Canadian Nom

I haven't had a butter tart for years. On a whim, I bought one at a farmer's market a few weeks ago, and POW!, the butter tart bender began. Since then, I have frequented many-a-butter-tart-shops, including The Bus Kitchen, Coffee Time, Treats, and Hannah's Kitchen. I've eaten raisin butter tarts, coconut butter tarts, but I seem to choose pecan butter tarts most often.

Fast forward to a different day. On a whim, I purchased a bag of Monforte's goat cheese curds at a Saturday market. Normally I buy them on Thursday, and eat them one-by-one while working at my desk in the office. But now I had them at home, and when I suggest eating them one-by-one, M shakes his head. A great idea starts to take shape... and POW! "No", he says. "We will make poutine."

Fast forward again to this morning. Daylight Savings Time blesses us with one extra hour, and we use the time to make two uniquely Canadian foods: poutine and butter tarts. Take that, Canada's Food Guide. Today is a day of eating brown-coloured, greasy carbohydrates.









The russet potatoes are boiled, and cut into fry shapes. While olive oil is heated up in a skillet, the mushrooms, onions and garlic are chopped up and cooked into a mushroom gravy. Potatoes are added to the oil, and deep fried until golden brown. The fries are blotted with a paper towel, tossed with salt and pepper, and arranged on a plate. Room-temperature cheese curds are added, and the hot gravy is poured on top. We both grab a fork each, and two heaping plates of vegetarian poutine are demolished in less time it takes to watch one episode of South Park.

While M succumbs to a food-induced coma, I get to work on the pecan butter tarts. The pastry is modified to a gluten-free version, using brown rice flour and tapioca starch. I opt for a corn syrup free filling, and substitute any shortening for mo' butter. These are BUTTER tarts, dagnabbit... though I am slightly put-off by the sheer volume of butter needed for this recipe. I also wonder what ingredients some of those cafes use, when a butter tart costs only a buck.









The tarts come out of the oven, golden hot and still bubbling. Unfortunately, the gluten-free flour blend I used didn't have enough gusto, and the pastry crumbles apart before I can even pop them out of the tin. Yet still, om nom nom.