Beaver Tails

Have you ever had beaver tails before? No, we are not talking about the ones from the animal. We are talking about the sweet and delicious pastry that is traditionally Canadian.

BeaverTails is the trademark name but you will see people spell it both ways. Beaver tails were created by Grant and Pam Hooker and they named it after the fact that the shape of it resembled the tail of one of Canada's national symbols – the beaver.

You can find this whole wheat pastry in booths in different cities all over Canada. The first store ever was in Ottawa's Byward Market. There still is one in the Byward Market but there are other locations as well. One popular spot is along the Rideau Canal during Winterlude. You will often find people taking a break from skating and sitting back and enjoying this sweet treat.

Beaver tails come in different flavours so you will probably find one that you like. Our favourite is the one with cinnamon and sugar! Mmmm! You can also get ones with garlic or cheese or jam or chocolate. With these different flavours you can have it for a meal or as a dessert.

For those of you that are visiting Ottawa we hope you get a chance to try one.

We have provided a recipe for those of you who won't be visiting Ottawa or who live here and want to try to make one on their own. Unfortunately, they won't taste exactly like the real thing but they are still scrumptious.

Recipe for Beaver Tails:

Ingredients:
½ cup warm water
5 teaspoons active dry yeast
1 pinch of white sugar
1 cup of warm milk
1/3 cup of white sugar
1 ½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 eggs
1/3 cup vegetable oil
5 cups whole wheat flour
1 quart of oil for frying
2 cups white sugar
touch of cinnamon

Directions:

In a large bowl, stir together the yeast, warm water and the pinch of sugar. Let stand until it is a slightly foamy (approximately 5 minutes). Then add the other 1/3 cup of sugar, milk, vanilla, eggs, oil and salt. Stir it all until it is smooth. Mix in about half of the flour and continue stirring it. Gradually add more flour.

Turn the dough onto a floured surface when it is firm enough. Knead for approximately 6-8 minutes. Add more flour if you need it to form a firm elastic dough. Place dough in a greased bowl and cover.

Let dough sit covered until it rises and doubles (approximately 35-45 minutes). Lightly deflate the dough and pinch off a piece the size of a golf ball. On a floured surface use a rolling pin to roll out the small ball of dough into an oval shape. Put it aside and cover it with a tea towel while you continue to do the same with the remaining dough.

Heat approximately 4 inches of oil in either a deep-fryer (375 degrees) or a wok or a Dutch oven. Before placing the flattened dough into the oil, stretch them into ovals and thin them and enlarge them (to resemble the tail). Place the tails in the oil one (or two) at a time. Fry in the oil, turn them once until the tails are a deep brown. This process usually takes about 1 to 2 minutes per side. Carefully remove the tail from the oil and let it drain on a paper towel. Place left over sugar in a large bowl and add the cinnamon. Toss the beaver tail into the bowl while it is still hot. Shake off any extra sugar and cinnamon mixture.

You can also add another topping of your choice (i.e. chocolate sauce, jam, garlic, cheese).

Enjoy!

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