----------------------------------------
Butter Tarts (c/o christyotwisty)
----------------------------------------
Ingredients
1.75 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/3 cup cold unsalted butter, cubed
1/4 cup cold lard, cubed
1 egg yolk
1 tsp white vinegar
1/4 cup ice water
FILLING
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1/3 cup white corn syrup
2 tbsp maple syrup
2 eggs
1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp white vinegar
1/8 tsp salt
Directions
1. WHIRL flour and salt in a food processor. Add butter and lard.
Pulse until coarse crumbs form. Whisk yolk, vinegar and ice
water in a small bowl. With motor running, pour through feed
tube while pulsing until just combined. Wrap with plastic wrap
and press into a disc. Refrigerate for 1 hour.
2. POSITION rack in bottom of oven. Preheat oven to 450F.
3. WHISK sugar, corn syrup, maple syrup, eggs, butter, vanilla,
vinegar and salt in a bowl until smooth.
4. ROLL out dough on a lightly floured surface to ⅛-in. thickness.
Cut into 12 rounds using a 4½-in. round cookie cutter,
re-rolling scraps. Gently press rounds into a 12-cup muffin
pan. Press sides to adhere. Refrigerate for 20 min. Spoon
2 tbsp filling into each pastry.
5. BAKE for 8 min. Reduce heat to 400F and open oven slightly for
10 sec. Bake until filling is puffed and pastry is golden,
about 7 more min. Let stand on rack for 3 min. Run a small
knife around the edges of tarts and transfer to rack to cool
completely.
At our house we sometimes add 1/2 cup raisins after the raisins
rested a half-hour in initially very hot water for 30 minutes, and
incorporate the raisins after Step 3 and before Step 4.
Other variations:
Chocolatey Butter Tarts: Top each tart with 2 tsp coarsely chopped
dark chocolate just before baking.
Boozy Butter Tarts: Stir 1 tbsp whisky into filling just before
pouring into pastry. Top each tart with 1 tsp chopped dried
cranberries.
Pecan Butter Tarts: Top each tart with 1 tsp chopped pecans before
baking.
Pour les francophones, la meilleure tarte au sucre à l’érable:
https://cinqfourchettes.com/2015/12/la-meilleure-tarte-au-sucre-lerable.html
Bon Appetit!