Chinese egg custard tarts
“Sunday at my place is yum cha day. And when I can’t get to an actual restaurant we turn urgently to this recipe. Wobbly, perfect custard tarts. I love a mango pancake as much as anyone, but these are my absolute favourites. ”
Chinese egg custard tarts
makes 12 tarts | prep time 40 mins, plus 1 hr 30 mins chilling | cook time 30 mins
6 free-range egg yolks
100 g (3½ oz) caster (superfine) sugar
150 ml (5 fl oz) thin (pouring) cream
125 ml (4 fl oz/½ cup) milk
1 vanilla bean, halved lengthways and seeds scraped
PASTRY
340 g (11¾ oz) plain (allpurpose) flour
1 large pinch of sea salt
150 g (5½ oz) unsalted butter, softened slightly, diced
30 g (1 oz/¼ cup) icing (confectioners’) sugar
2 free-range eggs, lightly whisked
For the pastry, combine the flour and salt in a food processor, then add the butter, a few cubes at a time, pulsing after each addition. Add the sugar and pulse until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Add egg and process until it forms a dough. Bring the dough together on the work surface, pat into a flat disc and wrap in plastic wrap. Rest in the fridge for a least 1 hour.
Preheat the oven to 190°C (375°F).
Roll out the pastry on a lightly floured board to 3–4 mm (about 1/8 in) thick. Using an 8 or 9 cm (3¼ or 3½ in) cutter, cut out twelve rounds, re-rolling remaining pastry as necessary. Put pastry rounds in a twelve-hole standard (60 ml/1/3 cup) muffin tin. Prick bases lightly 3–4 times and chill about 30 minutes in the refrigerator, or 15–20 minutes in the freezer, until firm.
Bake tart cases for 8–10 minutes, or until the pastry is just set but still pale. Remove from the oven, leave cases on the tray, and set aside. Reduce the oven temperature to 180°C (350°F).
Whisk the egg yolks, sugar, cream, milk and vanilla lightly in a jug until combined. Pour into the pastry shells, leaving 5 mm (¼ in) at least at the top so custard doesn’t spill over during cooking. Bake for 12–15 minutes, or until the filling is set but still wobbly in the centre. Let the tarts cool slightly, then serve.
QUICK TIP
You can use store-bought shortcrust pastry as an alternative: bake tart shells according to packet directions then proceed with filling, as above.
This recipe appeared in Margaret and Me (Murdoch), my third cookbook. Photography by Rob Palmer. Styling by Michelle Noerianto.