Butter Tarts - Happy Canada Day!

The Amish presence in Canada is growing and with it is the embracing of our northern neighbor's culinary culture. The Amish in Canada embrace the local delicacy of homemade butter tarts eagerly.  They taste like little pecan pies, depending on what you choose to fill the little crusts with. I th today being July 1, Canada Day, now would be a good time to re-post this popular recipe. These butter tarts were made for Rachel and I by an Amish family in Aylmer, Ontario. Other sizable Amish settlements can be found around Kitchener, Lindsay, and Milverton, Ontario.  Here is the recipe:

HOMEMADE BUTTER TARTS

HOMEMADE BUTTER TARTS

pie pastry

4 large eggs

½ cup firmly packed brown sugar

2 cups dark corn syrup

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 teaspoon white vinegar

10 tablespoons butter, softened

2 cups raisins, walnuts, or coconut

Preheat the oven to 350°F.Roll out the pastry dough on a lightly floured surface to form a 12-inch diameter circle about 1 /8 inch thick.  Use glass to cut out rounds and put into muffin tins. Cut off an excess overhang.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the brown sugar, eggs, corn syrup, vanilla, vinegar, and butter until the mixture is creamy and thoroughly mixed.

Spoon the optional ingredients into the bottom of the unfilled crusts. Pour the combined mixture into the pastry crusts until three-quarters full. Bake until the crusts are golden and the filling is firm