For me this is steeped in memory because it is a bake that I use to have at school.. was a perk to a school lunch.. That and cowboy pie!!! It just connotes happy school memories, and as something that I haven't really seen elsewhere, it has complete school days association.
I obviously had an idea of the recipe, but searched the internet for one as the cookery books I had at home didn't have a recipe in. The recipe I used is from www.allrecipes.co.uk.
Ingredients:
- 55g Unsalted Butter
- 25g Dark brown sugar
- 115g Golden Syrup
- 85g Cornflakes
- 1 pinch of salt (I ommitted this)
- Pastry recipe/ready to use shortcut pastry
- 100g Strawberry Jam
Tart Tin
Method:
1. I rolled out the pastry and lined the greased tart tin with it - trimming the edges. I lined it with baking parchment and filled it with baking beans and placed in the oven for 20mins at 200 degrees.
2. Whilst the pastry was baking, I got to work on the ingredients. I melted the butter in the pan, and added the sugar until it had combined and disolved in the butter. I then added the golden syrup, constantly stirring.
3. I removed the pastry from the oven and removed the baking parchment to allow the pastry to become golden brown and baked for a further 5 minutes.
4. I removed the mixture from the heat and poured in the cornflakes and combining them with the mixture, ensuring that all the cornflakes are coated in the mixture. Once all coated - I put the jam on the base and spread out evenly. The recipe suggests that the jam should be warmed, however i find that warming jam makes it too liquidy, so I felt the the heat from the pastry would be enough to warm the jam without it becoming to liquidy.
Once the jam was spread out evenly, I added the cornflake mixture - spreading it out evenly across the top.
I popped the tart in the oven for 5 minutes and allowed to cool once removed.
This recipe was super easy and quick, I did wonder if the tart would taste the same or come close to the flavour profile of the one I use to have at school... and it did!! Amazing!!! The taste is just as i remember. I opted for it without custard - the classic lumpy custard at school wasn't a firm favourite, so i stuck to it plain.
Obviously it's quite a sweet tasting dessert so the custard is good to help the flavouring.
Again - the office feeder strikes again - as I am in the Birmingham branch a different group of tasters to trial it on.. and the feedback was a resounding success. Flavour, consistency, and pastry all worked well together.
What I did notice that having made it the day before, the jam had obviously set better even after it had cooled, but I think that it would need to be eaten on the same day or at a push the day after due to the heavy consitency of the cornflakes - as it's a slightly wet mixture.
