Butter Tarts
The classic Canadian treat - sweet, sticky and delicious. This heritage recipe is contributed by Jerry Johnson, who's been thumbing through his late mother, Jean Johnson's, collection,. Prepare the dough the day ahead to make the final stage easy and quick. The tarts freeze well, so should any be left over, you'll have something to sneak when your sweet tooth nudges you awake in the night.
Note: Remove the tarts from the muffin cups as soon as they come out of the oven, while the syrup is still soft.
Jean Johnson’s Pie Crust (courtesy of Mrs. Ionson of Kenora, Ont.)
Makes 6 pie crusts - reduce if desired or freeze unneeded portions. Click here for more fabulous desserts.
Ingredients
1 pound unsalted butter or lard (cold)
5 cups of flour
1 Tbsp brown sugar
1 tsp salt
1 egg
1 tablespoon vinegar + enough ice water to make 1 cup
Method
Using a fork or pastry cutter, cut the cold butter or lard into the flour, creating chunks that are no larger than peas.
Break an egg into a measuring cup. With a fork, mix in the tablespoon of vinegar, then fill the cup with enough ice cold water to reach the 1 cup level.
Using a fork or pastry cutter, add the water/vinegar/egg mixture a bit at a time into the flour/butter crumble. Blend until the dough clings together. Do not overwork.
Divide the dough according to your needs. The recipe for the butter syrup mix below uses 1/3 of the dough. Chill the dough for one hour or longer before rolling out.
Divide, wrap and freeze the rest for future use.
Butter Tart Syrup
Makes 18 tarts
Ingredients
1/3 basic pie dough recipe (above)
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups brown sugar
1/2 cup light corn syrup
3 tablespoons butter
1 cup raisins, currants or nuts
2 teaspoons vinegar
pinch of salt
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Method
Pre-heat the oven to 350˚ F.
On a floured surface, roll the pastry out to 1/8 - 1/4 inch thick (as thin as you can, but with enough structure to hold the syrup). Cut the pastry into circles 2 inches wider than the muffin pan you plan to use - use a cup or small bowl of the appropriate size. Place the pastry in the cups and then put the pan in the refrigerator until you're ready to fill the cups.
Melt the butter in a small bowl.
In a separate bowl and using a fork, beat the eggs until smooth and light in colour.
Add the sugar, corn syrup, and melted butter to the eggs, and beat again. Add the raisins, currants or nuts, the vinegar, vanilla extract and salt, and mix well.
Fill the tart shells two thirds full with the batter (no more!). Put the pan in the refrigerator for 10 minutes before baking to firm up the dough..
Bake until the pastry is light brown – about 25 to 30 minutes.
Remove the tarts IMMEDIATELY from the baking pan. Use a knife to carefully slice through any syrup that is stuck to the side of the metal cup and tilt the tart up gently to remove.
Cool and serve.