Francois Doyle shared his prize-winning chocolate cranberry butter tart recipe with us. The recipe that he sent stated that dried cherries could be used to replace the cranberries if you prefer extra tartness. You could also replace the semi-sweet chocolate chips with dark, milk, or white chocolate chips. For the crust Frank used the recipe for chocolate coconut cream pie that he found on the internet and just doubled it.
Sharon Slack gave me her basic butter tart recipe and shared that her basic cooking and baking skills began in her early teenage years living on a rural farm in York and attending the 4-H Club on the weekends. It was taught by Imba Harrison and Doris Cummings.
She often refers to the cookbook entitled A World of Food in Canada. It is from the 4-H Club given in celebration of the nationwide birthday party 1867-1967. It featured an assortment of recipes from all cultures: Sukquttahhash (an Iroquois dish of corn and beans), baked corn meal pudding, French Canadian tourtière, Grandperes Æblekage apple cake, and wild blueberry buckle. These sound interesting and I will ask her to share some of them, also.
Thanks Sharon and Frank for sharing your winning recipes with us.
SHARON’S BUTTER TART FILLING
2 cups brown sugar
2 slightly beaten eggs
2/3 cup butter, softened to room temperature
Pinch of salt
¼ cup dark corn syrup
2 teaspoons “pure” vanilla extract
1 cup Thompson’s seedless raisins
Add eggs to brown sugar. Add butter. Mix in remaining ingredients except raisins. To soften raisins, pour boiling water over them and soak for about a minute. Drain very well and check for stems. Add raisins to filling mixture. Pour filling two-thirds full into pastry shells. Bake at 425 for 8 minutes. Reduce temperature to 375 and bake another 15 minutes. Cool slightly and remove from tins.
FRANK’S DOUBLE CHOCOLATE BUTTER TARTS
2 times crust recipe from chocolate coconut cream pie, chilled
¾ cup dark brown sugar, packed
2 eggs
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1 tsp. cider vinegar
¼ tsp. salt
½ cup melted butter
¼ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
¼ cup dried cranberries
Preheat oven to 450. On a smooth surface lightly dusted with cocoa, roll pie dough to a ¼ inch thickness. Cut 12 rounds, rerolling scraps if needed. Press into a 12-cup muffin pan. Refrigerate for 20 minutes.
In a large bowl whisk together dark brown sugar, corn syrup, eggs, vanilla, vinegar, and salt until well mixed. Pour in melted butter and whisk until smooth.
Divide the chocolate chips and dried cranberries evenly between the refrigerated tart shells. Carefully fill the shells two-thirds full with the mixture. Place muffin pan in preheated oven and bake for 13 to 15 minutes or until filling has puffed and bubbled, rotating the pan halfway through baking time.
Remove from oven and let stand on cooling rack for 10 minutes. Run a small spatula around the tarts to loosen them. Carefully slide the spatula under the tarts and transfer to rack to cool completely.
FOR THE CRUST
1 1/3 cup all-purpose flour – plus more for dusting
1 tsp. granulated sugar
½ tsp. kosher salt
¾ cup unsalted butter – cut into tablespoons
3-4 Tbsp. ice cold water
In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, and salt. Add the butter. Place in the freezer for 30 minutes. Transfer mixture into the bowl of a food processor and pulse 8 to 12 times, until the butter mixture is the size of peas. With the food processor running, gradually pour the water in and pulse the machine until the dough begins to form a ball. Turn out onto a floured surface and gently knead into a ball. Form a disc and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
HINT: If you need an ice pack, wet a sponge and squeeze out some of the moisture, then toss it into the freezer. After it freezes store it in a zip lock bag.
FOOD FOR THOUGHT: Sometimes success means following the directions and sometimes it takes improvisation. Sometimes it is stir-fried and sometimes it is slow cooked. You are the chef with the practice and the passion, the ingredients, and the inspiration. So design the menu and get cooking!
