Running into summer
As Spring progresses, So Too Does the Production—and Flavor—of Birch Syrup
Based on my grandmother Marie Chisholm’s recipe for currant butter tarts. The filling is neither solid nor gooey, just a gorgeous in between.
Ingredients
SERVINGS: Makes 12
For the short crust pastry
- 1½ cups all-purpose flour
- 3 tablespoons sugar
- 6 tablespoons cold butter, diced
- 2 tablespoons cold lard or vegetable shortening, diced
- 1 large egg, beaten
- Cold water
For the filling
- 2 tablespoons butter, softened
- ½ cup packed brown sugar
- ½ cup early season birch syrup
- 1 egg, beaten
- ½ teaspoon whiskey or vanilla
- ¾ cup lowbush cranberries
Preparation
Place flour and sugar in a food processor and pulse until combined. Add butter and lard and pulse until pieces are pea sized.
Add egg and pulse until thoroughly mixed. A piece of dough pinched between the fingers should clump together; if it doesn’t, pulse in 1 teaspoon cold water at a time until it does.
Transfer dough to a piece of parchment paper and form into a disk, pressing hard, using the heel of your hand if necessary to bring the crumbs together. Wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes and as long as overnight.
Roll out dough on parchment paper or a floured counter to a thickness of ¼-inch. Cut into 3 ½-inch rounds and tamp down gently into muffin tins, leaving roughly formed edges. (Re-roll scraps as necessary to get 12 tart shells.)
Refrigerate shells while you make the filling.
About this recipe
Preheat oven to 400˚ F. Cream butter until fluffy and beat in brown sugar. Whisk in birch syrup, beaten egg, and whiskey or vanilla—the mixture may curdle, but don’t worry.
Spoon 1 tablespoon of berries into each tart shell. Pour filling over top to within ¼-inch of the rim of the crust.
Bake on the bottom rack of the oven for 3 minutes, then shift tarts to the middle rack and bake for another 17 minutes. If the top crust seems to be browning too soon, cover with a piece of parchment paper. Cool on a rack and serve at room temperature.
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