Egg Tarts

Having watched a video on the making of Cantonese Egg Tarts, though that it would be a good recipe to try as a start, since my husband and child both love egg tarts.
Remember that time when we were in Hong Kong and we bought some egg tarts. Eating those piping hot egg tarts under the cold temperature was such a marvelous thing to do.
After a few attempts at baking, this is finally a successful try. My first attempt was quite burnt, as I used a small toaster with no temperature control. Then, there was another that was too sweet. Finally, I have it all right. It looks better and taste good for an amateur like me.

Egg Tarts

Cantonese Egg Tarts Recipe :

Ingredients of crust:

• 225 g plain flour
• 125 g butter
• 55 g icing sugar ( I used 40g but may try lesser amount)
• 1 egg, whisked
• a dash of vanilla extract

Ingredients of custard:

• 3 eggs
• 110 g caster sugar
• 225 g hot water
• 85 g evaporated milk
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Method (making crust):

1. Place butter at room temperature until softened. Cream the butter and sugar with an electric mixer over medium speed until the mixture is smooth, fluffy and light in color.
2. Add in whisked egg, half at a time, beat over low speed. Add vanilla extract, mix well.
3. Sift in flour in two batches, scraping down the sides of the bowl between additions with a spatula, and make sure all ingredients combine well. Knead into dough. (see picture)
4. Roll out the dough to a 1/2 cm thickness. Cut dough with a cookie cutter that is just a bit smaller than your tart tin in size. Line dough in the middle of tart tins, one by one. Lightly press the dough with your thumbs, starting from the bottom then up to the sides. While pressing the dough, turn the tart tin clockwise/anti-clockwise in order to make an even tart shell. Trim away any excess dough.

Method (making custard):

1. Add sugar into hot water, mix until completely dissolved.
2. Whisk egg with evaporated milk. Pour in sugar water. Mix well.
3. Sift egg mixture to get rid of any foam into a tea pot. Carefully pour egg mixture into each tart shell.

Method (baking tarts):

1. Preheat oven to 200 deg.C. Position rack in lower third of oven. Bake tarts for 10 to 15 minutes until the edges are lightly brown.
2. Lower the heat to 180C. Keep an eye on them. Once you see the custard being puffed up a bit, pull the oven door open about 2 to 3 inches. Bake for another 10 to 15 minutes until the custard is cooked through. Just insert a toothpick into the custard. If it stands on its own, it’s done.