Classic Butter Tarts

Servings12

Time to Cook20 minutes

Time to Prepare10 minutes

This iconic tart shares characteristics with French-Canadian sugar pie and with American pecan pie but is its own unique dessert. While you can make your own decisions about the inclusion of raisins (some do, some don’t – it’s a bit like pineapple on pizza), home-made pastry takes these sugary sweet tarts to the next level. Luckily, we’ve included a family recipe for pastry as well so you’re all set to get baking this Canadian treat!

Ingredients

Tarts

1/2 c. Butter
1 c. Brown Sugar
2 tbsp Milk or Cream
3/4 c. Raisins
1 Egg, beaten
1 tsp Vanilla

Gram's Best Pastry

5 cups Flour
2 tsp Salt
1 lb Lard
1 Egg
3 tbsp Brown Sugar
3 tbsp Vinegar
2/3 c. Cold Water

Instructions

Tarts

Melt butter in a medium sauce pan.
Add remaining ingredients, and bring to a boil over medium heat.
Dish into prepared, unbaked tart shells. Fill about 2/3 full. (See below for Gram’s Best Pastry, or use store bought shells)
Bake at 450 for 8 minutes, then reduce heat to 350 and bake until golden.

Gram's Best Pastry

Mix flour and salt in stand mixer.
Cut in lard, and blend until consistency of oatmeal; set aside.
In a 2 cup measuring cup beat egg.
Add sugar and vinegar to egg, and mix well.
Stir in water.
Add liquid to dry mixture and mix by hand till it comes together in a rough ball.
Portion ball into quarters, and flatten each quarter into a disc. Wrap in parchment or wax paper. Place wrapped discs in a plastic bag, and refrigerate.
To use, remove portion to use an hour before needed.

For tarts: roll a disc flat, and cut into rounds.
Press pastry rounds gently into greased muffin tins; fill and bake as above.

Notes

Depending on the size of your muffin tins, you may wish to double the filling recipe, or make mini tarts. This recipe is ideal for somewhat shallow muffin tins and for filling tart shells about 2/3 full.