Macadamia Treacle Pie

Method

1. Preheat oven to 180°C fan-forced (200°C conventional).
2. Unroll the pastry sheet, leaving it on the plastic. Using a 26cm round plate as a template, cut a circle. Line a deep 22cm flat edge ceramic dish or metal pie tin with the pastry circle, gently pushing the pastry into the base and sides. Trim the edges then place the dish into the freezer to chill for 20 minutes.
3. Once chilled, remove from the freezer. Line the pastry with baking paper and fill with baking weights, making sure you fill the weights to the top of your tart to support the sides during baking. Place into the oven and blind bake for 12 minutes.
4. Remove the dish from the oven, then remove the weights and baking paper. Reduce the oven temp to 160°C and bake for a further 5-10 minutes, then remove the dish and allow it to cool to room temperature in the dish or tin.

1. In a medium bowl, combine the egg and cream with a whisk, then whisk in the golden syrup, macadamia meal, breadcrumbs, lemon zest and juice. Once combined, fold in the macadamia nuts.
2. Gently transfer the filling to the pie crust, the place it in the oven to bake for 30-35 minutes, until the filling is just set. Once cooked, remove it from the oven and allow to cool completely. Serve cold with thick cream and a drizzle of golden syrup.

TIPS

To make your own macadamia meal, pulse macadamias in a food processor until the nut meal has the consistency of cornmeal or coarse polenta. You do not want to process the nuts too much or they will turn into nut butter. This is easily prevented by freezing the nuts first and ensuring you only pulse function on the food processor when preparing.