Recipe: a honey and pine nut tart that tastes like Spring

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Chef Skye Gyngell recently wrote a deeply personal piece for this newspaper, published in HTSI, about losing her sense of taste and smell while undergoing radiotherapy. Despite being saddened by the loss of her palate, she knew she could lean on her 40 years of professional experience and that of her excellent teams. Thankfully, her senses have now returned and, with the joy of them rediscovered, she was keen to share this beautiful honey, pine nut and rosemary tart, the brainchild of Giovanni Segantini, head pastry chef at Spring.

It is a recipe for those of us who are happy to embark on a baking project, but all inclinations are covered. This tart can be made with store-bought pastry and simple ingredients. It is a dish that encapsulates why we love cooking and food. As Skye says, “It is super-delicious and more delicate than you can imagine.”

Spring’s honey, pine nut and rosemary tart

Makes a 30cm tart

1. Grease and line the base of a 30cm tart tin with a circle of baking paper. Working on a lightly floured surface, roll the pastry into a 34cm round, until it’s about 3mm thin.

2. Flatten the pastry on to the bottom of the pan and along the edges, so it is covering the whole tin, and trim any excess. Refrigerate the crust for at least four hours.

3. When you’re ready to bake, begin by infusing the honey with rosemary. Add the two ingredients to a heavy-bottomed saucepan and heat very gently without boiling for 30-60 minutes, tasting along the way. The honey should have a woody and fragrant aroma of rosemary without becoming bitter.

4. Meanwhile, preheat a fan-assisted oven to 165C. Use baking paper to line the chilled shortcrust. Fill the paper to the top of the tin with baking beans and bake on the lowest shelf of the oven for 25 minutes, until the edges begin to turn golden. Carefully remove the paper and baking beans and continue baking for 10-20 minutes, until golden all the way through. Brush the warm pastry all over with beaten egg to fill in any cracks and return to the oven for a couple of minutes to seal.

5. Remove the rosemary sprig from the honey and set aside — this can later be used to decorate the tart. Add the cream and butter to the rosemary honey and combine over a low heat until the butter has melted.

6. Spread the pine nuts on a flat baking tray and warm gently in the oven without browning — this should take five to seven minutes.

7. Crack the eggs into a large mixing bowl, then add the sugar, salt and zest. Mix until well combined.

8. Gradually stream the warm honey cream into the egg mixture, while stirring. Scatter the pine nuts and candied citrus over the base of the crust, evenly distributing the two. Place the crust in the centre of the oven and carefully pour in the custard filling as high as you possibly can without spilling and without covering the crust entirely, which would lead to leakage.

9. Gently close the oven and bake for 15 minutes still at 165C, then carefully rotate the tart to ensure even browning and continue baking for another five to 10 minutes, until the custard no longer seems liquid but has a uniform and gentle wobble in the centre.

10. Leave to cool completely before serving with crème fraîche or lightly whipped cream and a dusting of icing sugar.

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