Treacle and macadamia nut tart with ginger custard

Method

1. To make the treacle tart, rub the butter into the flour and sugar in a mixing bowl until it resembles oatmeal.

2. Mix in the vanilla seeds and the egg and quickly bring together to form a dough. Wrap in cling film and chill for at least 20 minutes.

3. Preheat the oven to 180°C/gas 4.

4. Roll out the chilled dough finely and use it to line a loose-based 23cm tart tin.

5. Prick the base of the pastry case with a fork and leave to rest in the fridge for 10 minutes.

6. Line the pastry case with baking parchment, fill with baking beans and bake blind for 10 minutes.

7. Remove the baking parchment and baking beans and bake the pastry case for a further 5 minutes until a light golden brown.

8. Meanwhile, prepare the filling. In a mixing bowl, mix together the golden syrup, breadcrumbs, macadamia nuts, lemon and orange zest and juices.

9. Fill the blind-baked pastry case with the golden syrup mixture.

10. Bake for 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to rest for 10 minutes.

11. While the treacle tart is baking, prepare the ginger custard.

12. Place the milk, cream and bay leaf in a non-stick, heavy-based saucepan. Slice open the vanilla pod lengthways and scrape out the contents of the pod into the milk mixture, then add in the pod.

13. Bring the milk mixture to the boil.

14. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, whisk together the yolks and caster sugar until well mixed.

15. Pour the scalding milk over the yolk mixture, whisking constantly as you do so to mix well.

16. Return the yolk mixture to the saucepan and simmer, stirring constantly, until the mixture thickens and coats the back of a spoon, around 10 minutes.

17. Strain the custard into a bowl, discarding the bay leaf and vanilla pod.

18. Stir in the stem ginger and set aside to infuse for at least 10 minutes before serving with the rested treacle tart.