Portuguese Egg Tart

Preparation: 30 min
Cooking time: 30-35 min
Waiting time: 2 hours
Portion: 10-12 small tart
Level: 3/5

Ingredient

1. Tart shell
   -All purpose flour: 150 gr – divide 2 part: 50 gr and 100 gr
   -Butter: 50 gr – frozen
   -Milk:50 ml
   -Sugar:20 gr
   -Oil:20 gr
   -Salt: a pinch
2. Custard cream filling
   -Milk: 150 ml
   -Whipping cream: 100 ml (30% fat)
   -Egg yolk: 3
   -Sugar: 40 gr
   -Corn starch: 20 gr
   -Vanilla extract: ½ tsp – optional

Kitchen utensil
-Cupcake tray (12 holes): 1
-Rolling pin: 1
-Measuring cup: optional

Instruction

1. Tart shell

Unlike Hong Kong Egg Tart, the tart shell of Portuguese Egg Tart is similar as puff pastry, you can see the detailed instruction as below:

• Cut cold unsalted butter into cube and add to mixing bowl with 50 gr all purpose flour
• Use whisking machine or fingers to knead and combine quickly butter with flour. If the butter melt while processing, add some drops of cold water or place the mixing bowl in freezer for 5 minutes for cooling butter.

Please note that this step should be done quickly because heat from fingers will melt the butter

• Transfer the butter onto tray that lined parchment paper or plastic wrap. Shape it into square or rectangle form, then wrap up and place in freezer for 20 minutes
• In another bowl, add 100 gr all purpose flour, sugar and salt. Use a spoon to mix the ingredients.
• Create a hole in dry ingredient bowl, pour milk, oil into and mix with mixer or by hand
• Knead and mix the dough in 1-2 minutes until the ingredient all combined
• Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and place in fridge for 10 minutes
• Cover a thin layer of flour on baking mat and rolling pin. Flatten the dough into rectangle sheet (thickness around 0.4-0.5 cm)

The dough should be flatten with length as double as the butter for wrapping 

• Place the butter onto the flattened dough and wrap it up. Seal the edges.
• Flatten the butter-dough and fold the top third down to the centre, then fold two thirds down and rotate the dough 90 degree.
• Repeat step 10 five times (six times in total, includes the first fold).
• Flatten the dough after sixth times folding and roll it up, lengthwise.
• Cut the rolled dough into smaller rolls (thickness around 2-3 cm) and refrigerate them in 10-15 minutes.
• Cover a thin layer of powder on baking mat and rolling pin, flatten each roll (0.2-0.3 cm) and place them in holes on cupcake baking tray. Repeat will other rolls.
• Put the whole baking tray in fridge and let it sit in 5-10 minutes before baking

2. Custard cream filling

• Whisk 3 egg yolks with 40 gr sugar in a bowl until the york turn to light yellow.
• Add 20 gr corn starch into egg yolk mixture and mix until the corn starch completely dissolved.
• Pour 150 ml milk and 100 ml whipping cream into a saucepan, stir well.

You can enhance the cream flavor by adding 1 lemon peel and vanilla beans/ extract into saucepan and boiling with milk mixture.

• Pour the egg yolk mixture from bowl to saucepan and bring to cook at medium heat.

You also can do the process as video: put all ingredient together and stir well. If you follow this option, remember to stir the mixture really well before bringing to cook

• When the milk start boiling, turn the stove at low heat and stir continuously until the milk condense and can coat a thin layer on your spoon. Then turn off the heat

Please note that we don’t need to cook the cream as condensed and thick as custard because the cream will be cooked completely with tart shell later.

• Sieve the hot custard to have a smoother texture.

3. Baking

• Place the tart shell in oven and bake at 175 Celsius degree in 8-10 minutes

This step will cook tart shell partly and it will prevent the shells from being absorbed by cream

• Remove the baking tray from oven. Pour the chilled cream into each tart. Then bring it back to the oven and bake at 175 Celsius degree in 30-35 minute
• When the tarts turn to golden yellow and egg cream firms its surface, remove them from oven and keep them in baking tray for 5-10 minutes.
• Tart cream can be hollow when it chilled, but that’s what make these portuguese tart. Remove them from baking tray by using a folk (as video).
• Let the tarts cool completely on rack. Can be stored in fridge or closed bag within 1-2 days.