Treacle tart with clotted cream ice cream

Method

• step 1

  For the pecans, put the sugar and 50ml water in a heavy-bottomed pan and simmer until you have a thick, bubbling syrup, but don’t let it caramelise straight away. Add the toasted pecans and remove from the heat straight away, stirring continuously. Keep stirring the pecans until the sugar crystallises and you have a frosty coating.

• step 2

  To make the pastry, mix the icing sugar and ground almonds with the flour and 1/2 tsp salt. Tip into a food processor, add the butter and pulse until you have a sandy texture.Add the egg yolk and pulse until a dough forms, then cover with clingfilm and rest in the fridge for at least 1 hour.

• step 3

  Heat the oven to 180C/fan 160C/gas 4, then roll the pastry 2-3mm thick to line a 24cm tart tin. The pastry is quite crumbly, so patch up any tears once you’ve lined the tin.

• step 4

  Cover the pastry case with a layer of foil or baking parchment, tip in some baking beans and blind bake for 12 minutes, then remove the beans and bake for 8 minutes, until the pastry case looks dry. Turn the oven down to 140C/fan 120C/gas 1.

• step 5

  For the filling, gently heat the golden syrup in a small pan, until very runny. Whisk the eggs lightly. Beat the warm golden syrup and ground almonds into the eggs. Fold in the cream and pour the mixture into the baked case. Cook for 40-50 minutes, or until the filling has set but still has a slight wobble. Cool a little before serving.

• step 6

  To serve, cut the treacle tart into slices, put onto plates and dust with ground amaretti biscuits.

• step 7

  Put half the pecans in a food bag and bash with a rolling pin until broken up. Add the crushed and whole frosted pecans and a scoop of clotted cream ice cream.