Butter Tarts

Method

1. Pastry: mix the flour and salt in a bowl, add the cold butter and lard cut into 1 cm cubes and rub them in with your fingertips or a fork until pea-sized lumps remain. Sprinkle in the ice water a little at a time, mixing with a fork, and stop as soon as the dough holds together when squeezed. Shape into a flat disc, wrap and chill for 30 min. Cold fat is what makes the pastry flaky.

   Add in this stepPlain flour (plus extra for rolling) 125 gSalt (for the pastry) 1 pinchCold butter (for the pastry) 55 gCold lard (or shortening) 30 gIce-cold water 40 ml

2. Roll the dough out 3 mm thick on a floured surface and cut out 6 × 10 cm rounds with a 10 cm cutter. Press one into each cup of a muffin tin, firmly against the base and sides, so the edge sits slightly above the rim. Chill the tin and heat the oven to 200 °C.

3. Cover the raisins with boiling water for 5 min, then drain and pat dry with kitchen paper. Plump raisins won't burn in the oven.

   Add in this stepRaisins 40 g

4. Filling: melt the butter in a small pan on low heat for 1 min, then turn off the heat. Stir in the brown sugar and syrup until smooth, then add the egg, vanilla, vinegar and salt and mix well with a spoon. Don't whisk hard: air bubbles give the tops a foamy crust.

   Add in this stepButter (for the filling) 30 gBrown sugar 50 gCorn syrup (or golden syrup) 60 mlEgg, beaten and weighed (1 large egg is about 50 g) 25 gVanilla extract ½ tspWhite vinegar ½ tspSalt (for the filling) 1 pinch

   low heat

5. Divide the raisins between the cold pastry cases and pour in the filling only two-thirds of the way up. Overfilled tarts bubble over and stick to the tin.

6. Bake on the lower shelf at 200 °C for 15 min. Take them out when the pastry edges are golden and the filling has puffed and bubbled, and only the centre wobbles slightly when you nudge the tin.

7. Leave them in the tin for 15 min, then run a small knife around each one, lift them out and let them cool completely on a rack. The filling sets as it cools.