A Taste of Haldimand – April 4, 2024

This year I wanted to make “Sweet Cream Tarts” for Easter dinner. These tarts were made famous by Margaret Roberts, a lifelong resident of Oneida. Margaret passed away in 2006. She grew up Margaret Herod, on a farm near the Gore. When she married Herb Roberts, they moved only a short distance away, where they raised three sons, Jim, Jack, and Jerry. When there was an event at Oneida United Church that included refreshments, everyone kept an eye out for Margaret’s tarts. Baking was an integral part of her life, so much so that her daughter-in-law Lynda requested Margaret’s rolling pin when asked if there was anything of Margaret’s she might like. That rolling pin sits in a decorative display on Lynda’s table to this day. When Margaret passed away, the family created a bookmark, including a photo of Margaret holding a plate of her famous tarts, along with the recipe. These bookmarks were given out at the funeral home visitation. I still have that bookmark in my recipe collection. 

My only worry about making these tarts was getting the pastry right. My friend Cheryl Coate kindly offered to come over to my house and help. Cheryl and I have been friends since high school. At that time, she was Cheryl Tomlinson from Empire Corners. Currently, she lives with her husband Butch just outside of Hagersville. They are fortunate to have their three children, Hank, Victoria and Jonathan, along with their partners and their grandchildren, living in the vicinity. Cheryl told me her mother, Viola, and her two grandmothers were all good bakers.

I asked a lot of questions as Cheryl demonstrated how she mixed and rolled out the dough. One problem we encountered was baking the tart shells empty. The first batch shrunk a lot! After discussion and consulting Google, we tried cutting a larger circle of pastry and fluting the edges. That worked much better! Let’s hope the family likes them.