The Kawarthas Northumberland Butter Tart Tour hosted their 5th annual Butter Tart Taste-Off at the Peterborough Farmer’s Market this past Saturday.
 
The Butter Tart Tour is Ontario’s largest food tour dedicated to butter tarts with over fifty participating bakeries, restaurants, cafés, and resorts located across the Kawarthas and Northumberland. 

The tour operates year-round and is self-guided, allowing visitors to explore the region at their own pace.
 
Bakeries in the Taste-Off competed in five different categories.  

Judges of the Canadian pastry included local media personalities, culinary bloggers, politicians, and several judges chosen randomly from contests in the Butter Tart Tour social media community.

Food Network Canada chef David Adjey returned as a butter tart judge this year, and also hosted an Iron-Chef-Style sous-chef show-down designed to discover the next great culinary talent from the region.  

The sous-chefs from The Publican House in Peterborough and Ste. Anne’s Spa in Grafton tied for the win.  

The 2017 Butter Tart Tour Taste-Off Winners are:

Best Plain Butter Tart (Just the Plain Facts)
1st: Doo Doo's Bakery in Bailieboro (2016 winner in this category).
2nd: Country Mart Homemade Baked Goods and Convenience in Buckhorn.
3rd: Betty's Pies & Tarts in Cobourg (People’s Choice from 2016).
 
Best Canadiana Butter Tart (Featuring tarts from the new Canadiana Collection celebrating Canada’s 150th)
1st: "Mrs. Waldron's Butter Tart" by Quaker Oaks Farm in Sebright.
2nd: "The Trudeau" by Baked4U in Peterborough.
3rd: “The Stompin Tom” by Doo Doo's Bakery in Bailieboro.
 
Best Gluten-Free Butter Tart
1st: “Ste. Anne's Butter Tart” by Ste. Anne's Bakery in Grafton.
2nd: “Featherly Pear Butter Tart” by Ste. Anne's Bakery in Grafton.
3rd: “Maple Gluten-Free Butter Tart” by Black Honey Dessert and Coffeehouse in Peterborough (2016 winner in this category).
 
Best Emerging Baker (For bakers who joined the tour in the last 2 years)
1st: “Pumpkin Butter Tart” by Baked4U in Peterborough.
2nd: “Maple Butter Tart” by The Bakery in Warkworth.
3rd: “Maple Crunch” by Arthur's Pub in Cobourg.
 
Best of the Best (A delicious duel between past winners at the Taste-Off)
1st: “Maple Pecan” by Kawartha Shortbread in Fenelon Falls.
2nd: “Maple Butter Tart” by Black Honey Dessert and Coffeehouse in Peterborough.
3rd: “Pumpkin Butter Tart” by Doo Doo's Bakery in Bailieboro.