#HotSummerEats: Butter Tarts

So.
Welcome to the first day of #HotSummerEats!  A week of foods to get you in the summer mood.  I've been having so much fun getting ready for this event, and I'm looking forward to seeing what everyone else is bringing to the party.
For the kickoff, I decided that I needed to make something typically Canadian:  Butter Tarts.  With only a month until the end of school and the celebration of Canada Day, what better thing to make than a quintessentially Canadian dessert?
According to Wikipedia, Butter Tarts are a Canadian dessert that is often made in English-speaking Canada, making it different from the Tarte au Sucre in Quebec.  It also lists a variety of ingredients that can be added to the filling including raisins, walnuts, coconut or chocolate chips.  Everyone has an opinion, including myself:  anything other than raisins are sacrilege.  Trust me.
I wasn't really thinking about making Butter Tarts (I haven't made them in years), but then I was cruising Sid's Sea Palm Cooking and saw them.  Seeing as it's Secret Recipe Club Day, and I needed something that was for summer, these fit the bill.  I even made them to take to the first BBQ potluck of the summer!
I present to you now from Sid's Sea Palm Cooking Butter Tarts:

Ingredients:
1 recipe pie crust (I use the Tenderflake recipe, and know the best pie crust is made with lard)
1/3 c butter, melted
1 c brown sugar
2 Tbsp cream
1/2 c raisins
1 egg, beaten
1 tsp vanilla
Method:
1.  Preheat oven to 350F.  Roll out pie crust, and cut into circles to line your tart pans.  Divide raisins between the lined shells.
2.  In a 2 cup measure, melt butter and add other ingredients, mixing well. Pour mixture over raisins, filling tart shells 1/2 to 2/3 full - DO NOT overfill, as the mixture will bubble up while baking.
3.  Bake tarts at 350F for 20 minutes, until golden.  Try not to overbake as the filling is so good when gooey.

From Sid's Sea Palm Cooking

I used muffin tins, so my pastry didn't climb all the way up the sides.  They would have been good a little larger, but Butter Tarts are sweet.  A little goes a long way.
What's most important is that you don't overfill, or they'll boil over.  See these?  They're slightly too full.  But with the extra space in the muffin tin, the caramel didn't go everywhere.  I popped them out quickly after baking, and they didn't stick.  Sticking=bad.  All the pastry will fall off, and you'll be forced to eat the pastry-less filling.  Forced, I tell you!
Gooey and delicious!  I'm so glad I saw these on Sid's blog, and decided it had been too long!  I'm pretty sure there will be more in my future, and soon.










#HotSummerEats is finally here!  Don't forget the giveaway, and to check out what the other bloggers made!