amusing to take pictures of my stuffed bear as if he had some kind of conscience. I'm sure I'll love showing my kids Chocolat's travel books when I grow older though.

(To follow Chocolat's travels: http://www.facebook.com/chocolat.lourson)

Treacle Tart

Treacle tart is one of this British baking mystery which has been intriguing me since I've arrived in the UK.

A breadcrumbs tart? Really? And well, once again I was surprised but not disappointed. It's too easy to make and too good to be missed!  

Ingredients: 

1 shortcrust pastry

2 lemons (juice and zest)

300g golden syrup

140g fresh white breadcrumbs (see below How to make breadcrumbs)

1 egg yolk (for the egg wash)    

Make the Treacle Tart: 

1/ Preheat your oven to 180deg C

2/ Roll out the shortcrust pastry and line a deep pie dish with it and prick the base with a fork (it will stop it from raising while cooking). 

3/ Cut off all the edges of extra pastry, put it back into a ball and roll it out again, cutting it in large strips, that you will use to decorate the top of the tart)

3/ In a saucepan, gently melt the golden syrup without boiling it (I put the whole unopened can in a bowl of very hot water for 10min beforehand to make it runny and easier to measure)

4/ Add the breadcrumbs, zest and juice of the two lemons, and mix well. Leave this mixture to set for 5min before spreading it onto the tart base, without pressing it down too much.

5/ Egg wash (brush with the egg yolk diluted in a bit of water) the edge of the pastry, and make the cross patterned lattice with the pastry strips 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. 

6/ Egg wash the lattice, taking care not to put too much egg wash on the breadcrumb mixture itself, and bake in the oven for 35-40 min until the pastry is golden brown and the mixture set.

7/ Remove the tart from the oven and leave to firm up in the tin. Serve warm or cold. 

How to make breadcrumbs: just crumb some white bread (I used a white loaf from the supermarket) in a food processor. The bread can be fresh or 1 or 2 days old.

 

What's on the Drinks Menu Alex?
As a sweet wine, you could try a sweet muscat
On the dry side, why not match the treacle tart with a Pinot Grigio?
And for those who are looking for a alcohol free option, nothing will be better than a lemon tea!

Thanks Alex!

Recipe adapted from The Great British Book of Baking