Chinese Egg Tarts 蛋塔

I received my first food blog request from hfng last Friday, yipeee! Coincidentally, i found an egg tart recipe a few days before the request so I wanted to make them as soon as possible. I've already tried making egg tarts a year ago but it turned out to be a disaster. I don't know what went wrong (bad recipe, probably) but the custard filling completely puffed and dried up... like a fritatta. Yea, don't ask. So this time i found an online video on ytower to make sure i don't mess up on any of the steps. If you understand Chinese, go here. If not... you'll just have to settle for my crappy pictorial, hope it isn't too confusing XD. I cut the recipe in half and followed the video exactly and ended up with way too much leftover custard... had to make another batch of dough to use it up. So if you ask me, I'd say make thinner and deeper tart shells with lots of filling, you'll love it! Nothing brightens up a day more than a one-inch custard egg tart. *slurp*

Chinese Egg Tarts 蛋塔

from ytower.com
makes 20 egg tarts
INGREDIENTS:

• EGG CUSTARD FILLING:
  
• 400g milk (1.5 cups + 2 tablespoons/430 mL)
• 350g eggs (7 medium eggs/6 large eggs)
• 275g sugar (1.5 cups/375mL) [or less, depending on your taste]
  
• 1 pinch of salt (1/8 teaspoon)
  
  
• TART CRUST:
• 220g flour (about 1.5 cups)
• 2-3 tablespoons powdered sugar
  
• 150g butter, softened and cubed (2/3 cups)
• 50g eggs (1 egg)
• 2g salt (1/2 teaspoon)
  

DIRECTIONS:

EGG CUSTARD FILLING:

1. Pour all custard ingredients into a large pot and set over the LOWEST heat (temperature should not exceed 50ºC) [picture 1].
   
2. Using a whisk, stir the egg custard in ONE direction (avoid making air bubbles) until the sugar has dissolved [picture 2].
3. Sieve the custard through a strainer to get rid of any unwanted parts of the eggs [picture 3]. Let cool and set aside.
4. Skim off any foam or solid particles once the custard has cooled. The mixture should be silky yellow.
   

TART CRUST:

1. Sift the flour and powdered sugar into a mixing bowl [picture 4].
2. Add in the butter, egg, and salt. Use a hand mixer and mix on the lowest speed (beware of flour cloud), or just mix by hand [picture 5].
   
3. Once the dough comes together, on a floured surface, roll it out into a log and cut into 20 pieces [picture 6, 7].
4. Roll the dough into a ball and slightly flatten it on your palm.
   
5. Place the dough into your muffin well (or tart mold) and use your thumb to press and shape the walls [picture 8, 9, 10].
   

EGG TART:

1. Pour the custard into the tart shells (80% full) [picture 11].
   
2. Bake at 180ºC (350ºF) for 20 minutes [picture 12].
   
3. To tell if they're done, shake your muffin pan and the egg custard should be firm and jiggly like jello.
   
4. Cool for 30 minutes and gently lift them out with a butter knife.
   

Chinese Egg Tarts 蛋塔