Portuguese Egg Tarts

by Erin

Homemade puff pastry shines in these otherwise simple Portuguese egg tarts with flaky buttery crusts and a rich custard filling.

Portuguese Egg Tarts.
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Happy Pi Day! To celebrate I made mini pies! I think technically tarts are pastries not pies but they are still round and acceptable for pi day.

I went a little outside of my comfort zone with these Portuguese egg tarts. I have had and enjoyed them before but I am pretty sure this was the first time I have made my own puff pastry before, even a rough puff.

I contemplated using store-bought instead to make my life easier, but egg tarts already have such simple ingredients I thought it was the perfect time to show off a homemade flaky, buttery, crust – and I was right.

Egg Tarts with Puff Pastry.

You really can’t beat the buttery goodness of homemade puff pastry. I get it if you don’t want to deal with all the chilling, folding, and rolling but I promise it pays off and will be worlds better than store-bought puff pastry.

The part of this recipe you can skip out on is the special little fluted tart molds . While yes I bought some just to make this recipe, you can just use a standard cupcake pan.

Portuguese egg tart cross section.

What is the difference between Chinese and Portuguese egg tarts?

Chinese egg tarts usually have a crust more similar to traditional pie with a less sweet custard filling, while Portuguese egg tarts are a more flaky crust filled with a richer custard.

I can’t speak for what happens when you bake the Chinese version but these Portuguese egg tarts look like little balloons ready to pop in your oven – I promise they won’t. Continue baking until the custard gets a little golden and they are done. Serve warm or as soon as they cool to enjoy the flaky buttery-ness in it’s prime.

Egg Tarts with Molds.

Portuguese Egg Tarts.

PORTUGUESE EGG TARTS

Print
Yield: 12 tarts Prep Time: Cooking Time:
Nutrition facts: 200 calories 20 grams fat

Ingredients

PUFF PASTRY

  • 3/4 cup (170g) unsalted butter, cold and cut into 1/2-inch cubes, divided
  • 1-1/2 (190g) cups all-purpose flour, divided
  • 1/2 tsp kosher salt, divided
  • 1 large egg, room temperature, lightly beaten
  • 2 Tbsp water

EGG CUSTARD

  • 1/3 cup (80g) water
  • 1/2 cup (100g) sugar
  • 1 cinnamon stick
  • 1/4 cup (30g) all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 cup + 3 Tbsp (1709g) whole milk, room temperature, divided
  • 3 large egg yolks, room temperature
  • Pinch of kosher salt

Directions

  1. For the puff pastry: In a medium bowl, add half of the butter (1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons or 85g), 3/4 cup (95g) of the flour, and 1/4 teaspoon of salt. Using a pastry cutter or two knives, blend together until it resembles coarse wet sand with some small lumps of butter. Knead just until it form a firm dough ("oil dough"), shape into a flattened disc, cover in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 20 minutes.
  2. Meanwhile in a medium bowl, gently whisk together the egg, water, and remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt. Add remaining 3/4 cup (95g) flour and stir with a rubber spatula to form a wet dough ("water dough"). Cover bowl tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 20 minutes.
  3. Generously flour a clean work surface. Remove the wet dough from the refrigerator, scrape onto the floured surface, and generously sprinkle with more flour. Using a floured rolling pin, roll dough into a thin 11-inch square, adding more flour as needed.
  4. Remove the disc of dough from the refrigerator and crumble on top of the thin rolled out dough, leaving a 3-inch border. Gently fold the exposed edges over the crumbled dough to meet in the middle, covering completely. 
  5. Roll out the dough again into an 11-inch square. Fold one third over the center third, and cover with the final third (like a tri-fold letter). Roll rectangle back into an 11-inch square again then repeat folding and rolling two more times (I like to alternate which sides I fold over). After the third time, fold each corner into the center, then roll into a 1/2-inch thick square. Cover in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 20 minutes. 
  6. When ready, lightly grease the inside of 12 fluted tart molds or a muffins pan; set aside. Roll out chilled dough to 1/8-inch thick. Using a 3-1/2-inch round cutter, cut the dough into 12-rounds, then lightly press into the molds. Place on a rimmed baking sheet and transfer to the refrigerator to chill while you make the egg custard.
  7. For the egg custard: Preheat oven to 350F with rack in the venter. 
  8. In a medium saucepan over high heat, combine the water. sugar, and cinnamon stick. Bring to a boil, let boil for 1 minute, then remove from heat; set aside to steep.
  9. In a small saucepan over medium-low heat, add 1/2 cup (125g) of the milk and heat until scaled (bubbles form around the edges). Remove from heat.
  10. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour and 3 tablespoons of water. While continuously whisking, slowly pour the scalded milk into the flour mixture. Continue to whisk while slowly pouring in the cinnamon syrup, removing the cinnamon stick. 
  11. Return mixture back to the medium saucepan and cook over low heat, whisking constantly, until thickened, about 4 minutes. Add egg yolks and salt and whisk to combine. Strain through a fine-mesh strainer set over a large glass measuring cup or bowl with a pour spout.
  12. Remove tart molds filled with dough from the refrigerator and evenly space them out on the rimmed baking sheet. Fill each 3/4 full. Carefully transfer to the preheated oven for 30-45 minutes, or until golden on top (will be very puffy).
  13. Let cool in molds for 5-10 minutes before carefully removing to cool completely on a wire rack. Best served the same day, warm or at room temperature/ Any leftover should be refrigerated in an airtight container. 
Did You Make This Recipe?
I want to see! Tag me on Instagram at @TheSpiffyCookie and hashtag it #TheSpiffyCookie.

Source: Adapted slightly from Food52’s Genius Desserts Cookbook.

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