Harry Potter fans in the US may be surprised to know that this sugar pie has been around a whole lot longer than J.K. Rowling. As I discussed last week, it’s an ancient treat older than Dumbledore…even Hogwarts I’ll venture. A good treacle tart is sweet and lemony with just a hint of ginger spice. Served in a small slice — which is all anyone needs of something so sugary — it makes a soothing treat on a cold day.
Like most tarts it’s not the filling that takes the time, it’s the crust. To make this you’ll need one recipe savory tart crust (this tart is sweet enough) rolled and pre-baked for fifteen minutes with the foil and weights, ten without. You want it baked but not browned. You’ll have extra dough when you’re done. Freeze it and save it for another purpose.
Once the crust is ready it’s pretty much all down hill. Combine your filling ingredients save for the bread crumbs in a bowl. Some people like to add a few tablespoons of molasses for a darker color. In fact the whole thing can be made with a light molasses, just not blackstrap (stroop) which is inedible in pie form.
Stir.
Sprinkle half the crumbs (or rolled oats) into the prepared crust.
Pour in the sweet stuff.
Then the last of the crumbs.
And bake for half an hour until it’s bubbling and risen in the center.
Done! I should add that you should check the crust after the first fifteen minutes. If it’s just the right color brown, curl some strips of aluminum foil over the exposed crust to stop it from getting any darker.
Allow the tart to cool for two hours. Serve to your favorite muggles. Oh, and with lightly whipped cream. That’s a must with a tart that’s this sweet.