PORTUGUESE EGG TARTS

Notes:

You can make your own puff pastry or purchase it. If you want to make your own there are many good variations out there, but you will need to make it at least the night before and refrigerate.

Equipment needed:

• Regular muffin tins that can accommodate 16-20 tarts or mini muffin tin(s) that can accommodate up to ~30 mini tarts. You can also purchase egg tart moulds, but these are not necessary. You can click the following link to get the same mini muffin pan I used from Amazon: Wilton Perfect Results Non-stick mini muffin pan. It’s also excellent for preparing sous vide style egg bites.

• Whisk

• Saucepan

• Mesh sieve

You do not need a stand mixer, even though I used one for part of this recipe.

Prep time: ~30 mins, Bake time: 15 mins

Mini Portuguese Egg Tarts

Fresh out of the oven, with a sprinkle of cinnamon. Aren’t they pretty?

EGG TART FILLING:

Granulated sugar 2/3 cup

Water 2/3 cup

Vanilla bean paste: 3/4 tsp (alternatively use a cut and scraped vanilla bean)

Salt 1/2 tsp

Milk 1 + 1/3 cups

AP flour 1/3 cup

Egg yolks 6

GARNISH:

Ground cinnamon

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 500 F. You can also preheat to 450 F and bake for slightly longer.

2. In your saucepan, combine the sugar, water and vanilla bean paste (or scraped vanilla bean seeds and pod) and mix over high heat. Bring to a boil for 1-2 mins and then take off the heat and let sit until ready to use.

3. On a lightly floured surface roll your chilled puff pastry into a log about 5 cm (2 inches) in diameter and then cut into about 20-30 slices. If using regular muffin tins cut the slices about 1.3 cm (~1/2 inch) thick, if using a mini muffin tin cut the slices about 1 cm (0.4 inch) thick.

4. Press each piece of puff pastry into your muffin tin molds with the spiral side facing up. Bring the pastry all the way up the sides of each mold. Refrigerate the muffin tin with pastry until the pastry has firmed up again (~10-20 mins).

5. Reserve 4-5 tablespoons of milk and then heat up the rest in a saucepan (or microwave). You want the milk hot, but not boiling.

6. In a large bowl whisk your flour and salt together and then add the 4-5 tablespoons of reserved milk to wet it and break it up, and then whisk in the hot milk while pouring slowly. Next, slowly pour in the cooled sugar syrup while continuing to whisk (remove the vanilla pod if you used one). Transfer the flour/milk/syrup mixture back to your saucepan and whisk on low heat until thick (~5-10 mins).

7. Remove the saucepan from the heat and whisk in the 6 egg yolks.

8. Strain the filling through your fine mesh sieve to remove any lumps.

9. Transfer about 1.5 tablespoons of the filling to each of your pastry tart shells if using a regular muffin tin (or about 1 tablespoon of filling if using a mini muffin tin).

10. Bake until the tart shells are golden and the egg filling is firm and set and has some brown and black marks, approximately 13-15 mins.

11. Let the tarts cool in the tin for about 5 mins before transferring out to cool further. Garnish with cinnamon and devour while still warm.