Portuguese Egg Tart Recipe
Make Portuguese Egg Tart Recipe in just 1h 30m. Get the full recipe with step-by-step instructions at pekinthechef.com.
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Ingredients
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Pastry
Custard
Method
Pastry
- 1
Mix dry ingredients
Whisk the flour and salt together in a large bowl until evenly combined.
- 2
Cut in butter
Add the cold cubed butter to the flour. Use a pastry cutter or fingertips to work the butter into the flour until mixture resembles coarse crumbs with some pea-sized butter pieces remaining.
- 3
Form dough
Sprinkle the cold water over the mixture and gently mix just until the dough comes together. Do not overwork. Gather into a rough disk, wrap in plastic, and chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
- 4
Roll and shape
Lightly flour a work surface. Roll the chilled dough into a rectangle about 1/8" (3 mm) thick. Fold the dough into thirds (like a letter) to create layers, rotate 90 degrees, then roll out again to 1/8" thickness. Repeat the fold once more, then roll to about 1/4" (6 mm) thick. Using a round cutter slightly larger than your tart tins (for 6 tarts, use ~4"/10 cm cutter), cut rounds. Gently press each round into a greased or buttered tart tin, ensuring sides are sealed and there are no big air pockets. Refrigerate formed shells for 15 minutes.
- 5
Blind bake (optional for crisper shells)
Preheat oven to 400°F (200°C). Line each tart shell with parchment and fill with pie weights or dried beans. Bake 8 minutes, remove weights and parchment, then bake 4–6 more minutes until the edges are just starting to color. Remove from oven and reduce oven temperature to 450°F (230°C) for custard browning step.
Custard
- 6
Make sugar syrup
In a small saucepan, combine the granulated sugar and water. Heat over medium, stirring until sugar dissolves. Bring to a gentle boil and simmer for 2–3 minutes until slightly thickened. Remove from heat and set aside to cool slightly.
- 7
Temper egg yolks
In a medium bowl, whisk the egg yolks with the cornstarch until smooth and slightly pale. Slowly pour about 1/2 cup of the warm milk/cream mixture (see next step) into the yolks while whisking to temper. Set aside.
- 8
Heat milk and cream
In a saucepan, combine whole milk and heavy cream with the optional lemon zest. Warm over medium heat until it just begins to steam (do not boil). Remove from heat.
- 9
Combine components
Stir a few tablespoons of the warm milk into the sugar syrup to thin it slightly, then slowly whisk the warmed milk/cream into the yolk-cornstarch mixture. Whisk the sugar syrup in gradually until fully incorporated. Add vanilla extract. The final custard should be smooth and pourable.
- 10
Strain and chill slightly
Strain the custard through a fine-mesh sieve into a heatproof bowl to remove any bits of cooked egg or zest. Let it cool for 10 minutes so it is warm but not hot (this prevents excessive bubbling and scorching in the oven).
- 11
Fill shells
Place the prepared tart shells on a baking tray. Pour the warm custard into each shell, filling about 3/4 to 7/8 full, leaving a small gap to allow for bubbling and browning.
- 12
Finish baking
Increase oven temperature to 500°F (260°C) or use the broiler for a blasting top (if your oven reaches that temperature). Bake the filled tarts on the middle rack for 7–10 minutes, watching closely — the custard should blister and develop dark brown spots on the surface while the crust becomes deeply golden. If using broiler, watch constantly to avoid burning; rotate pans as needed for even browning.
- 13
Cool and serve
Remove tarts from oven and let cool in tins for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack. Serve warm or at room temperature. Optionally dust with a little ground cinnamon before serving.