I love the idea of 100 Mile Markets.  There is so much wonderful food produced in Ontario but I don’t have time to drive around to the sources.  It’s not environmentally friendly either.  It’s funny how things change.  10 years ago I wouldn’t have thought twice about driving miles to find something special.

Shepherd’s Watch is the brainchild of Lynda Sauve and Carol Sampson who run a sheep and dairy farm of the same name.  They initially saw it as a place to sell their products – cheese, milk, lamp, wool, yarn, blankets and sheep skins – but realized that they could use the space to showcase other local products.

There’s a cafe and in nice weather you can sit on the prorch.  The baking is from 4 different local bakers.  It all looked delicious.  There was a nice choice of cheese, meats, and local veggies.

For me the best thing was completely unexpected, a good choice of knitting books and a wonderful choice of wool and yarn.  I’m allergic to wool and have had trouble finding interesting natural yarns and am now lusting after the linen and the cotton yarns at Shepherd’s Watch.

The choice of socks was amazing.  Unfortunately for me they were all wool.  I saw a shepherd’s cloak that was so beautiful I seriously considered a life of antihistamines but sanity prevaled.  If you’re looking for sweaters, socks, or blankets this is the place to go.

Linda and Carol are always looking for local products so if you’re a producer in the area and are looking for somewhere to sell your products give them a call.

Shepherd’s Watch 100 Mile Market and Cafe
211 Smith St, Arthur
519-828-2228

Open Wednesday to Sunday
9 am to 6 pm

They also make delicious muffins and a honey glazed donut that is to die for.  Someday I may try the bread.

If you’re planning to go to the Lucknow Reunion next week make sure you take time to try the butter tarts.

Armstrong’s Home Bakery
644 Campbrell Street
Lucknow ON
519-528-2211

closed Sunday

And then saw the butter tarts, great big piles of butter tarts. Very good butter tarts.  Not the ultimate butter tart but more than acceptable.  Definitely worth a stop.

We detoured a bit on the way to Meaford yesterday because Tanya had left a comment on one of my posts about butter tarts.  She said hers had won prizes. Prize -winning butter tarts are definitely a reason for a detour.

Tanya’s butter tarts are delicious.  Sort of old-fashioned in that they aren’t muffin-tin deep.  I think she must actually have tart pans.  She makes them with pecans and plain.

There was other delicious looking home baking but I was on my way to dinner so I exercised some restraint.  Tanya makes jams and jellies and pickles too.

Maxwell General Store
Maxwell, ON
519-922-2013

Closed Sunday

I don’t bother writing about the not so good butter tarts that I try in my quest to find the perfect butter tart.  Only the best butter tarts, butter tarts to die for, make it on to these pages!

As I discover new contenders I’ll add them to the list so you can plan your own butter tart tour of Grey, Bruce, and Huron Counties.

Alma – actually in Wellington County but it might be on your way.
Marj’s Village Kitchen – all I can say is mmmmmmmmmmmm.  I did hear that the restaurant was sold last year.  It remains to be seen whether the new owners will continue the fabulous baking tradition.
ALMA, ON N0B 1A0

(Cross Street: Highview ST and Scenic DR)

Phone: 519-846-0706

Heathcote
Blue Mountain Gourmet
makes wonderful, rich butter tarts.  Not drippy.  I
don’t like drippy butter tarts but I don’t like them to be too firm
either.  These are perfect.  Heathcote is on the way to Collingwood and Blue Mountain.

Lucknow
Armstrong’s Home Bakery makes a close to perfect walnut butter tart. They also make raison butter tarts but I only tried the walnut one.  Good filling, rich and runny but not drippy, Flakey crust, not too thin and not too thick.
Armstrong’s Home Bakery
644 Campbell St
Lucknow
519-528-2211

Neustadt
Hats off to Harry – great name – and great butter tarts.  Harry makes them.  The crust is perfect, the best pastry I’ve ever had.  The filling is close to perfect.
366 David Winkler Parkway

Neustadt, ON
Phone: 519-799-5995

Priceville
The Post Office in Priceville – mid way between Durham and Flesherton in Grey County – sells butter tarts from the Blue Mountain Gourmet
which is in Heathcote.  Wonderful, rich butter tarts.  Not drippy.  I
don’t like drippy butter tarts but I don’t like them to be too firm
either.  These are perfect.

Ripley
Liddle’s Family Restaurant has terrific butter tarts.  And wonderful scones if you’re sugared out from all the butter tarts!
32 Queen St, Ripley, Ontario

(519) 395-4455

Toronto
Miss Cora’s Kitchen in Kensington Market.  Much more than butter tarts but the butter tarts are fabulous.
69 Kensington Avenue Toronto
416.593.2672

It’s almost summer and my search for the perfect butter tart is back on.  I’m committed to this; fully prepared to visit every bakery, restaurant, and market in Grey, Bruce, and Huron County and sample hundreds of butter tarts.  Maybe not all this year. 

Last year I discovered 3 purveyors of fine butter tarts who were worth mentioning.

Why try and find the perfect butter tart?
2 reasons. 

• I love butter tarts but given the calories involved I only want to eat really good ones.
• An amazing number of people search the internet for butter tarts which tells me that I’m not alone.

I have 2 additions to my own personal butter tart trail.

The first is in Toronto.  I’m there often enough that it makes sense to have a source.
Miss Cora’s Kitchen is in Kensington Market and Miss Cora makes fabulous butter tarts. She’s so relaxed about how good they are that she let Tim from BlogTO make a how to make butter tarts video and post her recipe.  I admit to using it to make my butter tarts but that’s another post.

My other great butter tart discovery so far this year is from Hats off to Harry’s in Neustadt in Grey County. This was a serendipitous discovery.  I needed a washroom so went in to get a coffee to go.  Not for me.  I noticed the butter tarts on the counter near the cash and asked who made them.  Harry makes them.  Which also answers the questions – is there a Harry? 

Harry makes the best pastry I’ve ever had.  And the filling is pretty good.  I’d say 4 stars for the filling and 5 stars for the pastry.

Hats off to Harry

366 David Winkler Parkway

Neustadt, ON
N0G 2M0
Phone: 519-799-5995

My personal butter tart trail

Butter Tarts

I made butter tarts!

I had to.  I couldn’t stop thinking about them.  The pastry is nothing to celebrate, it’s ready-made, but the filling is perfect.  Still a little bit runny, a little crunch on the top, so sweet they make your teeth almost ache.

The ideal butter tart.  It took about 45 minutes from start to finish. That includes cooling them for 15 minutes so I wouldn’t burn my mouth.

It’d take longer if I had to make the pastry and the pastry wouldn’t be any better.  I think I need to learn how to make pastry.

I used a recipe from the Fresh Air site at CBC.

I used walnuts but no raisins and because I can’t get corn syrup in France I used maple syrup.  I made them in muffin pans and the recipe made 12. After I lowered the oven temp. I baked them for 17 minutes.

There’s also a pastry recipe.

Peggy Morris’ Amazing Butter Tarts

Here’s the butter tart recipe that culinary columnist Anita Stewart talked about with Fresh Air host Jeff Goodes.

1 cup (250 mL) raisins
2 eggs
1/3 cup (75 mL) corn syrup
1 cup (250 mL) packed brown sugar
3 tbsps (45 mL) melted butter
½ cup (125 mL) chopped walnuts or pecans

18 Sweet Tart Pastry shells

In a small bowl, cover raisins with boiling water.  Let soak for 20 minutes.  Drain and set aside.

In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs, corn syrup, brown
sugar, melted butter and nuts. Stir in the raisins. Pour evenly into
the prepared tart shells. Place into a preheated 450F (220C) oven for 5
minutes. Reduce heat to 350F (180C) an open door slightly for 15 – 20
seconds to bring temperature down rapidly. Bake for 15 minutes or until
bubbling and deep golden brown. Let cool for 10 – 15 minutes before
removing tarts from the pan.

Makes 18.

And now I’m going to take most of them to my neighbour so I don’t eat them all.  I’ll introduce them to classic Canadian Cuisine.

My personal butter tart trail

This summer my daughter and I spend a fair amount of time – and consumed a lot of calories – looking for the ultimate butter tart.  We found 4 sources that pleased us greatly.  All of the butter tarts we bought had pecans – because Meg doesn’t like raisins.

The Post Office in Priceville – in Grey County – sells butter tarts from the Blue Mountain Gourmet which is in Heathcote.  Wonderful, rich butter tarts.  Not drippy.  I don’t like drippy butter tarts but I don’t like them to be too firm either.  These are perfect.

And, if you don’t want to cook, they also make very good steak and mushroom pies.

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Marj’s Village Kitchen in Alma makes fabulous butter tarts. Perfect pastry, perfect filling. 

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Also a restaurant in Ripley in Bruce County.  I think it’s Liddle’s Family Restaurant but I’m not positive.  Great butter tarts and scones.  And other delicious looking baking that I didn’t try.

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This one is vague.  I bought a butter tart from a woman selling baking at the Durham market.  I just picked the booth that had the best looking butter tarts.  I don’t know if I’d even know if I saw the booth again.  And the market is finished for the year.

None of this helps me right now.  I was going to try and make butter tarts but the recipes all call for corn syrup and I can’t find any here.  I may have to wait til Christmas. 

My personal butter tart trail