My father loves to ask questions (this must be where my girls get it from) – but not questions that you would expect.  In fact, when I was young, we used to joke about a book that he was going to write – “101 Stupid Questions” – for example, “What color is an orange?”  When he comes to visit, he peppers my daughters with questions – and at first they actually entertain the questions and give him solid answers.  After a little while though, they start tuning him out.  I’m sure they are probably thinking, hey, this is my job to ask the questions – not yours.

I saw this recipe in Bon Appetit a while ago, and I thought it looked interesting, so I threw it in the pile.  If it wasn’t for the golden syrup, I am not sure I would have ever made it – but after making these, I had a lot of golden syrup left in the pantry.  When I was reading through this recipe, I noticed that it called for golden syrup as well – and just about the amount that I had left.  Therefore, it moved up on the list, and I really had no excuse not to make it, unless I wanted that delicious golden syrup to go bad (if it could ever go bad). 

Ok, so what does this have to do with my father and asking questions? He was visiting when I made this.  He asked me a couple of times what I was making – and each time I told him an Apple Tart – but I am not sure he really believed me, because it really didn’t look like one.  He asked one more time, “What did you make?”  I said, “An Apple Treacle Tart.”  He said, “What’s in it?”  Then I decided to have some fun and said, “Apples and Treacle.”  Ask a stupid question, get a stupid answer.  Both my husband and I just started laughing, and tears were streaming down my face.  My father said nothing, and no follow-up questions.

So what is a treacle?  I looked it up, and here is the definition:  Treacle is the generic name for any syrup made during the refining of sugar cane.  The most common forms of treacle are the pale syrup that is also known as golden syrup.  So, I was telling the truth, even though it sounded hilarious to say it. 

If you like pecan pie, you will love this tart.  It was basically a pecan pie with apples instead of pecans.  The crust was delightful, and went beautifully with the filling.  I didn’t have any more whipping cream left – but this would have been great with some freshly whipped cream (like the original recipe).

Filling

• 3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons fresh breadcrumbs made from crustless whole wheat bread
• 1 1/4 cups golden syrup*
• 2 large eggs
• 2 tablespoons heavy whipping cream
• 1 tablespoon light (mild-flavored) molasses
• Large pinch of salt
• 1 1/2 cups coarsely grated peeled tart apples (such as Granny Smith)

 *A type of cane syrup popular in Great Britain; available at some supermarkets and at specialty foods stores and British import shops.

Preparation

Crust

Blend flour, sugar, and salt in processor 5 seconds. Add butter. Using on/off turns, cut in until very coarse meal forms. Add 3 tablespoons ice water. Blend until moist clumps form, adding more ice water by teaspoonfuls if dough is dry. Gather dough into ball; flatten into disk. Wrap in plastic wrap and chill 1 hour. DO AHEAD Dough can be made 1 day ahead. Keep chilled. Soften briefly at room temperature before rolling.

Preheat oven to 375°F. Roll out dough on lightly floured surface to 12- to 13-inch round. Transfer dough to 9-inch-diameter tart pan with removable bottom. Cut off all but 1/2 inch of overhang and fold in, pressing sides of dough to come 1/4 to 1/3 inch higher than pan sides. Freeze crust until firm, about 10 minutes.

Line crust with foil and dried beans or pie weights. Bake until sides are set, about 25 minutes. Remove foil and beans. Continue to bake until crust is pale golden, piercing with fork if crust bubbles, 12 to 15 minutes longer. Cool 30 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 350°F.

Filling

Scatter breadcrumbs on small rimmed baking sheet. Bake until dry and crisp, about 10 minutes. Set aside.

Combine golden syrup, eggs, whipping cream, lemon peel, molasses, and salt in large bowl; whisk to blend. Stir in apples and breadcrumbs. Pour filling into crust.

Bake tart until filling is set in center and cracks appear at edges, about 55 minutes. Cool in pan on rack.

Serves 8-10.

For a printer-friendly version of this recipe, please click here:  Apple Treacle Tart