Day 166: Cosmos & Cupcakes, party snacks and Butter Tarts
No wonder I don’t feel well.
I was emceeing the Gallery Calorie event for the Artemis Charitable Foundation this afternoon/evening - a fantastic and fun event that included restaurant and gallery hopping followed by live music, mini pies from Simple Simon, bacon wrapped scallops from Ceili’s, mini cupcakes from Buttercream Bakeshoppe, martinis and a silent auction (a bad combination for me - although I’m sure that’s the idea).
Mike picked me up from the fundraiser and we headed straight over to C & J’s to celebrate C’s 40th birthday. Since we weren’t supposed to bring gifts, I made a batch of butter tarts - one of his favorites - which Mike forgot to bring when he came to pick me up. Or rather, I forgot to tell him to grab off the countertop. So when we got home at the end of the night they were still there. Perhaps I’ll drop off the slightly smaller batch tomorrow.
I offer below two recipes - one for classic butter tarts made with my Grandma’s “Quick-mix, Never-Fail” pastry, and another lightened version made using phyllo pastry. There is a misconception that phyllo pastry is high in fat, when it’s the melted butter people slather on so liberally that makes it so. It’s easy to get away with using far less than you may be used to, and you don’t notice the difference, I promise. The lower fat phyllo version is my Mom’s favorite, and essential at our Christmas parties, with their crispy bottoms and pointy tops. I always add raisins or currants and chopped pecans, but C & J like them naked - just the goo, if you please. This is the only reason they have any hope of getting the remainder of the batch tomorrow. (To explain the photo - I made some regular-sized and some in mini muffin tins.)
Butter Tarts
Pastry for a single crust pie
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup corn syrup
1 large egg
1 tsp. vanilla
a handful of raisins, currants, and/or chopped pecans (optional)Preheat oven to 400°F. On a lightly floured surface, roll the pastry out 1/4″ thick. Cut out circles using a 4″ cookie cutter or empty can, and press into ungreased muffin cups.
In a medium bowl, stir together the brown sugar, corn syrup, eggs and vanilla. Stir in the raisins and pecans, if you’re using them. Fill the tart shells about 2/3 full and bake for 20 minutes, until bubbly and golden. Take them out of the pan using a thin knife to coax them out while they are still warm, otherwise any goo that has bubbled over will stick to the pan as it cools. If it does, pop them back in the oven for a minute to soften it again. Cool on a wire rack.
Makes about 18 butter tarts.
Grandma Woodall’s “Never-fail” Pastry
This will give you enough pastry to line a 9” pie plate; double it to make enough for two pies or a double crust. Some pie bakers swear by a teaspoon of vinegar added to their water to discourage the formation of gluten and make a tender crust, but it’s not necessary. Using all shortening instead of a combination of shortening and butter is OK too.
1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. sugar
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 cup butter, chilled and cut into pieces
1/4 cup shortening, chilled and cut into pieces
2-4 Tbsp. ice-cold water
1 tsp. vinegar (optional, stir it into the water)In a large bowl or the bowl of a food processor, stir together the flour, sugar and salt. Add the butter and shortening and use a fork, pastry blender, wire whisk or the “pulse” motion of the food processor to blend the mixture until it resembles coarse meal, with lumps of fat no bigger than a pea.
Drizzle the minimum amount of water over the mixture and stir until the dough comes together, adding a little more a bit at a time if you need it. Gather the dough into a ball, flatten it into a disc, wrap it in plastic and chill it for at least half an hour. If you are making a double crust pie, divide the dough in half, making one half slightly larger than the other. (Your pastry can be prepared up to this point and frozen for up to 4 months; let it thaw on the countertop when you need it.
Better Butter Tarts
Butter tarts made with phyllo pastry are undeniably festive, without the low-fat stigma. By brushing sparingly with butter, these contain only 4 grams of fat each, and rival my Grandma’s.
Filling:
3 large egg whites or 2 large eggs
1/3 cup corn syrup, honey or maple syrup
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 Tbsp. butter
3/4 cup raisins or currants
1/4 cup finely chopped pecansPastry:
8 sheets frozen phyllo pastry, thawed
2-4 Tbsp. melted butter, or half butter and half canola oilPreheat oven to 450°F.
In a medium bowl, stir together the egg whites, corn syrup, brown sugar, butter, raisins and pecans.
On a clean, dry work surface, place two sheets of phyllo pastry, keeping the rest covered with a tea towel. Brush the pastry sparingly with melted butter and top with two more sheets. If you like, brush the top sheet again very lightly with butter.
Cut the stack of phyllo into quarters, lengthwise, and then across into 5 squares, making 20 total. Press one stacked square of phyllo into each of 10 muffin tins, pressing the pastry to the sides of the tins wherever they naturally fold. Press the remaining squares on top, putting them at a 45 degree angle so that each cup has 8 points of phyllo. Don’t worry about making them perfectly neat.
Fill the shells about half full (using about a tablespoon of filling for each) and bake for 5 minutes, then reduce the oven temperature to 350° F and bake for another 15 minutes, until pastry is golden and filling is just barely set. If the tips of phyllo are browning too quickly, cover the pan loosely with a sheet of foil.
Remove from the pan while still warm and transfer to a wire rack to cool. Repeat with the remaining phyllo and filling.
Makes about 20 butter tarts.
Per tart: 125 calories, 3.1 g fat (1.2 g saturated fat, 1.2 g monounsaturated fat, 0.6 g polyunsaturated fat), 24 g carbohydrates, 4.7 mg cholesterol, 0.5 g fiber. 21% calories from fat.
June 15 2008 10:22 am | dessert and sweet stuff
vera on 06 Nov 2008 at 11:19 am #
What a wonderful recipes for butter tarts
Thanks so much!!