Butter tart is a type of small pastry highly regarded in Canadian cuisine and considered one of Canada`s quintessential dessert!
This tart is an integral part of their cuisine and are objects of cultural pride of many communities!
These tarts are a delight to eat,with a soft filling and a flaky pastry!
Ingredients for crust:
All purpose flour or maida- 1 and 1/4 cup or 175 gms,
Sugar (powdered)- 1 tbsp- 15 gms,
Amul light butter- 100 gms -cold and cut into small pieces,
Ice water- 3 tbsp.
Ingredients for tart filling:
Butter-70 gms or 1/3 cup - softened,
Light brown sugar- 1 cup - 150 gms,
Eggs -2,
Vanilla essence- 1tsp,
Light cream ( Amul fresh cream )- 1/4 cup or 60ml,
Chopped walnuts or raisins- 1/4 cup.
Note:I always use salted butter for baking as unsalted is not available here.
If using unsalted butter ,then add 1/4 tsp of salt to the flour.
Sugar crystals are big here,whether white or brown sugar ,so I always grind them.
You can use cup trays or muffin tins for making tarts.
If cutter is not available of the required size,use glass or katori.
I have used 150 gms of sugar instead of 210 gms of sugar.
Method for making tart crust:
Grease the cups or muffin tins with butter.
Sieve the flour in a bowl.
Add sugar and mix with a wire whisk for few seconds.
Add cold butter.
With your fingers or potato crusher combine until the mixture resembles a coarse meal.
Pour 2 tbsp of cold iced water to hold the dough together.
Add 1 tbsp more and then you will be able to form a ball.
Place the ball on a cling film or plastic and make a small disc.
Cover and put the disc for 30 minutes in the fridge to firm up.
Take out and sprinkle some flour on the counter and place the dough on it.
Put the same cling film on top of the disc and with a rolling pin,roll the dough to 1/8 inch or 1/2 of 1/4 inch.
You have to cut the size according to your muffin tin or tray.
I have used a steel glass of 3 inch width.
Dip the cutter in flour and make round cuts.
Place the round cover in the greased cups and lightly press the bottom and sides.
Cover with cling film or plastic and put in the fridge for 30 minutes to firm the cups or 10 minutes in the freezer.
Gather the scrap and make cuts again filling the remaining cups or tins.
The dough could make for 9 cups and 5 muffin tins.
Cover and put in the fridge to firm up.
Butter tart filling:
Pre heat oven to 375 F or 190 C
Beat butter for few seconds with a beater.
Add sugar and beat for 2 to 3 minutes until a little creamy.
Add egg one at a time and beat for a minute.
Add vanilla essence and beat.
Remove the beater and stir in the cream.
With wire whisk or spatula,gently mix the cream.
Transfer the mixture to a measuring cup as it will be easy to fill the cups.
Take out the tart cups from the fridge or freezer and make pricks in the bottom of each tart with a fork.
This prevents the dough from puffing while baking.
Pour the filling in each cup,till 3/4 filled.
Sprinkle some walnuts on top.
Bake for 20 minutes or until the pastry has slightly browned and the filling is puffed and set.
Remove from oven and place on wire rack.
The puffed filling will subside as it cools.
After 5 minutes,take a small knife and run round the edges of each cup.
The cups will loosen and come out easily.
Place them on wire rack to cool completely.
The filling inside is soft and moist and the sweetness is right to perfection.
The combination of crust with the sweet moist filling is a delight to eat!
Makes 14 butter tarts!
Rajma is a popular north Indian dish!
It is prepared on all important occasions.It is usually served with rice and roti.
The best rajma are grown in Himachal and Jammu.These are smaller in size then most rajma grown in plains and have a slightly sweetish taste.
The combination of rajma and rice generally lists as top favourite of North Indians!
Ingredients:
Rajma or Red kidney beans- 1 cup,
Big caradamom-2,
Cinnamon stick-2-1 inch size,
Bay leaf-2,
Onion-2-shredded or finely chopped or pureed,
Tomato-2-shredded or finely chopped or pureed,
Ginger paste-1 tsp,
Garlic paste-1 tsp,
Coriander pwd-1 tsp,
Cumin pwd-1 tsp,
Red chilli pwd-1/2 tsp,
Turmeric pwd-1/4 tsp,
Garam masala-1/4 tsp,
Salt to taste,
Oil-3 tbsp,
Ginger juilinnes and green chilli for garnishing.
Note: You can use any variety of rajma,the smaller one takes a little less time to cook (30 minute)and the larger one will take ( 40 minutes).There is a third variety too which is light in colour.
Method:
I am using the small variety!
Soak the rajma overnight.
Drain the water.
Put the soaked rajma in the cooker with 1/2 tsp of salt and 4 cups of fresh water.
Set the cooker on high heat and let it give one whistle.
Lower the heat and let it cook for 1/2 hour.
Close gas and let it cool.
Open the lid.
Rajma should be soft and mushy and fully cooked.
Drain the rajma through a strainer and collect the stock in a bowl.
Keep the boiled rajma in a separate bowl.
Heat 3 tbsp of oil in a kadhai or deep pot.
As oil heats up add Big cardamom,cinnamon sticks and 2 bay leaf.
Add onions and fry till they are lightly brown.
Lower the heat and add ginger and garlic.
Saute for a minute.
Add coriander pwd,cumin pwd,red chilli pwd and turmeric pwd.
Add few tbsp of rajma stock and fry the masala for 2 minutes on low to medium heat.
When the spices are roasted add the tomatoes.
Mix and let the tomato cook with the spice powder till the sides leave oil.
Add rajma and stir fry for few minutes to evenly coat the rajma.
Add the rajma stock.
Raise the heat to high and let the gravy come to boil.
Check salt.
Add salt and garam masala pwd.
Mix and put the lid on.
Lower the heat and let it cook on simmer for 10 minutes.
After 10 minutes,remove the lid and with a ladle press rajma ( 2 to 3 times)to thicken the gravy.
Close gas.
As it cools the gravy will thicken too!
It is up to you to decide if you like your rajma to be thin or thick.
To have with rice you need a thin gravy but if you plan to have with roti or paratha,then the gravy has to be thick!
