Recipe: Custard Egg Tarts

We’ve been craving for Lord Stow’s Portugese Egg Tarts and it’s impossible to get them when you’re in Cebu and on ECQ. This is a tweaked recipe that is good for a 12 cup muffin pan. Not exactly the same as the famous one but it hits the spot. 

Custard Egg Tart

Pastry crust:

• 2 cups flour
• 1 tsp salt
• 2-1/2 sticks cold butter, cubed
• 1/2 cup ice cold water

Filling:

• 3 egg yolks
• 2 eggs
• ½ cup white sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1/2 cup cream 

You will also need a 12 cup muffin tin pan. About 1/3 cup capacity. 

Pastry Instructions:

1. Place the flour and salt in a large bowl and whisk to combine.
2. Using knife, fork or food processor, cut the cubed cold butter into the flour mixture and mix until coated
3. Stir in the cold water slowly until everything is holding together. Do not knead. 
4. Gather the dough into a ball, flatten it into a disk-shape, and wrap in plastic wrap.
5. Chill for 1 hour in the fridge. 
6. Unwrap the dough, prepare a large cling wrap flat on the work surface and dust plastic with flour.  (The cling wrap will make the dough easy to roll into a log.) Roll the dough flat on top of the cling wrap using a rolling pin into a rectanglular shape about more or less 1/2 cm or thinner. 
7. Dot the dough surface with butter and roll them using your hands, into a long log. (This method will make the baked dough flaky with the butter between sheets.) It may crumble but it’s okay, just pick them up and stick it back to its place and continue to roll until it forms into a long log. 
8. Cut log in 12 small discs and flatten with the rolling pin and use this flattened dough to line the buttered muffin tin. No need to blind bake. 

Filling:

1. Preheat oven to 180F. 
2. In a bowl, whisk the egg yolks, eggs, sugar and vanilla until well combined. 
3. Stir in the milk and cream. 
4. Transfer the mixture to a pitcher or any container with a spout for easy pouring and  fill each pastry lined muffin cup about two-thirds full with the mixture. 
5. Bake in the oven for 10 minutes or until the pastry is lightly browned and the custard is starting to set. Then turn the heat down to 150°C and bake for another 20-25 minutes or until the custard is just set and the pastry is golden on the top.

Happy Eats!