These Bing Cherry Butter Tarts will be a yummy treat for Canada Day or any time. I could never have created them without the help and inspiration of my friend Michael Allemeier. I saw Michael post a photo of his Maple Raisin Butter Tart recipe on Instagram and it was the first time I ever got excited about Butter Tarts. Why? Because of the crust! Can you see it in the photo above? Its a beautiful butter-y short crust.
I quickly wrote to Michael and asked if he’d consider sharing the recipe with me so I could share it with you. Michael Allemeier is one of the most generous chefs I know. So, of course, he said yes.
The reason his Butter Tarts are perfection is because he’s also one of Canada’s most accomplished chefs. Michael is one of only three chefs in our country to be a CMC – Certified Master Chef.
It was a long road to becoming a CMC. After culinary school at Red River College in Winnipeg, Michael moved to Vancouver to be closer to great ingredients and to work with his most important mentor – John Bishop of Bishop’s. He then went on to open Teatro in Calgary and followed that up as Executive Chef at Mission Hill in Kelowna for five years. Michael returned to Calgary as an instructor at the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology.
As you can see, this chef does not rest on his laurels, Michael says he put himself through the rigourous four years to become a Certified Master Chef because, “I wanted to show my students that learning never ends.” Thanks to Michael, I feel I’ve learned how to make the perfect butter tart.
I’ve included his original recipe with raisins and my variation with bing cherries. I hope you’ll give it a try and for all my Canadian friends out there – Happy Canada Day!
Bing Cherry Butter Tarts
Plump juicy Bing cherries and a dab of white chocolate or fat golden raisins? With either, these are the tastiest Butter Tarts you’ve had not only for the filling but for the rich butter-y crust.
- Prep Time: 20 – 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 18 – 20 minutes
- Total Time: 13 minute
- Yield: 12 tarts 1x
- Category: desserts
- Method: baking
- Cuisine: Canadian
Ingredients
For the pastry:
225 grams (1½ cups) unbleached all-purpose flour
1 gram (¼ teaspoon) kosher salt
150 grams (10 Tablespoons) butter, cold, cubed
1 egg yolk
5 mls (1 teaspoon) white vinegar
60 mls (¼ cup) ice water
For the filling:
100 grams (½ cup packed) brown sugar
125 mls (½ cup) maple syrup
2 eggs
100 grams (7 Tablespoons) butter, melted
15 mls (1 Tablespoon) apple cider vinegar
8 mls (1½ teaspoons) cornstarch
5 mls (1 teaspoon) kosher salt
5 mls (1 teaspoon) vanilla extract
36 pitted Bing cherries and a sprinkle of white chocolate chips
OR 75 grams (⅔ cup) golden raisins
Instructions
For the pastry:
Mix the flour and salt in a large bowl.
Rub in the butter with your fingers until the mixture develops a course texture.
Whisk the yolk and vinegar together in a measuring cup and add enough water to make volume of 80 mls in a metric measuring cup.
Make a well in the center of the flour and butter mixture and add the yolk liquid and bring the dough together stirring with a wooden spoon. Shape the dough into a log, wrap it in wax paper and chill for at least one hour in the refrigerator. Note: overnight is best.
Bring the dough to room temperature before using and then divide the dough into 12 even pieces and roll each piece into a ball.
Place a ball in each cup of the buttered muffin tins and press evenly into the bottom and up the sides to make a tart shell.
Cover and set aside until needed.
For the filling:
Preheat the oven to 400ºF and butter the cups of a muffin tin.
Whisk the brown sugar, maple syrup, eggs, melted butter, vinegar, cornstarch, salt and vanilla in a bowl until smooth.
Divide the cherries and white chocolate chips or raisins evenly in the prepared muffin tin tart shells.
Spoon the filling over top of the fruit.
Bake the tarts in the bottom third of the oven until the filling is bubbling and the crust is golden, about 18 to 20 minutes.
Let the tarts stand in pan for 5 minutes, then carefully remove and let cool on a wire rack. Tip: I used a cake lifter with great success.
Keywords: Bing Cherry Butter Tarts
