date and walnut tart

Ingredients:

For the dough:

250g flour

125g cold butter, diced

1 pinch salt

2 to 3 tablespoons cold water

For the filling:

200g pitted dates, chopped

150g walnuts, lightly crushed

100g brown sugar

3 eggs

150ml single cream

50g melted butter

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 pinch cinnamon (optional)

Instructions:

To make the dough:

In a large bowl, combine the flour and salt.

Add the cold butter and mix with your fingers or a pastry blender until the mixture resembles sand.

Add the cold water, a tablespoon at a time, and mix until the dough begins to come together.

Shape the dough into a ball, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for about 30 minutes.

Roll out the dough on a floured surface and place in a pie dish. Prick the bottom with a fork and return to the refrigerator while you prepare the filling.

To make the filling:

Preheat the oven to 180°C.

In a bowl, beat the eggs with the brown sugar until the mixture is well combined.

Add the heavy cream, melted butter, vanilla and cinnamon (if using). Mix well.

Fold the date pieces and crushed walnuts into the mixture.

Pour this mixture over the pie crust.

Cooking:

Bake the pie in the preheated oven for about 35 to 40 minutes, until the filling is golden brown and set in the center.

Let cool slightly before serving.

History of date and walnut tart:

I decided to try the recipe from a pamphlet entitled ‘20th Century Cookery – how to cook by electricity’. As a recent convert at home from gas to electricity I was keen to give it a try. However the instructions were rather vague when it came to the temperature settings, referring to the initial oven temperature to be set to ‘Full’ but when you put the cake in to switch it to ‘Low’. I know ovens have become more sophisticated in recent times, in fact somewhat over complicated, to the extent that I always wonder if I’m using the best setting for what I need to cook. I did manage to adapt the recipe to what I thought were the correct temperatures but what really foxed me was the last instruction to ‘finish without current’! Was I to turn the oven off completely? It was supposed to take 1 ½hrs to cook. I decided to leave it on very low as efficient modern fan ovens also cool down quite quickly and would be stone cold IMG_11851 ½ hours later. I am pleased to say the resultant cake was cooked, if somewhat dry. Needless to say the Record Office tasting team didn’t seem at all reluctant to give it try and as long as you had a drink to wash it down, it seemed to get the thumbs up.