Egg Tart (蛋挞 Dan Tat) — Cantonese Custard Tart: HK Standard

Ingredients

• For the shortcrust shell (水皮, shui pi)
• 200 g plain flour
• 60 g icing sugar, sifted
• 100 g butter or lard, cold, cut into small pieces
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• For the custard filling
• 3 eggs
• 1 egg yolk
• 80 g caster sugar
• 200 ml full cream milk
• 100 ml water, warm
• ½ tsp vanilla extract
• 1 pinch fine salt

Method

1. 1
   Combine the sifted flour and icing sugar in a bowl. Rub in the cold butter or lard until the mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs. Add the beaten egg and bring the dough together with minimal handling. It should form a cohesive, soft dough that holds its shape without cracking.
2. 2
   Wrap the dough and rest it in the refrigerator until firm, at least 30 minutes. Press or roll portions into lightly greased individual tart moulds (approximately 8 cm diameter), bringing the pastry evenly up the sides. Return the lined moulds to the refrigerator and chill until the pastry is cold and firm to the touch.
3. 3
   Whisk the 3 eggs and 1 yolk with the caster sugar and salt together gently — sufficient to dissolve the sugar, but without beating in air or producing foam on the surface. Add the full cream milk, warm water, and vanilla extract. Stir to combine. Pass the mixture through a fine-mesh sieve into a pouring jug. The strained liquid should be perfectly clear and smooth, with no bubbles resting on the surface; if foam is present, allow it to dissipate before proceeding. This is where the dish lives or dies: a vigorous hand at this stage will produce a foam-topped, pocked custard rather than the characteristically silky, unbroken surface of a Hong Kong egg tart.
4. 4
   Heat the oven to 200 °C. Place the chilled pastry-lined moulds on a baking tray and bake for 5 minutes. The pastry base should be pale and set firm — no longer raw-looking when the edge is lifted slightly.
5. 5
   Remove the tray from the oven and reduce the temperature to 160 °C. Pour the strained custard carefully into each shell, filling to just below the pastry rim. Return to the oven and bake for 15–20 minutes. The custard is done when the edges are fully set and opaque, and the centre retains a distinct, gentle wobble when the tray is nudged — it should not slosh freely, nor should it be rigid throughout.
6. 6
   Remove from the oven and allow the tarts to cool in their moulds on a wire rack. The custard will continue to set as it cools. The surface should be smooth, level, and unmarked by bubbles. Serve at room temperature.