Butter Tarts

I love butter tarts but have never attempted to make them, always thought they were hard to make. Not true! These were easy and only took a few minutes to throw together.

Pie Crust

2 cups all purpose flour
3/4 tsp salt
1 cup lard
1 egg
2 tbsp cold water
1 tbsp vinegar

Sift together the flour and salt then cut the lard into large pieces and drop in. Cut the lard in until the flour has the consistency of course meal.  Beat the egg, water and vinegar together and pour in 3 parts into the flour, using a fork to fold the liquid into the flour. Pull it together into a ball and cut it in half.  Wrap the halves and put in the fridge while making the filling.  Turn on the oven to 375º.

Butter Tart Filling

1/3 cup melted butter
1 cup brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 cup 10% cream (I used half whipping cream half 1% milk)
1/2 cup raisins

Whisk it up and get all the lumps out of the brown sugar before adding the raisins. Generously flour the largest available flat surface.  Put a blob of pie dough on it, flour that and start rolling it.  Keep flouring it so it doesn't stick to the rolling pin.  Roll it to about an 1/8 of an inch thick then cut it into rounds with a 500ml yogurt container or similar sized round thing.  Press into muffin pan and poke the bottom and sides with a fork.  Next brush melted butter on the inside of the tart then fill.  Bake for 15 minutes or until filling is bubbling and pastry has some color.

It took less than an hour to make a dozen. I'm eating them almost that fast!