In this week’s cooking club meeting, Jean, who is the leader of the Gilmore Church Park group, shared with us three recipes. The recipes are Raisin Butter Tart, Swiss Steak and Butter Tart Muffin.
Here is the first recipe, Raisin Butter Tart. The tart has a very flaky pastry shell and the filing is sinfully rich.
Ingredients for making the Rich Pie Pastry
- 1 lb shortening
- 1 egg
- 1 tablespoon vinegar
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 4 cups all-purpose flour
The above ingredients make 45 to 48 tarts.
Instructions for making the Rich Pie Pastry
 First of all, put the dry ingredients i.e. flour, salt and baking powder in a big bowl. Mix the dry ingredients well with a whisk.
Next, beat the egg in a measuring cup. Add vinegar and fill the measuring cup to the 3/4 cup mark with water. Add to the flour mixture and mix well. |
 Finally, add in the shortening and mix with your hands until the dough comes together. |
 The dough has to be chilled in the refrigerator for at least 20 minutes.This dough can also be frozen for later use.This recipe can be used to make pie, egg custard, chicken pot pie, etc. |
Ingredients for making the Raisin Butter Tart
- 1 cup raisins
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1/4 cup melted butter
- maple syrup
- chopped pecans (optional)
The above ingredients make 16 to 20 tarts.
Instructions for making the Raisin Butter Tart
 In a mixing bowl, mix together all the ingredients, i.e raisins, eggs, vanilla, brown sugar and melted butter. Set aside. |
 Roll out the pastry dough on a floured surface to 1/8″ thickness.
Cut out the pastry using a 3″ diameter cutting ring. Excess dough can be gathered together and roll out again. |
 Line the muffin tins with the cut out pastry dough. The pastry dough should be evenly and gently pressed against the wall of the muffin tins. |
 Fill the pastry dough with the raisin butter tart fillings to about 3/4 to the top of the muffin tins. Do not overfill as it will puff up during the baking process. |
 Bake the raisin butter tarts in a preheated oven at 350F for 20-25 minutes. The tart is ready when the edges of the tart starts to brown.
Drizzle a teaspoon of maple syrup on each tart while it’s still warm to add richness to it. Leave the tart in the muffin tins for 5 minutes and remove to cool on a rack. |
You may add other ingredients in the filing like chopped pecans or coconut flakes. I really enjoy this tart and I highly recommend those who have a sweet tooth to try to make it at home. Jean, thanks a million for the recipe.
Sinfully delicious Raisin Butter Tart.
How to make butter tart filling thick???
Hi Diane, its ok for the filling to be runny before baking. The filling will firm up after baking.
OMG, this recepie is the best
thankz
Suanne,
Is there any substitute for shortening? Can we use butter instead for this pastry? I thought of making siew pau like what u made. thanks!
Hi Delia,
The differences in textures of many pastries has to do with the type of fats and how it’s introduced. Fats contribute to the tenderness and especially flakiness of pastry. Pure fats, such as shortening and lard, produce to flakier pastry than those that contain water such as butter. Pastry is often a trade-off between flavor and texture, much of which comes from the fat in the recipe. Some bakers use both butter and shortening to capture the best qualities of each.
For best result, keep everything cold, the fats, the liquid, and preferably a cold counter top to roll out the pastry dough.
how much maple syrup
Per instructions, “Drizzle a teaspoon of maple syrup on each tart while it’s still warm to add richness to it.”