Cherry & Dennis Helper Habitat
Hong Kong Egg Tarts
港式蛋撻
Recipe overview
Buttery short pastry holds a smooth egg and milk custard, baked until the edges set and the centre barely wobbles. The 30-minute pastry chill is included.
01
Ingredients
Main ingredients
- 250 g all-purpose flour
- 125 g, chilled and diced unsalted butter
- 45 g icing sugar
- 4 eggs
- 200 ml whole milk
- 100 ml hot water
Egg seasoning
- 70 g sugar
- 1/4 tsp, optional vanilla extract
02
Tools
- scale
- large bowl
- spatula
- wrap
- rolling pin
- 12 tart tins
- small saucepan
- whisk
- fine sieve
- measuring jug
- oven
- oven mitts
03
Steps
Step 1
Mix pastry dry ingredients
Combine flour and icing sugar; keep butter cold.
Step 2
Rub in butter
Rub cold butter into flour until coarse crumbs form; do not melt it.
Step 3
Form and chill dough
Add one beaten egg, press gently into a dough, wrap and chill for 30 minutes.
Step 4
Roll and cut rounds
Roll dough to about 3 mm and cut twelve rounds slightly wider than the tins.
Step 5
Line tart tins
Press pastry lightly into bases and sides, trim and prick bases.
Step 6
Dissolve sugar
Dissolve 70 g sugar in 100 ml hot water; stir in milk and cool until lukewarm.
Step 7
Beat the remaining eggs
Lightly beat the remaining three eggs without whipping in much air.
Step 8
Strain custard
Slowly stir sugar milk into egg, add vanilla and strain twice.
Step 9
Fill shells
Pour custard to about four-fifths of each shell and remove surface bubbles.
Step 10
Preheat oven
Preheat to 200°C and place a tray on the middle rack.
Step 11
Bake tarts
Bake 10 minutes, reduce to 180°C and bake 12–15 minutes more until pastry is golden and custard edges set.
Step 12
Cool and unmould
Remove when centres barely wobble; cool on a rack 10 minutes before unmoulding.
Common mistakes
- Warm butter toughens pastry
- Overworking dough makes pastry chewy
- Unstrained custard develops holes
- Overbaking splits or weeps custard
Tips
Keep dough cold, strain custard before filling, and judge doneness by set edges with a gentle centre wobble.
