Julie Goodwin

Serving size: Serves 8
Cuisine type: Modern Australian
Cooking time: More than 1 hour
Course: Dessert
Favourite flavours: Cakes/baking

There was usually a tin of condensed milk in the fridge at home when I was growing up and my guilty pleasure was drinking it out of the can!

INGREDIENTS

1¼ cups (185g) plain flour
¼ cup (40g) icing sugar
100g cold butter, chopped
1 egg
375g good-quality unsalted mixed nuts
2 tablespoons sesame seeds
2 x 395g cans sweetened condensed milk
60g butter
1⁄3 cup (115g) golden syrup

METHOD

Place the flour, icing sugar and cold butter in a food processor and process until combined. Add egg and process until just combined. Turn out onto a floured bench and knead gently into a soft dough. Wrap the pastry in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Lightly grease a 23cm round loose-base flan tin. Roll pastry out on a lightly floured surface (or between 2 sheets of baking paper) until large enough to line the tin, about 3mm thick. Use a rolling pin to lift the pastry into the tin; press into side.

Trim the edge and prick the pastry with a fork over the base. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 200°C (180°C fan-forced). Line pastry with baking paper and cover with uncooked rice or beans (or pastry weights) to weigh the paper down; place tin on an oven tray. Bake for 15 minutes, then remove the paper and weights, and bake for a further 10 minutes or until browned lightly. Cool.

Meanwhile, place the nuts and sesame seeds on an oven tray. Roast in oven for about 8 minutes or until fragrant and browned lightly. Reserve 1 /3 cup of nuts
and seeds for decoration.

Combine the condensed milk, butter and golden syrup in a medium saucepan; stir over a medium heat until boiling. Stirring constantly, cook over medium heat for about 10 minutes or until mixture is thick and a caramel colour.

Working quickly, combine the hot caramel, remaining warm nuts and seeds
in pan; spread mixture into the pastry shell. Decorate top of tart with reserved nuts and seeds.

To serve, cut with a sharp knife heated with hot water and cleaned after each cut.

Serve with thick cream or ice-cream, if desired. Store leftover tart in an airtight container for up to 3 days.