There is only one difference between a long life and a good dinner: that, in the dinner, the sweets come last.
Robert Louis Stevenson, Scottish author and poet (1850-1894)
When a small white box wrapped with many rounds of white string appears in the kitchen we know that Dad has picked up treats from the local Italian bakery. Butter tarts are a favourite sweet around the ol' homestead; has been since birth, I'd say. According to
Wikipedia, butter tarts are "one of Canada's quintessential desserts". I didn't realize that the rest of world has missed out on this buttery sweet confection. Poor souls!** Variations abound as cooks add raisins, walnuts or (gasp!) pecans to the delicious gooey core of butter, brown sugar, corn syrup, and egg. I'm told that there are 14 different butter tart varieties available on the
Butter Tart Trail, a tourism route in Wellington North Township, just over an hour's drive away. I'm thinking I need to do some culinary research this summer. ;-)
**For an American view of our culinary invention see,
My Maple Coma: In praise of the Canadian Butter Tart".
Grandma made the best butter tart filling. She'd give it to us in a Sealtest sour cream container to put in the freezer. Somehow there was never enough for tarts after all the little spoonfuls we'd "sneak".
ReplyDeleteStacey