Love Local Brant
welcome to Harley, ON
Ever since Covid-19 took over, the world has become a little more challenging. Everyday tasks such as shopping for essentials like groceries have become far too complicated and frustrating. With long lines to get into a grocery store, a limited supply of many items, and then long lines to cash out – a trip to the grocery store can take up a considerable chunk of your day.
The last time I went into a grocery store, I found myself thinking: “there has got to be a better way”.
Support Small Business
Before the pandemic, we used to love taking small day trips through the country to visit various farm stores, markets, and bakeries on occasion. Well, with the inability to take actual road trips or weekend getaways, which kept us very busy during the weekends, we decided to switch things up a bit. We decided to make our weekend outings take on a more meaningful purpose. Why not shop at the cute markets and bakeries that we love, and help support the small businesses that might be struggling now?
So, every weekend we head somewhere different, looking for great places where we can buy our weekly groceries without the hassle of the grocery store rigamarole. We pick an Ontario county, and we drive around looking for different food producers for fresh food items. This is how RogueTrippers came to find Kristi’s Market Kitchen and Bakery in the small town of Harley, Ontario – located in rural Brant County.
Read our “Supporting Small Businesses during the Covid-19 Pandemic” article HERE.
Shop Small Towns
Harley is a tiny community located just south of Highway 403 and west of Brantford. In fact, other than a few farms and residences, Kristi’s Market Kitchen is really the only thing in town. That we have seen, anyway. The market has a great mix of locally sourced products from around Brant County, including produce, meats, cheeses, and dairy. As well as a variety of groceries and processed foods. The piece-de-resistance for Kristi’s Market Kitchen, however, is the bakery – where they create a variety of bread, buns, desserts, pies, squares, and butter tarts.
About the Butter Tarts
Kristi’s Market Kitchen offers three varieties of their butter tarts – plain, raisin, and pecan. They sell their tarts in packs of 6 (one flavour per pack), as well as individuals for eating right away.
Appearance
These tarts have a very handmade appearance. Each butter tart is very different from the others, with variations in the colour, thickness, depth of filling, and levels of baking doneness.
Pastry
The crust is light and flaky; firm and holds the filling in. It has a light sweet buttery taste with a hint of salty, which adds another layer of flavour to the tart.
Filling
The filling is creamy and gooey and golden brown. It is delicious and sweet, buttery and syrupy.
There is a substantial sugary, crunchy nugget on the bottom of the tart, which makes it even more amazing. There is a beautiful golden-brown crackling crust on top of the filling that is crispy, crunchy and tastes like brown sugar caramel candy.
The flavour is delicious.
Crust to filling ratio
The ratio is pretty good – each butter tart is a little different. Some tarts have more filling than others. As a result, some of the proportions are better than others. However, the filling is still plentiful in each of the butter tarts.
Experience
This is a delightful tart. From the complex flavours of the crust to the delicious filling, the beautiful Brule on top, and the lovely surprise of the sweet nugget on the bottom, it pleases the taste buds on many levels.
Around Brant
Brant county consists of a beautiful mix of small cities, towns, villages, and hamlets. It is in the heart of the agricultural oasis area of Ontario. As such, there is no shortage of markets and bakeries to buy fresh and local food.
You can hit the road and explore Brant County on a fun day trip adventure. You will be able to experience the gorgeous views of the fields and farms in rural communities. Take in the beauty of the Grand River as it winds through the area. Experience the rich history of the communities through Brant county. Take in a museum and learn about the culture, and heritage that made Brant County what it is. With so much to do, you will love experiencing all that Brant has to offer, and #LoveLocalBrant.
*note: All butter tart reviews are the opinions of Roguetrippers only, based on our experiences and personal preferences. Your opinions may vary.
If you know of a great bakery making what you think are Ontario’s Best butter tarts, we would love to hear from you. Let us know about them, so we can plan a future road trip to check them out, and include them in our #ButterTartQuest.
Contact Roguetrippers with your suggestions.
