It is good that Janine suggested pies and tarts for this month's Aspiring Bakers event. I'm sure a lot of us avoided making these and it motivates us to challenge something new, something we are not good at, or something we have not done for a long time.
Egg tarts is one of my favourite, that's why I choose to make this as my first challenge. I actually had fun making the tarts this time. It is not as hard or time-consuming as I thought as I divide the process into 2 days. I make the crust in advance and freeze them. On the day when I'm ready to bake, I only need to prepare the fillings.
The tarts can be easily removed from the tart cases which I'm using (I did not grease the cases). Just push the tart case from the bottom and the tarts will be out. I think it should be able to remove easily from tart moulds too. I like the crust as it is firm enough to hold and crumbles in your mouth. The egg custard is very smooth too. The only problem I had was the crust was not evenly pressed and the base is thicker than the sides. I just need more practice to perfect it. I'm hoping to do more egg tarts as I know there are so many different recipes for the crust and the egg custard. For now, I'm happily eating these egg tarts. Have a piece!
Egg Tarts 蛋塔
Ingredients (makes nine 8cm diameter tarts) (I make ten 6.5cm diameter)
Crust:
80g unsalted butter, soften at room temp
30g icing sugar
pinch of salt
10g milk powder
30g egg, lightly beaten
115g cake flour
15g bread flour
Filling:
2 large eggs, beaten
125ml fresh milk
40g sugar
1 tsp rum (I omitted)
Method
Crust:
1. Whisk butter, icing sugar and salt until pale and creamy.
2. Add milk powder, mix well.
3. Add in egg gradually, mixing well after each addition.
4. Add sifted cake flour and bread flour in 2 separate additions. Press to combine. Do not knead.
5. Wrap in cling wrap and chill in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.
6. Divide the dough into 9 portions (~30g each).
7. Roll each small dough round, press flat slightly, coat lightly with flour and press into tart moulds/cases. Try to make the thickness as even as possible. Set aside.
(Can be frozen at this stage)
Filling:
1. Heat up milk and sugar until sugar dissolves. Remove from heat and leave until slightly warm. Add in rum and mix well.
2. Add in beaten eggs gradually, keep stirring while adding.
3. Sieve the egg mixture. Fill into the tarts until 90% full.
4. Bake in preheated oven at 180 deg C for 20-22 minutes.
(Tips:
* Place in a lower rack so that the crust can be cooked before the egg custard being heated up too quickly.
* When the custard starts to puff up (about 15 minutes after baking starts), pull the oven door open about 2 to 3 inches (you can put a spoon or anything to keep the door ajar, I clip a metal clothes peg). Continue to bake until the custard is set. This will prevent custard from being puffed up too high and collapse once they are cooled down.)
Recipe from: Carol自在生活 and tips from Christine's Recipes.
I am submitting this Egg Tarts to Aspiring Bakers #10: Easy as Pie (August 2011), hosted by Not the Kitchen Sink!.