Butter tarts…

I have recently learned what I long suspected: butter tarts are a uniquely Canadian delicacy, “flaky pastry shells that are filled with a sweet mixture of butter, brown sugar, and eggs.” If you have never had a butter tart, think pecan pie without the pecans.

Growing up, my family vacationed in northern Ontario at Camp of Two Lakes, in Orville, east of Parry Sound. One of the many joys of those summer retreats was a little, hand-held pie: the butter tart. This is a treat I always associated with Canada. As a self-avowed sweet tooth, I have long looked for butter tarts in the States, but to no avail. So it has remained one of the reasons I travel to Canada. As I am sure Natalie will be all-too-happy to attest, each time we cross the border I begin the hunt for butter tarts.

Last June we came to Newfoundland for two weeks. I searched high and low for butter tarts, continuously salivating in Pavlovian anticipation of my not-so-secret passion. ACK!!! Not a butter tart in the entire province!!! Granted, I was distracted by a new, month-and-a-half old Anouk, but still, my butter tart senses could not have been dulled by daddy-hood, could they? I was a wreck! Months of anticipation had built up my desire, nay, my need, for the tart, only to be denied!

Well, now I am sitting in Anouk’s room at Janeway Health & Rehabilitation Centre—Anouk is sound asleep in my lap—while I savor yet another bite. MMM, mmm good! After years of enjoying butter tarts, I now have a tool at my disposal to readily learn more about my favorite indulgence. I Googled ‘butter tart’ and came up with 147,257 hits, so I decided to peruse a few.

According to a 1991 archived CBC (Canadian Broadcasting Corporation) Radio story, butter tarts are considered one of only a few recipes of genuinely Canadian origin. Wikipedia states they “were a staple of pioneer Canadian cooking, and they remain a characteristic pastry of Canada.” Canadian butter tart authority Charles Pachter, in the CBC broadcast, described butter tarts thus: “It’s a nice little tart without much pedigree but I know you’ll be amused by its lack of pretension.” Not only are butter tarts part of the Canadian national psyche, apparently they are so Canadian that county fairs in Nova Scotia offer awards for the best ones. Apparently, butter tarts are to Canada what the croissant is to France and the donut is to the United States. There is even a proper stance for eating butter tarts (according to the CBC broadcast, it is standing, leaning slightly over the tart, similar to the stance you employ when using an outhouse . . . hmmm, doesn’t that just get the juices flowing?). No wonder I like Canada and Canadians so much!

Many of the various Web sites I perused state there are many opinions as to what makes the perfect butter tart. Raisins. No raisins. Currant. No currant. A dry and flaky pastry. A moist and robust pastry. So runny it oozes out onto your shoes. Thick as a firm gelatin. Well, let me offer my opinion: the perfect butter tart is whichever one is currently on its way to my mouth!

So what makes a butter tart a butter tart? They are small, fitting nicely in your hand. These are not some fluffy French or nouveau riche pastry, these are a working people’s treat, you eat them with your hands, three, four, five at a time. To experience the taste sensations I am vainly trying to describe here, head across the border to your nearest Tim Horton’s, or go to the bakery section of a Dominion or Sobey’s supermarket. Better yet, make your own. A Web page on boutell.com lists a butter tart recipe from the turn of the last century as follows:

INGREDIENTS:
- 2 eggs
- 1½ cups brown sugar
- ½ cup corn syrup
- 3 tablespoons butter, melted
- 1 cup currants or raisins
- ½ cup chopped walnuts
- 2 tablespoons vinegar
- pinch of salt
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 batch pie crust

METHOD:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Beat the eggs well. Add sugar, syrup, and melted butter and beat again. Add the currants, walnuts, vinegar, salt, and vanilla extract and mix vigorously.
- Put a small amount of corn meal into tart tins or muffin pans OR use cupcake papers (the latter is recommended). Place circles of uncooked pie crust into the pans. Fill the shells ⅔ full and bake until pastry is light brown, about 20 minutes. For runnier tarts, cook 15 to 17 minutes.

NOTES:
- Recipe yields two dozen tarts of approximately 10,500 [sic] calories each.
- The tarts should cool before they’re eaten. Store in a sealed container at room temperature. Consume within five days, if they last that long. Freezing is OK but may result in loss of flavor.

One last note: Some recipes use maple syrup instead of corn syrup and lemon juice instead of vinegar. And don’t blame me if you become as addicted to this wonderful little pie as I am.