Honey and Pine Nut Tart

Honey, produced throughout Greece and Turkey, provides the classic sweet taste of so many Eastern Mediterranean desserts, including this delicious tart. I found this recipe in 'Taste of Greece', which has been eagerly devoured by those to whom I've served it each time I've made it. I've posted it here for the 2005 Zaar World Tour.

• Ready In: 1 hr 10 mins
• Serves: 8

Ingredients

• PASTRY

• 2  cups plain flour
• 1⁄2 cup butter
• 2  tablespoons icing sugar
• 1  egg

• THE FILLING

• 1⁄2 cup unsalted butter, diced
• 1⁄2 cup caster sugar
• 3  eggs, beaten
• 2⁄3 cup  sunflower honey or 2⁄3 cup  your favourite honey
• 1  lemon, juice and zest of, grated
• 3  cups pine nuts
• 1  pinch salt
•  icing sugar, for dusting

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/gas4; sift the flour into a bowl, add the butter and use your fingertips to work on the mixture until it resembles fine breadcrumbs.
2. Stir in the icing sugar, add the eggs and 1 tablespoon of water and work on the dough until it becomes firm and leaves the edges of the bowl clean.
3. Roll out the pastry onto a floured surface and use it to line a 23-cm/9-inch tart tin.
4. Prick the pastry shell with a fork, and chill it for 10 minutes; then line it with aluminium foil or greaseproof paper and fill the pastry case with dried beans or rice, or baking beans; and bake the pastry shell for 10 minutes.
5. Cream together the butter and caster sugar until the mixture is light, then beat in the eggs, one at a time.
6. Gently heat the honey in a small pan until it is of a runny consistency, then add it to the butter mixture with the lemon zest and lemon juice.
7. Stir in the pine nuts and salt, then pour the filling into the pastry case.
8. Bake the tart for about 45 minutes, until the filling is lightly browned and set.
9. Leave the tart to cool slightly in the tin, then dust generously with icing sugar.
10. Serve the tart warm or at room temperature, with crème fraîche, Greek yoghurt or vanilla ice cream.