Canada's most distinctively national pastry: a flaky shell with a caramel centre that should drip when you bite. The raisin debate has been ongoing since the 1930s.
About Butter Tarts
Canada's definitive pastry — a flaky shell holding a gooey filling of butter, sugar, egg and syrup that sets to a slightly runny, deeply caramelised centre; the great divide is raisins vs. no raisins; the Ontario Butter Tart Trail draws visitors through 50 bakeries; the filling should drip on your hand.
Canada's most distinctively national pastry is a small, flaky short-crust shell holding a filling of butter, brown sugar, egg and corn syrup that sets to a gooey, slightly runny caramel centre with a thin, slightly crunchy top. The interior should drip when you bite. If it doesn't drip, it has been overbaked. This is the central principle of butter tart theology.
Raisins or no raisins. This question divides Ontario families the way constitutional crises divide the country. The raisin faction holds that the fruit provides necessary texture and a counterpoint to the sweetness. The no-raisin faction holds that raisins are an unnecessary intrusion. Both sides are wrong to argue — the only correct answer is to eat several of each version and reserve judgment.
