Portuguese Egg Tart Recipe

Prepare tins and dough

Preheat the oven to 250°C (480°F) for a standard home oven or 270°C (520°F) if your oven runs cool; position a rack in the upper third of the oven. Lightly brush a 12-cup muffin tin or individual tart tins with melted butter. Lightly flour a work surface and unroll one sheet of puff pastry. If using a roll, roll out to approximately 30 x 30 cm (12 x 12 in) to even thickness.

Cut pastry into 12 equal squares (about 8 cm / 3 in each). Working one at a time, press each square into a muffin cup, forcing the pastry up the sides and leaving a slightly thicker rim at the top. Trim any excess with a knife. If using two sheets, overlap and roll thin first, then cut.

Chill the filled tin in the refrigerator for 10 minutes while you make the custard — this helps prevent the pastry from shrinking during baking.

Make custard base

In a medium saucepan, combine the milk, heavy cream and half of the sugar (about 60 g). Warm over medium heat until tiny bubbles form at the edge and steam rises, but do not let it boil. Remove from heat.

Meanwhile, in a heatproof bowl whisk together the egg yolks, remaining granulated sugar (about 65 g), cornstarch and vanilla extract until smooth and slightly pale. If using lemon zest, stir it into the yolk mixture.

Temper the yolks: slowly pour about one-quarter of the hot milk mixture into the yolks while whisking continuously to raise their temperature without scrambling. Then pour the yolk mixture back into the saucepan with the remaining milk mixture, whisking to combine.

Cook custard

Return the pan to medium-low heat and cook, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon or heatproof spatula, until the mixture thickens slightly and coats the back of the spoon (about 3–5 minutes). Do not let it boil vigorously. Once thickened to a pourable custard, remove from heat and let cool for 5 minutes.

Pass the custard through a fine-mesh sieve into a clean bowl to remove any cooked bits and ensure a silky texture. Use a spatula to push it through and discard any solids.

Fill tarts

Preheat oven to 250°C (480°F) again if it cooled. Pour the warm custard into the chilled pastry shells, filling them nearly to the rim but leaving a little space (about 2–3 mm) for expansion. Work quickly so the pastry remains cold.

Bake on the upper rack for 12–15 minutes until the pastry is puffed and the custard surface has characteristic blistered brown spots. For a more pronounced caramelized top, use the broiler for 1–2 minutes watching carefully to avoid burning.

Make quick syrup (optional)

While tarts bake, combine 25 ml water and 15 g sugar in a small saucepan. Heat gently until the sugar dissolves, then simmer 1–2 minutes until slightly syrupy. Remove from heat and set aside.

When tarts are done, remove from oven. Brush the custard surfaces lightly with the warm syrup to give shine and a touch of gloss. Allow tarts to cool in the tin 8–10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool another 10–15 minutes. The custard will set more as it cools.

Dust with a little confectioners' sugar or a light sprinkle of ground cinnamon if desired. Serve warm or at room temperature.