Shortcut Egg Tart Recipe – The custard’s smooth, silky texture is with a delicious buttery and flaky crust. This is the way I want my egg tart to taste every time. This recipe has been through several rounds of testing in order to come up with simple, but delicious egg tart that will not cause you to be overwhelmed.
The recipe here is cross that combines Hong Kong (dim sum) and Portuguese egg tarts in order to capture the best characteristics of both styles.
What is egg tarts?
Do you like eggs and sweets? You’re probably thinking: who would ever eat eggs as a dessert? In a general sense, egg tarts function similar to mini custard pie. They are smooth and silky center that is encased by an icy and buttery shell.
If you’ve ever dined in a dim sum eatery and you’ve likely been able to see platters of golden Hong Kong egg tarts floating through the dining room together with the shumai of shrimp and pork and the xiao long bao. Perhaps, you’ve waited for a long time at the famous 85degree Bakery that allows you to create cakes of pastries and bread on your tray and collect huge quantities of custard-like silky Portuguese egg tarts to enjoy throughout the entire week.
The recipe itself is a blend of both these styles.
It’s also important to mention that egg tarts are different and two of the most well-known varieties are:
- Portuguese egg tarts also called “pastel de nata,” this egg tart comes with more flaky and pasty puff pastry shell. The center is sweeter and come with the traditional custard base making use of only egg yolks. A lot of recipes call for cinnamon to be added to the custard base and sprinkled over the top. The cakes are baked until the center’s color darkens to give them their distinctive look of blackening.
- Hong Kong egg tarts These are generally sold at dim sum eateries. They come with a crust that is a mixture of shortbread and pastry puff and , consequently, have a stronger shell. The inside is also less sweeter than Portuguese egg tarts since they have less sugar in them and are slightly darker in colour due to the entire egg.
Hong Kong vs. Portuguese dough
Each egg tart have different methods of baking. They share a general base of pastry shell recipe however, this particular Hong Kong egg tart has a shell that needs laminating two doughs, water dough and one made of oil. Also, there is a lot of chilling time between every fold and lamination. This Portuguese pastry shell comes with an easier “ruff pastry puff” process that I could begin from. It also required less time.
Although both egg tarts are great by themselves however, I’ve come to the realization that I’d like to bake an alternative and simpler variation based on my own preferences. After years of experimenting with various egg tarts (both Honk Kong and Portuguese variations) as well as trying to bake various variations, I decided to depart from traditional recipes, and simplify the crust and alter to the filling of custard. This allowed me to reduce the time required to prepare the tarts and more importantly, it reduced the number of headaches I experienced.
Making the dough for the rough pastry
The puff pastry that is rough is incredibly easy to make and produces a flaky and multiple-layered pastry (like in Guava and Cheese Puff pastry). It’s also great that it is easy to turn it into a crust , or the pastry used in apple turnovers. Instead of waiting for the dough to chill and be laminated it is possible to have a pastry dough that is ready to bake in just one hour.
In the food processor, mix the flour and powdered sugar and cubed butter. Process until the pieces of butter are just a bit smaller than dimes.
In the bowl of a big one, mix in the Sour cream until it turns into shaggy dough.
Transfer the dough to an uncluttered surface. Use your hands to shape the dough into a round and then gently knead the dough two times to ensure that it holds its shape.
Make use of a rolling pin to smooth the dough into a rectangular shape . around 1/2 inch thickness.
Then fold one side inwards towards the center (like an old-fashioned brochure) and then fold the second sides over that center. Wrap your dough in plastic wrap and put into the freezer and let it chill at least 15 minutes.
Utilize your roll pin once more and then flatten the dough into an inch-wide rectangle after which you can repeat the tri-fold. Then, cut the dough in half , and wrap it in a cloth before placing them in the fridge for about 15 minutes or until prepared to utilize it.
To make tarts, I usually make cupcakes using a pan for cupcakes because I do not have molds for egg tarts at home and they’re suitable size. Make the pastry dough to about 1/4 inch thick, then make use of a cookie cutter that is round to cut it into your mold you’re using. For a cupcake pan that is standard I recommend using the 3 3/4 inch cookie cutter.
Make sure to butter the pan to stop the cupcakes sticking. Place the circle-shaped dough into cupcake spaces and press them into the pan. Poke the bottoms of each tart to stop the bottoms from rising while baking. You’re now ready for the filling!
Custard filling
To make Hong Kong egg tart fillings generally, you will make use of whole eggs and sweeten it using simple syrup. Portuguese egg tarts are made with eggs, yolks and white sugar and cinnamon. In the recipe I used, I stuffed it eggs with yolks evaporated milk, then then added condensed milk to create an icy, custard-like appearance.
For the filling, put all the ingredients in the bowl of a mixer and mix until all ingredients are integrated. The most important step in this procedure is straining several times to eliminate any non-incorporated components of the yolk as well as the air bubbles that are too large. I prefer to strain the filling using the fine mesh strainer for at least twice to create an even texture.
I prefer using one spoon to fill the tart moulds. fill each mold up to around 75% of the filling. I like to eliminate the bubbles from the top by scooping them away and then placing it on top of a baking sheet for ease of transportation and to stability.
Baking
The oven should be heated to 400 degrees F to help that the pastry puff rise correctly while baking. Place the cupcake pan in the oven to bake for around 10 minutes. At this moment those puff pastry shells ought to be rising and beginning to turn brown.
Then, lower the temperature to 350 degF , and cook for another 5 to 8 minutes, or till the edges turn golden brown, which is the time to cook egg tarts. Make use of a toothpick to poke the center of the egg tart to ensure it’s cooked. If it’s perfectly smooth, remove the baking dish from the oven and place it down on the counter for a while to cool.
Make sure to serve the eggs tarts, and take a bite!
Are egg tarts sweet?
Egg tarts may be sweetened using basic syrups, sugar or any other sweetener However, the sweetness that an egg tart has varies on the type of egg tarts that you are eating. Hong Kong egg tarts are significantly less sweet than their Portuguese counterparts.
What is the taste of egg tart like?
Egg tarts are similar to the silky custard, but they can differ in sweetness depending upon the particular recipe. The shells may range from a flaky crust to shortbread puff pastry that is thickerbut soft and crisp after eating.
Who was the first to invent egg tart?
Egg tarts are in existence since early medieval period throughout England (like deviled eggs! ) in Hong Kong, where they were also referred to in the form of custard tarts. The 18th century saw Portuguese monks were suffering from an over-production of egg yolks because of making use of egg whites to starch their clothing. They invented the pastel de Nata to utilize all egg yolks. It was not until the 20th century that Hong Kong egg tarts came into the spotlight due to their Guangdong influence (which was home to British colonies during early 18th century).
What is the main difference of Portuguese egg tart and egg tart?
Portuguese egg tarts are different in comparison to Hong Kong egg tarts in their fillings and crusts. While Portuguese egg tarts feature an eggy custard brulee filling with a sweet and cinnamon-flavored, Hong Kong egg tarts make use of whole eggs and simple syrup, giving the tart a more subtle flavor and texture. Hong Kong crusts are also made of a crumbly tart which could describe itself as a mixture of puff pastry and shortbread and Portuguese egg tarts are made with flaky, buttery crust
Egg Tart Recipe (Dim Sum Style)
Ingredients
DOUGH
- 110 g or 11/2 1 c all-purpose flour
- 8 g or 1 tablespoon powdered sugar
- 3 grams or 1/2 1 tsp salt
- 110 ml or 4 Oz Sour cream
- 200 grams or 14 tbsp of chilled butter, cut in 1-inch cubes
FILLING
- 4 egg yolks
- 1/3 c evaporated milk
- 4 tbsp or 78 ml condensed milk
- 2.5 ml or 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
DOUGH
- In the food processor, mix the flour as well as powdered sugar and salt and butter. It is a matter of pulsing several times until butter is the amount of rice. Transfer the mixture to the bowl of a large size and add the sour cream . Stir slowly until the sour cream is fully incorporated. I like using my hands toward the end to ensure that the butter doesn't break too often. The dough should start to change into an amorphous appearance.
- Place the dough on the parchment paper and then roll the dough into the shape of a ball. Use a second parchment sheet to put it over the dough ball, then roll the dough to form a rectangular shape that is approximately 1/4-1/2 inch thickness.
- Remove the top layer of parchment. Create tri-folds by grabbing part of it on the left side, and then folding the other 1/3 all the way to the middle. Next, grab the left side and fold it over the fold you first made. You will end up with smaller rectangle. Wrap the dough in parchment paper, and then chill it within the refrigerator for about 15 minutes. Do not leave it out in the freezing too long or it will harden and freeze. too hard.
- When the dough is chilled and slightly hard then roll the dough to form an even larger rectangle. You can then create a trifold one more time. After that, chill it within the fridge for about 15 minutes before baking your tarts.
- To make tarts bake, grease the cake pans or egg tart molds thoroughly to prevent them from sticking.
- The dough should be rolled out to approximately 1/4 inch using a cookie cutter. It should be of the proper size for the molds you'll need. For a cupcake pan that is standard I used a quarter inch cookie cutter.
- Make sure to carefully place the circles in the molds. Press the dough with a firm press into the molds. Make use of a fork to poke the middle of each tart to stop rising while baking. The recipe should yield about 12 tarts. There are likely to be leftover scraps of dough that you could shape into a ball and use for later recipe ideas for pastry puffs.
FILLING
- Mixing bowl mix together the eggs evaporated milk, condensed milk, vanilla extract. Whisk thoroughly.
- The egg filling should be strained via a fine-mesh strainer, at least twice to eliminate large chunks of egg yolks as well as air bubbles. This will resultin an even filling.
- The tart shells should be filled about 75% up , to allow room for the tart to rise in the baking.
BAKING
- The oven should be preheated to 400degrees F
- Put your cupcake pan or molds for egg tarts on sheets of baking paper to help make the tarts more balanced and to allow to make it easier to transport them. Place the tarts on the middle rack in the oven and cook for about 10 minutes. At this moment, the tart shells will rise and begin to turn brown around the edges. The center are supposed to be slightly jiggly.
- Reduce the temperature to 350 degrees F and bake for an additional 5 to eight minutes, or until the center is firm, but before the edges begin to burn. To check the center make sure you press a toothpick through the middle of the tart. If it's smoothly, then they're done. If the centers remain wet, bake for a further couple of minutes.
- Take the egg tarts out of the oven and let them cool at the counter around five minutes. After that, take them out of the molds, and transfer them to the wire rack to cool. Serve them fresh and you can toast them later in the day.
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