Portuguese Egg Tart (2) 葡挞 Recipe
Flaky pastry crust filled with a creamy egg custard.
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Ingredients
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Pastry
Custard
Finishing
Method
Pastry
- 1
Thaw puff pastry
If frozen, thaw the puff pastry sheet in the refrigerator for 1–2 hours or at room temperature for 20–30 minutes until pliable but still cold.
- 2
Prepare tins
Preheat oven to 250°C (480°F) or the highest your oven reliably reaches. Lightly butter two 7–9 cm (about 3 inch) tart tins or one small muffin tin (2 cavities) with the unsalted butter.
- 3
Cut and fit pastry
On a lightly floured surface, roll the puff pastry sheet briefly to smooth seams and to about 3 mm thickness. Cut two rounds about 11–12 cm in diameter (to allow for some shrinkage). Gently press each round into a prepared tart tin, pushing pastry up the sides and smoothing. Trim any excess. If the pastry feels warm, chill the filled tins 15–20 minutes to firm the dough.
- 4
Dock (optional)
If you prefer a slightly flatter base, prick the base lightly with a fork once chilled. (Do not fully blind-bake—custard will set in the oven.)
Custard
- 5
Make cornstarch slurry
In a small bowl, whisk the cornstarch with 15 ml of the milk until smooth and free of lumps. Set aside.
- 6
Infuse milk and cream
In a small saucepan combine the remaining milk (75 ml), heavy cream (60 ml), granulated sugar (50 g), lemon peel strip, cinnamon stick, and a pinch of salt. Warm over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the sugar dissolves and the mixture is steaming but not boiling (small bubbles around the edge), about 3–5 minutes.
- 7
Temper eggs
While the milk is heating, whisk together the 2 whole eggs and 1 egg yolk reserved for the custard with the cornstarch slurry and the vanilla extract in a bowl until smooth.
- 8
Combine hot liquid and eggs
Remove the lemon peel and cinnamon stick from the hot milk mixture. With the egg mixture in a bowl, slowly pour about one-third of the hot milk into the eggs while whisking constantly to temper. Then pour the tempered egg mixture back into the saucepan with the remaining milk, stirring constantly.
- 9
Thicken custard
Return the pan to low heat and cook gently, stirring constantly, until the mixture thickens slightly and coats the back of a spoon, about 2–4 minutes. Do not boil vigorously — you want a smooth, pourable custard. Remove from heat and, if there are any lumps, pass the custard through a fine mesh strainer into a clean bowl. Let the custard cool for 5 minutes; it should remain pourable.
Finishing & Baking
- 10
Pre-fill preparation
Place the chilled pastry-lined tins on a baking sheet. Lightly whisk together the remaining egg yolk and 5 ml milk to make the egg wash.
- 11
Fill tarts
Carefully pour the warm custard into the pastry shells, filling them to about 90% full (leave a small gap for the custard to expand).
- 12
Egg wash and bake
Brush the exposed pastry rim (not the custard surface) lightly with the egg wash to help the pastry brown. Immediately bake in the preheated, very hot oven for 10–15 minutes, rotating once if your oven has hot spots. The pastry should be deeply golden and the custard surface may develop dark brown/blistered spots — this is characteristic of Portuguese egg tarts. If using a lower-maximum oven temperature, bake 15–18 minutes and watch closely to avoid burning.
- 13
Finish and cool
Remove from oven and let the tarts cool in the tins for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool another 10 minutes. The custard will set further as it cools but should still be slightly creamy.
- 14
Serve
Serve warm or at room temperature. Dust lightly with a little ground cinnamon or powdered sugar if desired.
