RECIPE
This recipe makes around 15 individual tarts
Tart Pastry
120 g Unsalted Butter
50 g Icing Sugar
1 u Whole Egg
200 g Plain Flour
30 g Cake Flour
2 g Salt
1 tsp Vanilla Bean Paste
Egg Custard Filling
80 ml Evaporated milk
150 ml Hot Water
70 g Castor Sugar
50 g / 2 u Whole eggs
Method:
For the Pastry
Before starting, make sure that the eggs and butter are at room temperature.
1. Place the room temperature butter and sifted icing sugar into a stand mixer bowl with a paddle attachment. Meanwhile, in a separate bowl whisk the eggs. (It is easier to add the eggs a little at a time like this as is required in the process to avoid the butter from separating if the whole egg are added too quickly)
2. Mix the butter and sugar on medium speed until light and pale, making sure that you scrape the side and bottom of the bowl as needed.
3. Gradually add in the egg a little at a time until they are well incorporated.
4. Add in the dry mix to form a dough. Once the mix starts to come together into a dough, stop mixing or it can make the pastry too tough.
5. Place the pastry onto a baking parchment paper, then flatten it with another piece of parchment paper. Roll the pastry to approximately 0.5 cm in thickness between the paper. Place the pastry in the fridge to firm up a little. You want the pastry to have a firm consistency to line into the tart rings but not too stiff that they break when you try to push them in to the rings.
6. Cut the chilled pastry in to individual disc approximately 2 cm wider in diameter than the size of the ring. If you are using a deeper tart mould, you may need to cut it bigger.
7. Gently push in the pastry in to the individual tart rings (I use a 6 cm in diameter x 2.5 cm in depth tart moulds) press the edges gently to even layer of the tart moulds.
Note: make sure that you press down well around the bottom edges of the tart pastry and there there are no holes on the base.
For the Custard Filling
1. Stir the sugar into the hot water until they are fully dissolved. Place the sugar syrup aside to fully cool.
2. Gently whisk the eggs, then add in the evaporated milk and the sugar syrup. Pass the liquid fillings over a fine sift and pass it through three times to get rid of any egg lumps. Make sure that you do not create too much air pockets during this process.
3. Place the lined tarts onto a baking tray, pour 90% full into the tart shells.
4. Place the tarts in to a pre-heated oven at 180°C and bake for 15 to 18 minutes. To know if the tart is ready, jiggle the tray a little, it should look like the filling is set but still wobbly.
Note: To have a darker crust, you can increase the oven slightly higher to 190 °C and bake for 5 minutes then turn down the heat.
