Julie Miles, of the Metropolitan Moose in Kakabeka Falls, is sharing her recipe and tips for making her beloved butter tarts. But we don’t mean just any butter tarts – we mean Julie’s award winning, mouth watering, melt on your tongue, flakey, ooey gooey, butter tarts. Yes, you read it correctly. When Julie’s sweets gave her restaurant Canada’s top ten bakery status by Cottage Life Magazine in 2006, her butter tarts gained nation wide fame. And now she’s sharing the recipe with us.
Julie’s recipe came from her mom. “My mother was British and, in my tastings, I have always thought that the Brits make the best pastry,” Julie says. “From butter tarts to Cornish pasties, the tender flaky crust is just to die for.”
To get the pastry just right, Julie has one suggestion. “If you’re lucky enough to have a grandma, take the time to learn from her. I have no doubt she has the dough rolling skill!”
So, without further ado, here it is!
Pastry:
Filling:
Instructions:
Whisk flour in large bowl to make light and fluffy. Cut in shortening with a small sharp knife or pastry blender until mixture resembles course crumbs. Gradually drizzle in cold water and bring the dough together by hand, using a very light touch. Divide dough in half and wrap one piece in plastic wrap and store in fridge for three days or freeze for up to a month. Roll the other half to 1/4 inch thickness and cut into rounds.
Fill tart shells with the dough; sprinkle raisins and nuts in shells.
Using electric mixer on low or hand whisk melted butter, brown sugar, corn syrup and pinch of salt until the mixture comes together evenly, then add eggs and pinch of cream of tarter together in the bowl until once again it comes together very well with no signs of separation; pour mixture evenly over raisins and nuts into tart shells until 3/4 full.
Bake in the preheated oven at 350 ℃ (not convection) until filling is set and crust is golden, about roughly 30 minutes. Remove from pan while still warm. Enjoy!
And some expert tips from Julie for rolling the dough:
- Don’t fret! Julie says either you got it in you, or you don’t. She’s never been able to teach someone the technique if they weren’t born with it!
- Make sure your hands are cool. Try running under cold water and drying well.
- Use a very light touch as you make your rounds, try tucking the edge under ever so lightly.
- Julie says she’ll probably take flack for this from trained bakers, but unless it’s a hot humid day, she does not believe in chilling the dough.
- Once you have your dough in rounds, give it a healthy but not crushing whack three times with your rolling pin, rotate and three more times. Julie’s mom taught her this was to relax the enzymes in the flour. She can’t say for sure, but it works!
- Don’t over flour your board, just enough to roll, rotate and roll again. Always roll from the middle and try not to roll your edges too thin.
