Maple Sugar Tartlets Food

BEST CANADIAN BUTTER TARTS

Steps:

• In a large bowl, toss together the flour, baking powder and salt.
• Cut in the lard and butter using a pastry blender or two knives until mixture resembles coarse oatmeal.
• In a measuring cup, combine the egg and vinegar. Add enough cold water to make one cup.
• Gradually stir in the liquid, adding just enough to make the dough cling together.
• Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and gather into a ball and divide into two equal portions. Tightly saran wrap both portions. Place one in the freezer for later use. Place the other in the fridge to chill for one hour.
• Roll the dough on a floured surface to about 1/8″ thick. Cut as many 4″ circles as you can. Re-roll the scraps and cut out more circles to make 12.
• Fit the pastry circles into a muffin pan and place back in the fridge until ready to fill.
• Preheat oven to 375F and position a rack in lower third of oven.
• In a small saucepan, melt the butter and brown sugar. Remove from heat and stir in the cream and vanilla. Let cool to touch (about 5 minutes) before whisking in the egg.
• Divide the pecans (if using) among the pastry shells and pour in the filling until half full.
• Bake for 13-15 minutes or until crust is lightly golden around the edges and filling is bubbling.
• Let cool completely in the pan. Best way to remove the tarts from the pan is to place a cooling rack (upside down) on top and flip the pan over. Then individually flip each butter tart right side up.

MAPLE SUGAR TART

Steps:

• Make pastry:
• Whisk together flour and salt. Blend in butter and shortening with your fingertips or a pastry blender (or pulse in a food processor) until mixture resembles coarse meal with some small (roughly pea-size) lumps. Drizzle evenly with 2 tablespoons water and gently stir with a fork (or pulse in food processor) until incorporated. Gently squeeze a small handful: If it doesn't hold together, add more water, 1 tablespoon at a time, stirring (or pulsing) after each addition until incorporated and continuing to test. (Do not overwork dough, or pastry will be tough.)
• Turn dough out onto a work surface and divide into 4 portions. With heel of your hand, smear each portion once in a forward motion to help distribute fat. Gather dough and form it, rotating on work surface, into a disk. Chill dough, wrapped in plastic wrap, until firm, at least 1 hour.
• Preheat oven to 350°F.
• Roll out dough into a 12-inch round and fit into tart pan. Trim excess dough, leaving a 1/2-inch overhang, then fold overhang inward and press against side of pan to form a stronger edge. Prick bottom all over with a fork. Line bottom and side of pastry with foil and fill with pie weights.
• Bake in middle of oven 20 minutes, then carefully remove foil and weights and bake until golden, 10 to 15 minutes more. Remove shell from oven but leave oven on.
• Make filling while pastry is baking:
• Slowly bring sugar and cream to a boil in a 2- to 3-quart heavy saucepan over moderately low heat, stirring, until sugar is dissolved, then boil until thickened, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and add nuts, then cool slightly.
• Whisk eggs in a bowl, then gradually whisk in nut mixture.
• Pour filling into warm baked pastry shell, then bake tart in middle of oven until filling is set, 25 to 30 minutes.

MAPLE SUGAR BROWN BUTTER TART

Steps:

• Note: Flan shell can be either pie dough or sweet crust
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
• Combine maple syrup, corn syrup, brown sugar, and maple sugar and mix lightly.
• Add whole eggs, egg yolks, and browned butter. Mix until well incorporated. Pour into shell and bake until set for 25 to 35 minutes

MAPLE BUTTERMILK TART

Steps:

• For the crust: Pour the flour, cornmeal, sugars and salt into the bowl of a food processor fitted with a metal blade and process to combine. Scatter the butter over the top and pulse with the dry mixture to coat, and then continue pulsing until cool and almost sandy, about eight 3-second pulses. Drizzle the yolk over the top, and pulse again until the ingredients are moist and barely starting to clump, about another 8 pulses. The dough should just hold together when you squeeze it in your palm. If not, add 1 teaspoon of cold water and pulse briefly.
• Turn the dough out onto a lightly-floured work surface. Smear out the dough across the work surface using the heel of your hand until it begins to come together. Gather the dough back together and shape it into a disc. Wrap in plastic and chill for 1 hour.
• Let the dough warm up slightly before rolling it out (if you roll it while it is cold, it will crack). Roll the dough on a lightly-floured work surface with a rolling pin into a 1/8 to 3/16-inch-thick circles, 10 to 11 inches in diameter. Fit the dough into an 8-inch tart pan with a removable bottom. Don't worry if it cracks a bit; you can patch it with some of the trimmings. Press the dough firmly into the bottom of the pan where it meets the sides, and then roll the rolling pin across the pan to cut off the overhang. Press the dough firmly against the sides of the pan and back up to the top using your fingers (sometimes the rolling pin pushes the dough down the sides of the pan a bit). Chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Position the rack on the lowest rung of the oven and put a baking sheet on top. Line the chilled crust with a 10-inch coffee filter and weight it down with dried beans or rice. Place on the hot baking sheet and bake until the sides begin to turn golden brown, 15 to 20 minutes. Remove the shell from the oven, carefully remove the beans and filter and then return to the oven until completely golden brown and baked through, another 10 to 15 minutes. Reduce the heat to 325 degrees F. Let cool before adding the filling, about 10 minutes.
• For the filling: Pulse the maple sugar, flour and salt in a food processor until combined. Add the melted butter and pulse to combine, and then add the buttermilk and vanilla and pulse to combine again. Add the eggs and pulse until just combined-don't over-mix. Strain into the tart shell. Bake the tart until the sides are set (they may puff slightly) and the middle still jiggles slightly when you tap the pan, 30 to 35 minutes. Cool on a rack for at least 45 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature, garnished with cookies as desired.

MAPLE SYRUP TARTS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
• Beat the egg gently with a fork, and then mix with maple syrup, melted butter, brown sugar, lemon juice, and nuts. Fill tarts 2/3 full.
• Bake for 20 to 25 minutes.