It's a Small World Butter Tarts
In 1981, I started working on a Master's degree in Science at my local university. I won't go into details on the final topic because, really, potentially pathogenic amoeba aren't everybody's cup of tea. :)
Anyway, after the first year, having switched from my original topic and actually making some progress on my research, my thesis advisor and I would have our quarterly progress meetings at our local art gallery. Usually after having had a tour of the latest exhibits and over a leisurely lunch.
It turns out that SOME science geeks are also arty geeks and my advisor sketched and painted. I still have the tole painting of wild strawberries and flowers on tin that he gifted me the year before I graduated.
The 'it's a small world' connection comes from finding out during my first year that my SIL worked at the same college (and in the same department) as my advisor's wife. "Jack and Gill" were known for throwing great parties at their home in the county.
In 1999, my brother gifted me with a cook book put out by a local tea room called the "Rose and Thistle". I later found out that my advisor had done the illustrations for the menus used.
There are a number of great recipes in the cookbook put out by the "Rose and Thistle Tea Room". The one I'm sharing is for a butter tart filling. It's not too sweet, you can make it plain (the classic butter tart doesn't have any raisins or pecans inside) or you can 'tart it up' by adding mini chocolate chips. For the pastry shells, use your favourite pie crust recipe or pick up a package of tart shells in the freezer section of your local grocery store. :)
Interior of the tart
Butter Tart Filling - fills 2-3 dozen 2" tart shells
1/2 cup butter or margarine, melted and cooled
1 cup brown sugar (demerara is good too)
1 cup corn syrup
pinch of salt
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 egg
1 1/2 cups raisins or roughly chopped pecans (optional)
Preheat oven to 375 deg F (190 deg C).
Beat eggs with a whisk. Beat in the sugar until the mixture is light and lemon coloured.
Whisk in all the remaining ingredients, except the raisins if you are using them.
Put a thin layer of raisins in each shell and pour the egg mixture over them until the shell is 3/4 full. (You'll be tempted to add more but the mixture souffles up during the last half of the baking process and sticks to the edges of your tart shells making removal quite messy).
Bake at 375 deg F (190 deg C) about 15 minutes or until set. (You can pour the mixture into a large pie shell as well. Bake for 25 minutes.)
Devour warm or cold.
NOTE: As part of my clearing out my pantry, this uses up about half of the rock hard demerara sugar (grated the big chunk until I had 1 cup's worth) I still had, and a handful of raisins.
Anyway, after the first year, having switched from my original topic and actually making some progress on my research, my thesis advisor and I would have our quarterly progress meetings at our local art gallery. Usually after having had a tour of the latest exhibits and over a leisurely lunch.
It turns out that SOME science geeks are also arty geeks and my advisor sketched and painted. I still have the tole painting of wild strawberries and flowers on tin that he gifted me the year before I graduated.
The 'it's a small world' connection comes from finding out during my first year that my SIL worked at the same college (and in the same department) as my advisor's wife. "Jack and Gill" were known for throwing great parties at their home in the county.
In 1999, my brother gifted me with a cook book put out by a local tea room called the "Rose and Thistle". I later found out that my advisor had done the illustrations for the menus used.
There are a number of great recipes in the cookbook put out by the "Rose and Thistle Tea Room". The one I'm sharing is for a butter tart filling. It's not too sweet, you can make it plain (the classic butter tart doesn't have any raisins or pecans inside) or you can 'tart it up' by adding mini chocolate chips. For the pastry shells, use your favourite pie crust recipe or pick up a package of tart shells in the freezer section of your local grocery store. :)
Interior of the tart
Butter Tart Filling - fills 2-3 dozen 2" tart shells
1/2 cup butter or margarine, melted and cooled
1 cup brown sugar (demerara is good too)
1 cup corn syrup
pinch of salt
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 egg
1 1/2 cups raisins or roughly chopped pecans (optional)
Preheat oven to 375 deg F (190 deg C).
Beat eggs with a whisk. Beat in the sugar until the mixture is light and lemon coloured.
Whisk in all the remaining ingredients, except the raisins if you are using them.
Put a thin layer of raisins in each shell and pour the egg mixture over them until the shell is 3/4 full. (You'll be tempted to add more but the mixture souffles up during the last half of the baking process and sticks to the edges of your tart shells making removal quite messy).
Bake at 375 deg F (190 deg C) about 15 minutes or until set. (You can pour the mixture into a large pie shell as well. Bake for 25 minutes.)
Devour warm or cold.
NOTE: As part of my clearing out my pantry, this uses up about half of the rock hard demerara sugar (grated the big chunk until I had 1 cup's worth) I still had, and a handful of raisins.