Butterscotch Nut Tart

Recipe from The American Club.

Ingredients:

For Tartlet Crust:

1 ½ cups all purpose flour

2 tablespoons sugar

½ teaspoon baking powder

pinch salt

4 tablespoons unsalted cold butter, cut into small pieces

1 large egg, beaten slightly

1 tablespoon cold water, 1 ½ teaspoon more if needed

For the Filling:

¾ cups pecans, toasted

¾ cups walnuts, toasted

1/3 cup shredded coconut, well toasted

½ cup golden raisins

1 ¼ cups warm butterscotch sauce (Recipe below)

Directions:

To make the crust:  In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt.  Add the butter and cut it into the dough using two knives, a pastry blender, or your fingertips until the dough looks crumbly.  Add the egg and 1 tablespoon water; mix with a fork until the dough just holds together.  (If the dough won’t come together, add up to another 1 ½ teaspoons water, a tiny bit at a time.)  Don’t over mix; the dough should feel slightly sticky.  Shape the dough into a 6-inch log.  Wrap it in plastic and refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour.

Heat the oven to 400 degrees.  Roll into a round about 1/8 inch thick.  Prick the round all over with a fork and gently fit them into 9-inch tartlet pan, trimming any excess dough.

Line tartlet with foil and fill with dried beans or pie weights.  Bake the tartlet shell for about 15 minutes.  Remove the pie weights and the foil and bake an additional 5 minutes until golden.  Cool on a rack.

To fill and bake the tartlet:  Heat the oven to 350° F.  Combine the toasted nuts, coconut, and raisins with the warm butterscotch sauce.  Pour the filling into tartlet shell.  Bake until the filling just starts to bubble, 7 to 9 minutes.  Using a wide spatula, carefully transfer the tartlets to a rack.  Allow the tartlet to cool for 5 minutes.  Carefully remove the tartlet from their pans and served warm with a dollop of unsweetened whipped cream or crème fraîche, if you like.

Makes 6 Servings.

 

Butterscotch Sauce

8 tablespoons unsalted butter

2/3 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar

2/3 cup sugar

1 ½ teaspoons salt

2 tablespoons water

¾ cup light corn syrup

¾ cup heavy cream

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

8 ounces butterscotch morsels

Directions:

In a medium, heavy-based saucepan, melt the butter.  Stir in the two sugars, the salt, water, and corn syrup.  Bring the mixture to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring to dissolve the sugars.  Let the mixture boil for 5 minutes, stirring often.  You’ll see big, slow bubbles as it boils.  Remove the sauce from the heat.  Whisk in the butterscotch morsels until smooth.  Carefully whisk in the cream and vanilla (the sauce may sputter).  Allow the sauce to cool to warm before serving.

Makes 2 ½ cups.