Date Orange & Cardamom Tart (low-ish sugar)

Crustless cupcake sized tart

Date Orange & Cardamom Tart

The best thing about working in education is the long holidays. This isn’t so much my case as I’ve been working away on my fashion business (very exciting new collection), and also moving house…I’ve been a very busy bee.

I made this tart for my parents who both suffer from diabetes. This contains very little refined sugar; I think I could have cut out all the sugar entirely as the dates are extremely sweet. It’s quite odd, a bit like a sweet quiche or an eggy custard tart, but deliciously fragrant none the less.

Date ORange & Cardamom Tart topped with Honey Dew Melon Granita

Date, Orange & Cardamom Tart (reduced sugar, adapted from a recipe by Rachel Allen)

Yields one 9”tart (or in my case, two 5″ tarts + 2 crustless cupcakes)

10g caster sugar

Finely grated zest & juice of 1 orange

2 eggs

100ml double cream

1 tsp ground cardamom

100g dates (weight once the stones are removed), halved

1 x quantity (gluten-free) short crust pastry

10g butter

1. In a large bowl, mix together the caster sugar, finely grated orange zest, eggs, cream, cardamom & leave in the fridge for at least 8 hrs (24hrs is best)
2. In a separate bowl, leave the dates to marinate in the orange juice for at least 8 hrs (24hs is best)
3. After 8 hrs or the next day, make the pastry, leaving to chill for 30mins before using
4. Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/GM4. Line the tart tin & bake ‘blind’.
5. Reduce the oven temp to 170C/325F/GM3. Line the base of the tart with the drained dates.
6. Melt the butter gently in a saucepan and add to the cream mixture. Pour this gently over the dates to come as far up to the top of the pastry as possible. Carefully transfer to the oven and cook for 25-30mins or until it is just set. Allow to cool.

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