Pine honey, almond and pine nut tart (Ταρτα με πευκομελο, αμυγδαλο και κουκουναρι)

One of my favourite Greek products, is the dark pine or ‘honeydew’ honey from the forests of Peloponnese. It has a malty, spicy aroma and a caramelized flavor.  It is the perfect honey for using in this simple tart, as a floral honey could easily overwhelm the buttery shortbread-like crust and mild pine nuts. Pine honey also has fewer calories and a lower total sugar content than floral honeys and is rich in minerals and amino acids.  

You could make your own short crust pastry base for this tart, but I like to use the wonderfully light and crumbly Careme gluten free short crust pastry. It has a subtle nutty flavour from wholegrain flours, which works so well with the almonds and pine nuts in this tart.

This is a great cupboard standby dessert, which couldn’t be simpler to make. It is best served with a dollop of thick, Greek style sheep milk’s yoghurt for a luxurious touch.

Pine honey, almond and pine nut tart (Τάρτα με πευκόμελο, αμύγδαλο και κουκουνάρι)

Serves 8

Ingredients

1 packet of Careme gluten free short crust pastry; or

250 grams of plain flour

125g soft butter

100g sugar

A pinch of sea salt

1 whole egg

1-2 tablespoons of chilled water

For the filling:

100g almonds, roughly chopped

50g pine nuts

100g Greek pine honey

3 eggs, separated

Method

To make the pastry: Mix the flour, butter, salt and sugar in a food processor. Use the egg and water to bind the pastry. Once the pastry has come together, remove from the food processor, wrap in clingfilm and chill in the fridge for 30 minutes. Rollout the pastry to to cover a tart mould and return to the fridge for another 30 minutes. Preheat the oven to 180C. Place some baking paper and on top of the mould and use baking weights to keep it in place. Bake the tart base for around 15 minutes.

To make the filling: Mix the honey, roughly chopped almonds and pine nuts together. Add 3 egg yolks to the honey mixture. In a separate bowl, whisk the 3 egg whites to firm peaks. Carefully fold the egg white through the honey mixture. Pour this mixture into the cooled tart mould. Bake in the oven at 180C for 35 minutes, or until nicely golden. Serve with dollops of thick Greek sheep’s yoghurt.