Caramelized Nut Tart with Honey and Raisins
A shortcrust base with a filling of honey, butter and 350 g of nuts that cook down together into a soft caramel. An imposing, crisp dessert with that elegant rustic touch, ideal for tea time or to finish a special dinner.
The butter for the pastry has to stay ice-cold. As it bakes, the water in the cold pieces of butter turns to steam and forces the dough apart into layers — that is the difference between short and hard. Which is why you work with your fingertips and not with the palm, which gives off heat.
The base is blind-baked first, weighted with pulses. The moist caramel filling would soak a raw base from below.
You will also need: cling film, aluminium foil and a handful of dried pulses (beans or chickpeas) to weigh the base down for blind baking.
Ingredients
- 250 g all-purpose flour (plain flour), for the pastry
- 4 tbsp powdered sugar (icing sugar), for the pastry
- 150 g very cold butter, in small cubes, for the pastry
- About 3 to 4 tbsp ice-cold water, for the pastry
- 380 g honey, for the filling
- 100 g butter, for the filling
- 350 g mixed nuts of your choice (almonds, walnuts, peanuts, hazelnuts, cashews)
- 100 g golden raisins
- 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
Method
- 1
Rubbing in the pastry: in a bowl, mix the flour and the icing sugar with the 150 g of very cold butter. Using a food processor, a dough scraper or the tips of properly cold hands, work it into coarse crumbs without transmitting heat to the fat.
- 2
Bringing it together: add the tablespoons of ice-cold water a little at a time and combine the ingredients gently until the dough forms, taking care not to overdo the liquid and without kneading. Wrap it in cling film and chill it in the fridge for 30 minutes.
- 3
Lining and freezing: roll the cold dough out with a rolling pin to a thickness of 0.5 cm and line a buttered 26 cm tart tin, ideally one with a loose base. Put the tin in the freezer for another 30 minutes to fix the structure.
- 4
Blind baking: prick the whole base with a fork and cover it with aluminium foil. Put raw chickpeas or beans on top so their weight stops the pastry lifting. Bake in an oven preheated to a moderate 170-180 °C and pre-bake the base for 10 minutes.
- 5
Making the caramel filling: in a pan over medium heat, melt the honey together with the 100 g of butter. Add the 350 g of chosen nuts, the golden raisins and the cinnamon. Mix well and cook over low heat for about 5 minutes, counted from when it comes to the boil, stirring constantly.
- 6
Final baking: pour the hot filling onto the pre-baked tart base and spread it evenly. Return it to the oven at a moderate 170-180 °C for 15 to 20 minutes. Take it out, let it cool completely so the caramel sets, and cut it into portions.