yes... i baked with bacon again. do you guys find that gross or intriguing? do you think there should be a blog strictly devoted to baking with bacon!? if so, I AM ON IT. this maple bacon butter tart was inspired by my recent trip to port carling. the local bakery abbey's bake house sold these & i knew the moment i was back in my own kitchen i had to recreate it. if you are a vegetarian this recipe works perfect without the addition of bacon. you can substitute in nuts, raisins (sorry, ew) or whatever you desire. if you are not a vegetarian, then please stick to bacon. the crust recipe was given to me by one of my favourite instagram accounts milk&stone. this guy makes some killer looking pies & i needed his secret crust recipe! he was kind enough to give it to me PLUS let me share it with all of you. it is the first pie crust i have ever made using shortening instead of butter. in this particular recipe i would not use a butter based dough as the flavour would be overwhelming & a bit too much. i know, i'm sorry paula dean, sometimes there is a such thing as too much butter. happy long weekend!
ingredients
for the crust:
- 2 1/4 cups all purpose flour
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 3/4 cup vegetable shortening
- 6 tablespoons ice water (more or less as needed)
- 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
for the filling
- 3/4 cup packed brown sugar
- 1/2 cup pure maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup butter, melted
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon cider vinegar
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup cooked maple bacon, chopped
directions
- begin by making the crust. combine the flour, salt and sugar.
- cut in the shortening until the mixture is crumbly, then begin to work with hands. add in vanilla & water 1 tablespoon at a time as needed.
- shape dough into a disk, wrap in cling and refrigerate for one hour.
- well dough rest, make your filling. whisk sugar, maple syrup, vanilla, butter, eggs, vinegar and salt until evenly mixed.
- preheat your oven to 350 degrees as you roll out your pastry.
- roll out dough to 1/8 inch thick. using a biscuit cutter, cut into 12 circles.
- place each circle in a greased cupcake tin and shape.
- add a teaspoon of bacon to each tart then pour filling over until the tart is almost full.
- bake for 20-25 minutes (until filling begins to set).
- let cool before eating. enjoy!
like what you see? get it here. plate | cup | bowl | gravy boat | striped linen