Butter Tarts

Make the pastry by pulsing flour and salt in a food processor, then adding the cold cubed butter and pulsing until the mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs with pea-sized butter pieces. Add ice water and pulse just until the dough clumps together.

Shape the dough into a flat disc, wrap tightly in cling film, and refrigerate for at least one hour. This resting period allows the gluten to relax and the butter to firm up, ensuring a tender and flaky pastry.

Preheat the oven to one hundred and ninety degrees Celsius. Roll the chilled dough out on a lightly floured surface to about three millimetres thick. Cut twelve rounds using a ten-centimetre circle cutter and press each round gently into a muffin tin cup.

Prepare the filling by whisking the melted butter and brown sugar together in a bowl until smooth. Add the eggs, vinegar, vanilla, and salt, whisking until the mixture is well combined and slightly frothy.

If using raisins or pecans, place a small spoonful into the bottom of each pastry-lined muffin cup. Pour the filling into each shell, filling only two-thirds full to allow room for the filling to bubble up during baking.

Bake for twelve to fifteen minutes until the pastry is golden and the filling is puffed and set around the edges but still slightly jiggly in the centre. The filling will continue to set as it cools, so do not overbake.

Allow the tarts to cool in the tin for ten minutes before carefully removing them with a thin knife or offset spatula. The filling should be gooey and caramel-like inside, which is the hallmark of a perfect Canadian butter tart.