utter
tarts are unique to Canada and consist of flaky pastry shells that are filled with a sweet mixture of butter, brown sugar and eggs. Some say they descend from the American
pecan pie or even the British treacle tart, although history neither
confirms nor denies these claims. There are many opinions
as to what makes the perfect butter tart. What is the best pastry crust?
Should the filling be firm or runny and should it
contain raisins
or nuts? So proud are we of our butter tarts that Marie Nightingale tells us in
'Out of Old Nova Scotia Kitchens' that "even today at County fairs
there are special awards for the best butter tarts, and this award is
vied for and coveted by the winner".
Butter tarts are always
small, not to be eaten daintily with a fork but picked up and eaten in
a few delicious bites. For me, the perfect butter tart starts
with a crisp and crumbly tart shell made with a Pate Brisee (short crust)
pastry. I like a filling that is soft, which means all the
ingredients are simply beaten together. If you want a firm and dense
filling then, in a medium sized
saucepan lightly
whisk the eggs. Whisk in the butter, sugar, and
cream. Place on medium heat and, stirring constantly, bring this mixture
just to a boil. Immediately remove from heat and stir in the vanilla
extract. I waiver on whether I
prefer raisins (currants) or nuts and sometimes I simply use both. As far
as the raisins go both the California and Thompson varieties are
excellent. If nuts are desired Canadians tend to favor walnuts but
Americans may want to use pecans to emulate the pecan pie. These little
gems are baked until the crusts have nicely browned and the filling has
set. They are excellent warm from the oven, at room temperature, or even
chilled.
This butter tart recipe is one I
adapted from the very popular Canadian 'Best of Bridge' cookbooks.
Pate Brisee:
In a food processor, place the flour, salt, and sugar and process
until combined. Add the butter and process until the mixture resembles coarse
meal (about 15 seconds). Pour 1/8 cup (30 ml) water in a slow, steady stream,
through the feed tube until the dough just holds together when pinched. If
necessary, add more water. Do not process more than 30 seconds.
Turn the dough onto your work surface and gather into a ball.
Flatten into a disk, cover with plastic
wrap, and refrigerate for about one hour before using. This will chill the butter and relax the gluten in the flour.
After the dough has chilled sufficiently,
place on a lightly floured
surface, roll out the dough and cut into 12 - 4 inch (10 cm) rounds.
(To prevent the
pastry from sticking to the counter and to ensure uniform thickness, keep
lifting up and turning the pastry a quarter turn as you roll (always roll from
the center of the pastry outwards).) Gently
place the rounds into a 12-cup muffin tin. Cover and place in the
refrigerator for about 30 minutes to firm up the dough. Next, make the filling.
Butter Tart Filling: In
the bowl of your electric mixer, or with a hand mixer, cream the
butter and sugar. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, and then the
vanilla extract. Stir in the cream. If using nuts and/or raisins,
place a spoonful in the bottom of each tart shell and then fill the unbaked
tart shells with the filling. Bake at 375 degrees F (190 degrees C) for about 15 -
20 minutes or until the
pastry has nicely browned and the filling is set. Remove from oven and place on a wire rack to cool. Serve at room temperature or chilled.
Makes 12 - 4 inch tarts.
Adapted from "The Best of Bridge - Royal
Treats for Entertaining".
Pate Brisee (Short Crust Pastry):
1 1/4 cups (175 grams) all-purpose
flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon (14 grams) granulated
white sugar
1/2 cup (113 grams)
unsalted butter, chilled, and cut into 1 inch (2.54 cm) pieces
1/8 to 1/4 cup (30 - 60 ml) ice
water
Butter Tart Filling:
1/3 cup (70 grams) unsalted butter,
softened
1 cup (215 grams) light brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/4 cup (60 ml) light cream
(half-and-half) (10% butterfat)
1/2 cup raisins or 1/2 cup pecans or walnuts (toasted
and chopped) (optional)
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