Inspired by this video (Le Gourmet TV visits famous HK bakery Tai Cheong), I was keen to experiment if I could bake egg tarts in 20 minutes. This HK bakery is well-known for their egg tarts - fresh, smooth and creamy egg custard with a delicious crumbly buttery cookie crust. They bake their egg tarts for 17 minutes, without pre-baking the shells.
I watched the video a number of times to study how they build the dough, mold the tarts before they finally bake them. Here are some observations:
- Their crust is very simple (only butter, flour and sugar is used).
- They use squeeze, press and push technique to incorporate the chilled butter into the flour. this is very similar to a French technique called 'fraisage' which creates flakier crust.
- When shaping tarts, they roll each piece of dough into a ball, flatten it slightly with the palm, dust upward facing side with flour, before molding them (dusting with flour really helps with molding).
- They build the tart shells a little higher than the tart mold and slightly angled at the top (I realize this not only allows more custard to be filled, but also makes the un-molding of tarts easier).
Armed with that, along with my previous experiences and blogger tips, I attempted to re-invent my egg tart process. I tried making crust with and without egg, and prefer the version with egg. It holds the tart together better and I think taste better. The key here is to use chilled butter, and keep it cold as much as possible - thus the refrigeration. Also work on the dough as quickly as you can (on a hot day, only take out a portion to work with). The reason for keeping butter cold is such that when it melts as the crust cooks, the butter will help separate the dough into flaky layers.
This recipe makes use of chilled butter rub-in method which results in more cookie-crumbly/flaky crust. There are other popular methods for making egg tart crust which involves creaming softened butter with sugar or using melted butter. Those methods yield crust that is more cookie-crunchy. Both types of crusts are delicious.
After experimenting with many different baking temperatures and times, the version I was happy with: bake at 420 deg F for 10 minutes, followed by 380 deg F for 15 minutes (total 25 minutes). The crust was beautifully-baked and crumbly, and the custard was perfectly set. Very nice. The tarts tasted very good the following day too.
Just how good are they? Try it for yourself and you will see. Well, the baking time isn't exactly Tai Cheong's 17 minutes, but it is good enough for me.
RECIPE FOR EGG TARTS
Makes 20 tarts (tart mold size: 3 inch/7.5cm diameter and 1 inch/2.5cm height)__________________________________________
Ingredients
Pastry
225g (2 sticks) butter, chilled
1 large egg
340g (2.5 cups) all-purpose flour
55g (1/4 cup + 2 Tbsp.) confectioners' powdered sugar
Custard filling
5 large eggs
470ml (2 cups) milk
130g sugar (1/2 cup + 2 Tbsp.) - if you have a sweet tooth, use 150 g of sugar
* cup and spoon measurements are based on scoop & sweep method. example: scoop measuring cup directly into flour bag, sweep off excess and level with a knife.
To make pastry:
1) Measure and place flour and confectioners' sugar in a large bowl. Cut the chilled butter into small cubes (about 1 cm) and add to flour. Rub the butter thoroughly into the flour using your fingers until the mixture becomes crumbly (see picture below).
2) Add 1 egg and use your hands to combine with the pastry ingredients till the dough comes together. Transfer dough to tabletop and knead the dough slightly to evenly mix the ingredients. You can use the palm of your hand to press and push the dough forward. Do not over knead or the crust will become tough.
3) Wrap dough with plastic wrap and place in the fridge while you make the custard filing.
To make custard filling:
4) In a large bowl, add milk, sugar and mix till sugar melts. Beat the eggs gently in a separate bowl with a fork. Add eggs to milk mixture and mix well. Sieve 2 times with fine mesh strainer to remove bubbles. Set aside the custard filing.
Shaping tarts:
4) Remove dough from fridge. Roll dough into 2 logs, divide into 20 portions (about 33g each).
5) Flatten each dough portion with your palm into a small circle, coat the side facing up with some flour and press the dough evenly into the mold. It is easier to rotate the mold clockwise as you progress. Press the dough against the base and sides of molds, and remove any air pockets.
6) Preheat the oven to 420 deg F (215 C) 20 minutes before the tarts are ready. Right before baking, pour the custard filling into the tart shells to 90% full.
Baking:
7) Bake the tarts on middle rack at 420 deg F (pre-heated oven) for 10 minutes till crust is lightly-golden. Decrease the oven temperature to 380 deg F (195 C) and continue to bake for another 15 minutes. You should see the custard puff up for the tarts.
8) Turn off heat, open oven door slightly and allow egg tarts to rest for 5 minutes. Remove from oven.
9) Let egg tarts cool for 15-20 minutes before removing them from molds. They should un-mold quite easily - if not use a toothpick to nudge into the sides gently. They are best eaten fresh on the same or next day.
Cook's note:
Having worked with different types of ovens and cookbooks from various countries, I notice that to have success with the same recipe, sometimes adjustments have to be made to the baking temperatures/times as different ovens operate differently. For example, I have to increase baking temperature by 20-30 deg F (10-20 deg C) when using my big oven versus a smaller oven. It is best to experiment, know your oven and make adjustments as necessary.
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