Toffee Cherry Butter Tarts Food

STICKY TOFFEE TARTS

Steps:

• For the filling, put the chopped dates and milk in a pan. Bring to the boil, then set aside for 30 mins.
• To make the pastry, put the butter and flour in a food processor and whizz to fine crumbs. Pulse in the sugar. Mix the vanilla and egg yolk with 1 tbsp water, then dribble in while whizzing, to bring the pastry together. If it doesn't come together, whizz in a trickle more water.
• Roll out the pastry on a lightly floured surface to line 6 individual deep tart tins with an overhang. Prick the bottoms and chill for 20 mins.
• To make the sauce, melt all the ingredients together, then bubble for 2-5 mins until saucy. Cool.
• Heat oven to 200C/180C/fan 6. Line each tart case with crumpled baking parchment, add some baking beans and blind-bake for 15 mins. Remove paper and beans, and bake for 5 mins more until biscuity. Trim the pastry edges.
• Spoon 1 tbsp of the sauce into each tart case. Mash the reserved date mixture with a potato masher, then tip into a bowl with the softened butter, vanilla, flour, bicarb, almonds, eggs, sugar and treacle. Whisk together with an electric whisk until just combined, then divide between tart cases.
• Reduce oven to 160C/140C fan/gas 3 and bake for 15 mins. Cool a little before turning out. Serve tarts warm topped with scoops of vanilla ice cream and drizzled with sticky toffee sauce.

WALNUT TOFFEE TART

Steps:

• In a bowl, combine flour and sugar. Cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Combine egg yolks and milk; stir into flour mixture until blended. With lightly floured hands, press dough onto the bottom and 1 in. up the sides of a 12-in. tart pan with removable bottom. Line unpricked crust with a double thickness of heavy-duty foil. Fill with pie weights. Place pan on a baking sheet. Bake at 375° until edges are lightly browned, 12-15 minutes., Meanwhile, in a saucepan, combine the sugar, cream, cinnamon and salt. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly. Remove from the heat; stir in walnuts. Remove foil from crust; pour filling into crust. Bake until golden brown, 20-25 minutes. Cool on a wire rack. Store in the refrigerator.

AWARD-WINNING BUTTER TARTS

Steps:

• Prepare muffin pans by rolling out pie dough and cutting 4-inch (approx) circles; fit dough circles into muffin cups; set aside in fridge until ready to fill.
• In a small bowl, place raisins and cover with hot tap water; let stand on the counter for 30 minutes.
• In a large bowl, using a wooden spoon, mix together the soft butter, brown sugar, salt and corn syrup; stir well until sugar is dissolved and butter is creamed.
• Add egg and vanilla and mix well.
• Drain raisins.
• Retrieve tart shells and divide raisins equally into all shells; then divide butter mixture into all tarts.
• Bake at 400F for 15-20 minutes; filling will be lightly browned but still bubbling.
• Canadians fall into two camps about butter tarts and are quite loyal to their favourite type: runny or firm.
• I like runny-- the type that dribbles when you bite into one; if you like firm, bake them for the full 20 minutes, even adding another minute or two if you wish.
• Let cooked butter tarts cool in pans for 10 minutes after removing from oven; then remove and place on racks until completely cool.

AUNT ROSE'S FANTASTIC BUTTER TOFFEE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°. In a shallow baking pan, toast almonds until golden brown, 5-10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Cool. Pulse chocolate in a food processor until finely ground (do not overprocess); transfer to a bowl. Pulse almonds in food processor until coarsely chopped. Sprinkle 1 cup almonds over bottom of a greased 15x10x1-in. pan. Sprinkle with 1 cup chocolate., In a heavy saucepan, combine butter, sugar and water. Cook over medium heat until a candy thermometer reads 290° (soft-crack stage), stirring occasionally., Immediately pour mixture over almonds and chocolate in pan. Sprinkle with remaining chocolate and almonds. Refrigerate until set; break into pieces.