River Cottage

Hugh cooked his friend Dr Tom Wolf's Christmas tart recipe on River Cottage Christmas

Serves 6

For the pastry

• 400g flour, chilled
• 250g butter, chilled
• 100g sugar, chilled
• Pinch of salt
• 1 large egg

For the filling

• 250g sugar
• 200ml double cream
• 2 tbsp good honey
• 200g walnuts

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C/gas mark 4. Put the flour into a chilled bowl whisk lightly to remove any lumps. Cube the butter into the flour. Using your fingertips gently rub the butter into the flour until you have a mixture that resembles fine breadcrumbs. Add the sugar and stir to incorporate, then add the egg and using a knife mix everything together. Once the egg is evenly distributed use your hands to bring the pastry together into a ball. Put the pastry onto a plate and cover with cling film. Put in the fridge to chill for about 30 minutes.

2. Heat a frying pan and add the sugar. Leave over a medium heat until a caramel begins to appear. Swirl the pan to mix the sugar with the caramel. When fully melted add the cream in a steady stream stirring as you go, don’t worry about any lumps that form, they will dissolve. When you have a smooth mix add the honey and the nuts and stir. Leave to cool slightly while you prepare the pastry case.

3. Cut the pastry into quarters. Take one quarter and roll out to a thickness of about 5mm to cover the base of a 22cm loose-bottomed flan tin. Slide the base under the pastry and return to the tin.

4. Take another piece of pastry, break into thirds and roll each one into a sausage to form the sides of the tart case. Take each sausage and press into the sides of the case sealing well with the base. Finally, using the base of a 25cm flan tin as a guide, roll out the lid.

5. Pour the slightly cooled mixture into the case and carefully put the lid on top by slipping the pastry onto a well floured metal sheet and sliding onto the filled tart. Go around the tart making sure the lid is sealed at the sides, pushing off any excess pastry against the edge of the tin.

6. Bake for about 30-35 minutes on the second lowest position in the oven as the cake can be undercooked on the underside. After about 10-15 minutes of baking make some holes in the lid with a knife to let the air out. When the tart is golden remove from the oven and leave to settle for a minute or two after taking out of the oven.

7. Carefully remove the tart from the case and place on a cooling rack. Using a second rack carefully turn upside down and remove the base. Return the cake the right way up and return to the oven for 3-4 minutes to crisp up the base. This tart is best eaten the day after it has been made.