Halloween treacle tart bars

Method

1. Put the butter, salt and flour in a food processor and pulse until sandy, then add one of the eggs and pulse again until it starts to come together. If you don’t have a food processor, stir together the flour and salt in a large mixing bowl, add the butter and rub it in with your fingertips until the mixture is sandy, then stir in one egg. Tip the mixture out, shape into a ball and flatten a little into a square to make it easier to roll out into the correct shape. Wrap and put in the fridge to rest for at least 30 minutes.

2. Line the tin with baking paper and heat the oven to 180ºC fan/gas 6. Roll out the pastry on a lightly floured work surface into 3-4mm thick rectangle. Line your dish with the pastry – the crust should come up about 4cm around the sides. Prick the base all over with a fork, line with tin foil and fill with baking beans or uncooked rice. Leave to rest in the fridge for another 20 minutes, then blind bake for 15 minutes. Remove the baking beans/rice and foil and bake for a further 5 minutes.

3. Meanwhile, bash the cardamom pods with a pestle and mortar and discard the green husks. Grind the seeds into a powder, then add to a mixing bowl with the turmeric, golden syrup, breadcrumbs, cream, remaining eggs, lemon zest and juice. Stir well to combine, then once the pastry’s ready, pour it in and bake for 40-50 minutes, covering with foil if the pastry starts to darken too much. Leave to cool completely before slicing into bars.