Misty Queensland Mountains and Cranberry Currant Butter Tarts

by Krista | Jan 3, 2013 | Bits 'n' Bobs

“Thousands of tired, nerve-shaken, over-civilized people
are beginning to find out going to the mountains is going home;
that wilderness is a necessity…”
John Muir

My heart is always happiest in the country, close to the ocean and close to the mountains.

In Canada and Washington State I got to live near the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains.

Now I’m so happy to live in Queensland, Australia, still close to the Pacific Ocean (the warm part) and only a short drive away from the beautiful Great Dividing Range.

I love driving through here any time of year, but especially on rainy summer mornings when the peaks of Mount Cordeaux and Mount Mitchell are swathed with fog and wrapped in mist.

I like pulling over and trekking through the grass to feel the wind on my face and listen to the bell birds singing their tinkly songs in the gum trees.

After beautiful drives like this, it’s nice to return home, especially when there are Cranberry Currant Butter Tarts waiting, ready to be taken out to the back porch and eaten alongside a cup of strong Earl Grey Tea while we watch the sun set over our farm.

Since Christmas in Australia happens in summer, there’s no way I want to swelter over a hot turkey dinner with all the fixings. This year I made double-smoked ham sandwiches to accompany a big platter of tarts.

Normally these beauties are filled with plump raisins, but I made our Christmas Butter Tarts with dried cranberries and tiny dried black currants instead. I like them so much I may never go back to the originals.

Do you have a dessert makes your holiday complete?

Cranberry Currant Butter Tarts Recipe

Ingredients:

1/4 cup dried cranberries
1/4 dried currants
hot water
1/2 recipe of Julia Child’s Flaky Pie Dough
1/4 cup softened butter
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 pinch salt
1/2 cup corn syrup
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Directions:

1. Place cranberries and currants in small bowl. Cover with hot water and let sit 20-30 minutes. Drain.
2. Lightly spray bottoms and sides of muffin tin.
3. Pinch off pieces of pie dough and press firmly and evenly into each muffin mold, making sure dough comes up to the top.
4. Place in refrigerator until ready to use.
5. In medium bowl add butter, sugar, salt and corn syrup. Mix well until creamy.
6. Add eggs and vanilla and mix thoroughly.
7. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
8. Remove tart shells from refrigerator and divide cranberry/currant mixture evenly in the bottom of each tart shell.
9. Using a large spoon, ladle butter/sugar mixture evenly into each tart shell.
10. Place muffin trays in oven and bake 15 minutes if you like your butter tarts runny, 20 minutes if you like them firm.
11. Remove from oven and let cool before removing from pan.