My oldest daughter has been collecting a lot of acorns on our walks recently, and has amassed an impressive number. I thought to ask her what she planned on doing with all her many, many acorns, and she told me that she was planning on roasting and eating them.
Oh. Well, of course. Who doesn't look at an acorn laying on the dirty, dirty ground and think "Hey, those squirrels may be ON to something?". But it turns out that acorns are only vaguely edible and even getting to the point of vague edibility means that you have to hull them and roast them and pulverize them, at which point my daughter lost her enthusiasm for the whole affair, and thank goodness. I like seasonal cooking probably more than the next person, but I balk at hulling acorns.
It's unseasonably cold right now, which has thrown me into full seasonal baking mode as well as forcing me to dig the winter coats out of the attic. All summer long, I felt only the vaguest interest in cooking at all, and now it's a constant desire to Bake Things, these things that smell like home when you come in the front door. The same force that makes the squirrel scuttle around and gather up any of the acorns my daughter missed causes me to decide that I really, really need to try making butter tarts again.
I don't recommend making butter tarts - they're HARD! Mine turned out all right, but I don't have the knack of making them, really. One of my friends is BRILLIANT at making them, but she's also the sort of person who thinks nothing of calmly baking 20 pies in one afternoon AND she works full-time. I'm a little bit in awe of her practical capability, and plan on taking her with me if I ever get shipwrecked on a desert island - she would keep me ALIVE. So should you possess her startling degree of hard-working competency, than you will probably be a butter tart making pro in no time.
The best of the lot, sadly.
The kids loved the butter tarts, even though they were kind of a flop - The Boy headed off to school this morning happily munching on one, waving goodbye to me with a sticky hand. And supper tonight should be fairly foolproof and comforting - shepherd's pie (with a mashed sweet potato topping!) and apple crisp, the sort of thing to warm a little heart that has spend the day in the sudden autumnal chill, this weather that tells us in no uncertain terms that winter is fast upon our heels.
Yeah, what is it about fall that brings a baking fairy to my kitchen? I am in the same mode!
Lori
I love baking in the fall too. Apple crisp, homemade butterscotch pudding, stews, and soups.... yep, fall is here.
I love baking in the fall too. Apple crisp, homemade butterscotch pudding, stews, and soups.... yep, fall is here.
I love baking in the fall too. Apple crisp, homemade butterscotch pudding, stews, and soups.... yep, fall is here.
Ooops! I posted three time. Sorry. Hey, where's the butter tart recipe?
I love butter tarts. Love! But it seems too labour-intensive for kitchen-blighted me.
I would be very happy if you could send me that shepherd's pie recipe. It's one of my favourite dishes, and we never have it in our house because Mr Earth says that no one can make shepherd's pie like his nanny.
Pretty please?
I have never had butter tarts. But I am relieved to see that there are no acorns in the recipe. Recipe! What,no recipe??? Actually, the sugar content alone would preclude that treat in our house. My Butler is pre-diabetic, which puts an abrupt halt on all my fun in the kitchen and makes me WORK for the fun of baking.
But ... he loves sweet potatoes and can have them. I may be able to adapt that shepherd's pie recipe if you'll share what you do. Thanks.
like I said before...mmmmmmm.
butter tarts. I will sing out the anthem with my mouth fair stuffed full.
I used to collect acorns as well. Cute....
"Will you adopt me?" she asks, mouth watering. I love seasonal baking and can almost taste your butter tarts (which, btw, look glorious!) and Sheppard's Pie. But sadly (for my family anyway) it is the eating part that I prefer.
Yum! I love fall flavors and fall baking, but it's still freakin' hot here, so I'll have to wait a few months or risk sweltering away here in my own home.
You got your hair cut since I last saw your picture--you look awesome! Congratulations on your new digs here--you seem right at home. ;)
Oh! I thought acorns were totally poisonous. I stand corrected.
I love seasonal cooking too. Your menu tonight sounds fabulous. I enjoy making pies and do have one great pumpkin pie recipe. We BOUGHT a gingerbread man last week, you had me craving gingerbread. But not enough to actually make it. We just bought one from the bakery at a restaurant we ate at. I think you should start writing your own cookbook and you sell us all the PDF format. You'd make hundreds, maybe even thousands! :-) Or, you could just adopt me, as one other commenter mentioned. That would be fine too.
Can I come over for dinner? Please??
As you know from my Friday post I loooove seasonal cooking especially in fall when it's all about comfort foods and using fresh harvested things.
Your butter tart doesn't look too bad and if the kids are happy with full tummies well then, all is right with the world. Well at least their world.
PLEASE be my mommy. i want to eat at your house and stuff my face with butter tarts.
There IS something about fall that has me craving certain foods - like stews and chili. My hubby gave into our fall craving over the weekend and whipped us up couple of vegetarian lasagnas - one for the freezer. I never crave butter tarts (I prefer a chocolate dessert) though my hubby does and at the holidays at the end of the year he will turn out enough butter tarts and mince pies to feed a crowd. He makes an excellent sugary crust using butter instead of shortening (no trans-fats!) that you could eat even without filing. Notice that I'm not commenting on what I bake but what my hubby bakes? Me, I just like to eat!
Lori
Funny, my husband asked me on the weekend when I'm going to make buttertarts again. Oh, and cinnamon buns. Maybe this week.
So, you actually tried hulling and roasting and pulverizing the acorns? Brave.
We have a chestnut tree in our backyard and I've often thought about roasting them, but there's something about the fact that they're there lying on the ground deters me. My husband tells me that they're delicious, though!
Can I come over for dinner and dessert one of these days? It all sounds so delicious. I hope I "grow up" one day (ie, graduate from single life) to be a mom like you!
I have no idea what a butter tart is! But it sounds sooo good.
Acorns impress me. The oak is the one of the few nut-bearing trees able to make such efficient use of squirrels that oaks did not need to make nuts palatable to humans. I admire oakian hutzpah.
Goodness, there are a lot of us who want you to adopt us. Think about it! There'd never be a dull moment!
i want the shepherd's pie recipe! Yum!
roasted acorns? stick to chestnuts. Every Christmas I get the urge to roast chestnuts (sometimes on an open fire, but usually in the toaster oven)
I've never had butter tarts, but they sound scrumptious. I'll have to give them a whirl. I too am in bake mode.
The butter tart looks so good!
I seem to remember reading a book set during the American Revolutionary War where people were roasting acorns and grinding them to use in place of coffee grounds. Yummy.
Hey Beck, I grew up eating butter tarts at my grandparents' house up in Muskoka! I can practically taste them from the photo--and they always looked just like that: kind of squat and unglamorous, even though they were going to kill you with their deliciousness. Is it light or dark corn syrup? I think I'm going to give them a whirl. . .
xo
so THAT is a butter tart. I have always wondered.
My mother made the best butter tarts in the known universe. Now that I have a kidlet, I'm looking forward to making them too. MadDad and I do not have adequate sweet tooths to justify a batch on our own. This Christmas, though, me and the kid are hitting the kitchen. Yum.
mmm never thought to use sweet potato as a topping for Shepard's pie!
sorry the roasting of acorns didn't work out for The Girl! And if you say making the tarts is hard (as yummy as they sound) I don't think I'll risk trying them as I'm not even half the baker you are! :)
I love shephard's pie, but I've never tried it with sweet potatoes. Yum. The tarts sound de-lish! Your kids are so blessed to have you for a Mommy.
I love your Monday posts over here, almost makes Monday bearable.
I don't recommend me making butter tarts either, but sure wouldn't mind if someone made them for me!!!! I loved my mom's butter tarts when I was young and often crave them. My brother-in-law makes great butter tarts and mincemeat tarts every Christmas that I always get to share, lucky me.
Thanks for the heads up about the difficulty of this one -- Tarts -- and pie crusts are hard for me. But, it is fun to do -- especially when the kids are around and "helping."
Thanks for the heads up about the difficulty of this one -- Tarts -- and pie crusts are hard for me. But, it is fun to do -- especially when the kids are around and "helping."
OMG, I was just back visiting my parents & over a 6 day trip I managed to eat a dozen butter tarts. They were so amazing. I think it is a uniquely Canadian treat though, because you cross the border & they are nowhere to be seen. I'm missing them already.
OMG, I was just back visiting my parents & over a 6 day trip I managed to eat a dozen butter tarts. They were so amazing. I think it is a uniquely Canadian treat though, because you cross the border & they are nowhere to be seen. I'm missing them already.
Rebecca, your butter tarts look pretty good to me! I've never tried baking them, but I've sure eaten my share in my time. YUMMM...
Oh, these sound very good. Butter tarts are very hard to NOT eat. My man really loves them, but for some reason cannot abide raisins. They're pretty good without raisins too - more like a chess pie. Basically gooey sugar in a crust! Excellent!
My grandchild is wise, wise I say! Acorns are edible, but there is a long process of leaching, involving wood ash I belive. See the kid is ready for wilderness survival. And you thought she was young and fragile!
Beck - I LOVE the fact that your dad commented in defence of his granddaughter! Grandpa's are the BEST!
i had never even heard of a butter tart until i moved to Canada...now i can't imagine my life without them!!!!!
OMIGOSH, that butter tart looks AMAZING!!!!! Mouth watering!!!! I LOVE fall food, smells....It's a great time of year!
Only fall and winter baking are allowed here in AZ where it's still in the 100's. URGH.
Will add butter tarts to the seasonal-oven-usage list!
I love baking. Hopefully my baby brain will remember to come back to this recipe when I have the time to attempt this.
They look yummy.