St Patrick's Day Recipe: Honey and Stout Tart

Ingredients

250g of plain flour

125g of butter, cut into cubes, plus extra for greasing

50g of caster sugar

2 eggs

80ml of stout

1 Bramley apple, (approx 150g) peeled and grated

90g of golden syrup

50g of rolled porridge oats

90g of honey

90g of breadcrumbs, stale

2 eggs

1/2 lemon, zest and juice

1/2 orange, zest only

1 pinch of salt

Method

In a food processor simply pulse together the flour, salt, butter and sugar until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs, then transfer to a bowl, add the eggs and form into a ball of dough. Do not overwork, just mix enough to bring the dough together.

Wrap the dough in clingfilm and leave in the fridge to chill for 20 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 150°C/gas mark 2. Grease a 25cm loose-bottomed tart tin and set aside.

Once the pastry has chilled, lightly dust a work surface with flour and roll the pastry out into a large circle, 5cm bigger than your tin. Loosely roll the pastry around the rolling pin, then carefully drape the pastry over the tin and lightly press the pastry into the edges to fit.

Carefully trim the edges of the pastry using a sharp knife. Line the pastry with some greaseproof paper, then pour in some baking beans. Blind bake the pastry case in the oven for around 45 minutes until pale golden in colour. Remove from the oven and increase the oven temperate to 180°C/gas mark 4.

Discard the greaseproof paper and baking beans and brush the entirety of the pastry case in egg wash - this will help to prevent cracks appearing in the pastry.

To make the filling, add the stout and grated apple to a pan and bring to the boil. Reduce to a simmer and leave the liquid to reduce by half, then remove from the heat and set aside until warm.

Add the remaining ingredients, mix well and pour into the pastry case. Bake the tart for 20-25 minutes until the filling is set.

Remove from the oven, allow to cool and cut the tart into slices. Serve with a good dollop of double cream or some sweetened buttermilk.