Gypsy Tart

I'm really into "old school" puddings at the moment - dishes that my generation seems to have missed out on, but which make our parents and (especially) our grandparents glassy-eyed with nostalgia. Gypsy tart definitely falls into this category. I have several times tried to pass this off as a refined dessert, but I should note that it is more usually associated with school dinners circa 1950-1980. My granddad was thrilled to be made one on his birthday, perhaps not because he was a boy who loved his school dinners, but because of the power of a flavour to make us children again.

I have two people to thank for this - Sandy Aylen for introducing me to it (if you want to be seriously well fed in Exmoor, look no further than Sandy's B&B), and my mother-in-law Lynne for gifting the equipment necessary to make it. I did once attempt this with my stick blender's whisk attachment. Half an hour later it had got so hot that I had to hold it in a tea-towel, and I still hadn't done sufficient whisking.

For a recipe with only 4 ingredients, it's surprisingly easy to get this wrong. What you want to avoid is the filling liquifying again and shrinking away from the pastry - it makes it look rather less appealing. You can make the pastry in whatever way you like, and even use a shop-bought one if you prefer (yes, I'm talking to you, "ready-rolled" lady). Since the filling is sweetness itself, it's better to use an unsweetened pastry. Serve with a generous dollop of creme fraiche to cut through the dulcitude.

Gypsy Tart

100g unsalted butter, chilled
200g plain flour
410g tin evaporated milk
350g dark muscavado sugar (it must be brown sugar - this is the only thing with flavour!)

Set the oven to 180 degrees.

Make the pastry. Cut the butter into small cubes with a cold knife. Rub it into the flour until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs - they don't actually need to be too fine, it's better not too handle it too much. Add (little by little) just enough cold water to bring together into a dough. Pat into a flat disc (this makes it chill faster) and rest in the fridge for 30 minutes.

Using an electric whisk, combine the evaporated milk and sugar until it is light and pale, with an almost mousse-like consistency.

Roll out the pastry to the thickness of a £1 coin, and with it line a greased tart tin. Cover with greaseproof paper and fill with ceramic baking beans (or use rice). Bake for 10-15 minutes until the edges start to turn golden. Remove the baking beans and paper and return to the oven for another 10 minutes, until fully cooked.

Pour in the filling. It will rise up a bit, so don't fill the tart too high! Bake for 10-15 minutes until set - it should have very little wobble.

The tricks:

• Pastry - it is essential that you cook the pastry fully before adding the filling. If it is undercooked it will be a) not very nice and b) its soggyness will cause the filling to split when it cools.
• Whisking - this really does require electronic whisking apparatus. I give it 15 minutes on top speed, which requires me to leave the house, such is the racket. It must be completely smooth with no grains of sugar remaining.
• Cook the filling for long enough, but gently.

Quantity is restricted by the evaporated milk, which usually comes in one size only. I find this makes enough filling for two pies, each serving 4 people - but that's also to do with the size of my tart tin (about 22cm). If you have filling left over, don't worry - it will keep in the fridge for a couple of weeks, just whisk it up a bit before you use it again. If your tart tin is bigger or smaller, you can adjust the amount of pastry - use a 2:1 ratio of flour to butter.