Few things are as delightful and delicious as traditional tipsy tarts. Served with coffee at a sensible hour or as a generous portion of dessert, there always seems to be a place for this local delicacy. Winding down our focus on heritage food for September, we add a splash of our charming Culinaria Muscat to the sauce and hope you enjoy this indulgence as much as we do!

Recipe for Brandy tarts

Makes 12

5 ml baking soda

250 g shredded dates

250 ml boiling water

125 ml butter

250 ml castor sugar

2 eggs

500 ml flour

5 ml baking powder

250 ml nuts

Syrup

310 ml sugar

15 ml butter

190 ml water

125 ml brandy

125 ml Leopard’s Leap Culinaria Muscat

Method

Preheat oven to 180 °C.

Sift half of the baking soda onto the dates and pour boiling water over. Stir frequently and allow to cool.

Mix butter and castor sugar until light and fluffy.

Add eggs and mix well.

Sift flour and baking powder and add to the nuts and dates, and then to the butter mixture.

Spoon into ramekins and bake for 30 to 40 minutes.

You  can also opt for one big tart and bake it for 45 minutes to an hour.

Syrup

Stir butter, sugar and water together and heat for 5 minutes until butter is melted and sugar has dissolved.

Remove from heat and add brandy and wine.

Pour over tarts while they are warm.