Lettuce Wraps - Treacle Tart Edition

In an effort to prepare for our very first full-length episode recording tomorrow, I decided to make a special Harry Potter themed treat! Harry's favorite dessert is treacle tart. If you're like me and/or you aren't up to snuff on your British delicacies, you were unfamiliar with this dish prior to reading the Harry Potter series. If you're even more like me, you also have no idea how to pronounce "treacle". I'll address the latter - some light Googling (dirty!) led me to a pronunciation guide that says it's "tree-cle". So, what is it? Treacle is a British term for a golden sugar cane syrup that is similar to molasses. The filling for treacle tart is made mostly from this syrup and a handful of other ingredients. There are dozens of recipes available on the internet; most include lemon zest/juice, breadcrumbs, and ginger in their list of ingredients. After searching for a while, I choose this this recipe and added a few modifications based on other recipes I saw. 

 Step 1: Assemble ingredients! A different recipe I looked at suggested making fresh bread crumbs instead of using dried store-bought breadcrumbs. I did this by ripping 2 slices of bread up and then pulsing them in a food processor. Also, another recipe called for ground ginger so I added 1/4 tsp to the filling. Lastly, my local grocery store was sold out of Lyle's Golden Syrup (seriously, what are the odds?) which appears to be the brand of choice for treacle. Luckily, I was able to find Hey Shuga! sugar cane syrup in the organic section.

 

 Step 2: I decided to make individual tarts instead of one large tart. I had to divide the full-size pie crusts into sections and then mold them into a muffin pan.

Step 3: Mix filling ingredients! I love you so much, food processor!

 Step 4: Fill cups! I really wanted this picture to be landscape oriented, but it is refusing and I can't figure out why. C'est la vie.

 Step 5: Bake! They turned out a little oozy after baking, but my house smelled like a sugary, lemony wonderland. No complaints here!

Step 6: Finishing touches & Tasting! Confectioner's sugar and a spoonful on whipped cream. My boyfriend, Kyle, and I taste tested. I mean, you HAVE to make sure they aren't poisonous before sharing them with others, right? :) 

Final Thoughts: the filling was more liquid than I think it should have been. I've never had treacle tart before so I'm not sure what the desired consistency is, but I think it's supposed to be similar to pumpkin or pecan pie. These had a filling more like a lava cake. That being said, they are freaking delicious!! They taste like a yummy lemon candy. VERY SWEET. For me, the little tart was just enough to not be turned off by the sweetness of the syrup. Hopefully Charlotte and Tori will enjoy them at our recording tomorrow!

Arugulator!
Laura