It's the little things...a taste of "home"

I've hightailed it out of the UK to the sunnier weather in Central Ontario...I can't actually claim this to be an impromptu holiday...but it is sure a welcome one! Three whole weeks in sunny Canada at my parents' new abode in the gorgeous town of Huntsville in the heart of Cottage Country.  This is Canada at its best...heat, nature, cold drinks and the lake. 

Since my poor pale skin is aclimatised to Edinburgh's recent dreary weather I haven't ventured far off the covered portch the last couple of days...and when I did my poor brother took pity on me and bought me a popsicle to cool me down (I was literally melting on main street). 

I need to build up a tolerance to the burning sun, as well as the heat.  And the best way to do that is to...obviously...indulge in all the classic canadian treats I can.  I need to renew the Canadian in me.  First step to this is drinking Tim Hortons coffee and eating as many sour cream glazed doughnuts I can stuff in my face.  The second is to try as many different brands of Butter Tart I can get my hands on in Huntsville.  I started with a mass produced number from a local supermarket, enjoyed with a cup of tea and a cook book on the porch.  It was good as supermarket butter tarts go.  The filling was thick...with a decent number of raisins.  The pastry was alright. 

The thing about butter tarts is that everybody has a different recipe...and everbody has a different idea of what consitutes the perfect butter tart.  The filling can be thick or runny, with or without raisins or nuts, the pastry cane be thick or thin...so many different opinions and options.  I am partial to a runny filling but not fussy about raisins or nuts, and as long as the pastry is short I am happy (I can forgive a soggy bottom). 

A friend of my mum's came to visit today and brought us a pack of butter tarts from Baysville, a town not far from Huntsville.  The pastry was pale, but the filling was perfectly sweet, runny and not a raisin in sight! The difference between these handmade tarts and the store bought ones are immedietly apparent...but I'd happily eat either. 

Two butter tarts and a doughnut in my belly...with Tim Hortons coffee now flowing through my veins I think I am just about ready to brave the sun. 

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