The Best Canadian Butter Tarts

Butter tarts are the quintessential Canadian sweet treat.  They are a truly a Canadian invention and the oldest recipes date back as far as 1900.  There is a good reason that there is a national obsession with these sweet, buttery, oozy caramel-like tarts in thick flaky pastry:  they are the perfect marriage of flavor and texture and just the perfect size.

How to Throw a Summer Crab Boil Party

“The best way to eat crabs, as everyone knows, is off newspaper at a large table with a large number of people.” Laurie Colwin

A crab boil is one of the easiest summer entertaining parties to host.    Low on stress and high on fun, I make mine even easier by ordering the crabs already cooked, encrusted in Old-Bay style seasoning and picked up piping hot, right before guests arrive. Where we live these red-shelled beauties are Maryland blue crabs from the Chesapeake.  Their Latin name, Callinectes sapidus, means beautiful swimmer. Their flesh is sweet and succulent and they are in season now.  Aren’t they gorgeous?