Holiday Butter Tarts
Thursday, December 13, 2012 at 4:00AM 
By Andrew Hunter
For The Family Table, a blog for busy families
My Grandmother Love personified her name. My mother’s mother, she married into such a gentle family name. Grandma was of the generation that didn’t work, though she had a nursing degree. In fact, she didn’t even drive. As a child I wondered how she got the most basic things, like grocery shopping, done if she had to wait for Grandpa to come home from work.
Evidently their strategy worked, as there was never a lack of food on the table. The Loves, of Youngstown, Ohio, back in the days when it was a thriving industrial town, had a big grand wooden porch with swings. I remember swinging on the swings at night after dinner. The adults talked and the kids listened.
My grandmother wasn’t a frequent cook, but she used to bake with a special love at holiday time. As a priceless gift to you and your family, sit down with your grandmother and transcribe her favorite recipes so they won’t be forgotten. I was lucky enough to get Grandma Love’s recipe for her butter tarts before she passed away. They’re easy to make and absolutely, addictively delicious.
Happy holidays from our family to yours!
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Grandmother’s Butter Tarts
2 cups brown sugar
4 tablespoons melted butter
1/4 cup dried figs, minced
1/4 cup dried nectarines, minced
1/2 cup golden raisins, minced
1 cup pecan pieces, toasted
2 eggs
2 teaspoons pure vanilla
1 package puff pastry
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Butter and flour 2 mini-muffin pans.
Mix the sugar and butter together in a medium bowl. Stir in the figs, nectarines and pecans. Whisk the eggs and vanilla together in a separate bowl; add to the fruit mixture and mix thoroughly. Set aside.
Place the puff pastry on a floured cutting board and gently roll with a rolling pin to smooth away the creases. Cut out circles of dough 2-1/2 inches in diameter with a round cookie cutter.
Gently place the rounds of puff pastry in the muffin tin cups, forming them up the sides to make mini-tart crusts. Fill cups 3/4 full with the filling. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until golden brown.
Serve warm from the oven or at room temperature. These tarts can be made in advance. If you make them a day or two ahead of time, cool completely, and store in a container with a tightfitting lid.
Makes 24 bite-sized tartlets
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