Pine nut and honey tart

Makes a 30cm / 12" tart

Ingredients

• 255g/9oz pinenuts
• 255g/9oz butter
• 255g/9oz caster sugar
• 3 large eggs, preferably organic
• 4 tablespoons Greek fig tree honey
• 115g/4oz plain flour
• zest of 1 orange
• lemon thyme, picked
• pinch of salt

For the pastry:

• 115g/4oz butter
• 100g/3½ oz icing sugar
• pinch of salt
• 225g/8oz plain flour
• 2 egg yolks
• 2 tbsp cold milk or water

Method

1. Cream together the butter, sugar and salt and
then rub or pulse in the flour and egg yolks. When
the mixture has come together, looking like coarse
breadcrumbs, add the milk or water.
2. Gently pat together to form a small ball of dough.
Wrap and leave to rest for an hour.
3. Cut thin slices of your pastry (or you can roll out
if you prefer) and place in and around the bottom
and sides of your 30cm/12" tin.
4. Push the pastry together and level out and tidy
up the sides. Cover and leave to rest in the freezer
for about 1 hour.
5. Pre-heat your oven to 180C/350F/Gas Mark 4,
and bake the pastry for around 15 minutes until
lightly golden. Reduce the oven temperature to
170C/325F/Gas Mark 3.
6. While the pastry is in the oven, toast the pinenuts
under the grill.
7. Using a spatula, or a food processor, whip the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
8. Stir in your pinenuts, add the eggs one at a time,
then fold in the honey, flour, thyme, orange zest
and salt. Spoon into the tart shell and bake for 30-
35 minutes.
9. Add a few uncooked pinenuts to the top of the
mixture for decoration
10. Serve with caramelised figs (grilled with a little
sugar), creme fraiche and a little lemon thyme.