• Chinese Bakery Coconut Tart: Cakey and coconutty, I have loved these since the first time I went to a Chinese Bakery! Super underrated in my opinion.

• Portuguese Pastel de Nata: Creamier, with stronger notes of vanilla and cinnamon. Made with swirled of puff pastry.

• Hong Kong Dan Tat: Flakey and stronger egg flavor. You can make this with Chinese puff pastry (flakey version) or shortcrust (recipe under Coconut Tart)

• Hokkaido Cheese Tart: Not common in Chinese bakeries, but I tested a recipe in my off-time. I overbaked a few, so watch them closely in the oven!

 

The molds I used are 7 cm. diameter at the top and 5 cm. at the base.

(I've tested the tarts in a standard muffin tin as well! The wells are smaller/deeper than normal egg tart molds, so just account for that!)

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I wanted to practice more lamination while I was home, so I tried making Chinese puff pastry for the first time! I wondered how Chinese bakeries got their flakey egg tarts so tender, as normal puff pastry bakes up crispier. I learned about "oil dough" which is butter mixed with a large amount of flour. It's the equivalent to the butter layer in typical laminated doughs, but the addition of the flour makes it bake up similar to a shortbread - more tender. And it prevents the butter from "frying" the pastry, which is kind of what normal puff pastry does.

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Hong Kong Dan Tat/Flakey Egg Tart

makes 8-9 tarts. Use a 9-cm cutter for the egg tart molds

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Oil Dough
 

• 100 g all-purpose flour, sifted

• 160 g unsalted butter, cubed and refrigerated until use

  • Alternatively, I've used 90 g flour and 113 g or 1 stick butter for the oil dough. It's a little less buttery/flakey, but it still works well!

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Water Dough
 

• 20 g bread flour, sifted

• 60 g all-purpose flour, sifted

• 3 g sugar

• 2 g cornstarch

• 10 g beaten egg

• 40 g ice water

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Filling
 

• 150 g whole milk

• 75 g granulated sugar

• 3 eggs (150 g)

• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

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Instructions

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1. Make the oil dough. Combine the flour and cold cubed butter in a large bowl. Use a pastry cutter to press the butter into the flour until it forms a rough dough. Alternatively, use a food processor and pulse the mixture until rough dough forms. Work quickly so that butter does not melt.

2. Place the dough on a piece of cling wrap and wrap it up into a small rectangle parcel (about 10cm x 15cm). Chill in the fridge for 30 mins.

3. Make the water dough. Combine all the ingredients into an electric mixer, and blend until a dough forms. Knead for 5 minutes, until dough is smooth (texture feels like an ear-lobe). Mold into a rough oval shape, wrap in cling wrap and chill for 20 mins.

4. Take both water dough and oil dough out from the fridge. Dust the work surface with flour so that the dough will not stick to the surface. Remove cling wrap (keep it aside). Roll the water dough into a large oval, make sure it has sufficient space for the oil dough to be enclosed within. Place the oil dough in the middle of the water dough.

5. Wrap the water dough like a parcel, encasing the oil dough, make sure no oil dough is exposed at the seams.

6. Slightly flatten/roll the combined dough, dust with some flour top and below and wrap the dough in cling wrap. Chill in the fridge for 20 mins. The dough must always be chilled while rolling.

7. Retrieve the dough from the fridge. Dust the work surface and rolling pin with flour. Remove cling wrap (set aside), dust top and bottom of dough with flour. Roll the dough into half-inch thickness in rectangle shape. Fold one side towards the center.

8. Fold the other side towards the center. You will have 3 layers. Dust with flour all around. Wrap in cling wrap and chill in the fridge for 20 mins. This is round 1 of folding. (We will do 3 fold x 3 fold x 4 fold)

9. Repeat step 7. Repeat step 8. This is round 2 of folding.

10. Retrieve the dough from the fridge. Dust the work surface and rolling pin with flour. Make sure to dust a larger surface area. Remove cling wrap (set aside), dust top and bottom of dough with flour. Roll the dough into half-inch thickness in rectangle shape. Fold left and right sides towards the center.

11. Fold one side of the dough towards the center again. You will see 4 layers now. This is round 3 and the final round of folding. Dust with flour, cling wrap and chill in the fridge for 20 mins.

12. Retrieve dough from the fridge. Dust work surface and rolling pin with flour. Place dough on the work surface, dust with flour. Roll the dough flat into 0.5cm thickness. Use a cookie cutter to stamp the dough into individual tart shells larger than the diameter of the muffin tin. You can reroll the dough again but it won't be as flakey/even.

13. Wrap tart base using clingwrap (separate each layer) and chill in the fridge for 15 mins.

    • At this point you could freeze the tart base for subsequent use.

14. Retrieve tart base from the fridge. Mold each piece into the greased tart casing or muffin tin well, pressing down the dough towards the sides and bottom of the casing. If using an egg tart mold, avoid touching the top part (perforated), or else pattern will not be visible after baking. Poke some holes in the tart base using a fork gently (not too hard else egg filling will leak). Chill tart base in the fridge for 15 mins. Preheat oven at 220°C/425°F.

15. Prepare egg filling. Combine all ingredients of egg filling, making sure sugar is fully dissolved. Sieve the egg filling 2 times. Once the tart base is ready, pour the egg filling into each tart to about 80%.

16. Place the tray of egg tarts at the bottom-most rack. Bake at 200°C/400°F for 15 mins. After 15 mins, bake at 180°C/350°F for 10 mins. After 10 mins, slightly open the oven door, slip a cloth or oven mitt by the door and let egg tart bake in the residual heat for another 10 mins.

17. After 10 mins, remove the tray from the oven and let egg tarts cool slightly before removing the tarts from the casing.

18. The egg tarts are best served warm. They remain crispy for a couple of hours in the open. If not consumed immediately it's best to keep them covered in the fridge. To re-heat, I just pop them into air-fryer or oven for a few mins and they will become crispy again!

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Portuguese Pastel de Nata

makes 12 tarts

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Dough
 

• 150 g all-purpose flour

• 1 g kosher salt

• 80 ml water

• 113 g (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened to room temp.

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Filling
 

• 1 cinnamon stick

• 1/2 lemon peel

• 75 ml water

• 150 g granulated sugar

• 40 g all-purpose flour

• 1 1/2 cups whole milk, divided

• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

• 6 large egg yolks (120 g)

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Instructions

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1. Dough: Combine all-purpose flour with kosher salt. Whisk together until completely combined and add water.

2. Whisk together and then knead until a shaggy, sticky dough has formed and let rest on a well-floured surface for 20 minutes underneath a bowl - do NOT wrap in plastic wrap, or it will stick.

3. Once the dough has rested for 20 minutes, on a well-floured surface roll the dough out into a 12 inches x 12 inches square. Spread 1/3 of the softened butter over 2/3 of the dough then fold into thirds to create dough-butter-dough-butter-dough layers.

4. Rotate the dough 90 degrees and then roll out into a square and repeat step 3 one more time. Cover dough and chill in the fridge for 20 minutes.

5. Roll the dough to a 12-inch square again. Spread the rest of the soft butter to 90% of the surface, leaving 1-inch uncovered along one end.

6. Moisten the 1-inch un-buttered area with wet fingers and tightly roll the dough into a log from the opposite end. Roll and press lightly to seal shut and wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.

7. To make the custard, add granulated sugar, water, cinnamon stick, and washed lemon peel to a small saucepan. Bring this mixture to a simmer so that the sugar is dissolved. Once dissolved, take it off the heat and let cool for 30 minutes.

8. Into a large bowl whisk together all-purpose flour with 1/2 cup of the milk, mixing thoroughly until thick and no lumps remain.

9. Pour the rest of the whole milk into a large saucepan and heat over medium-low heat until just simmering, at which point add the flour and milk mixture. Whisk constantly and cook 1-3 minutes until thick, gooey, and creamy.

10. Once mixed into a creamy pancake-like batter, remove from heat and add the sugar syrup along with the vanilla. Whisk thoroughly to combine, until slightly cooled off. Then add 6 large egg yolks and whisk together into a smooth custard.  (The hotter your mixture is, the faster you will have to whisk in order not to scramble the eggs. Strain mixture through a fine-mesh sieve to catch any lumps. 

11. Preheat oven to 500°F. Place rack in the lower third of the oven.

12. Retrieve the dough from the refrigerator. On a lightly floured surface, trim off the uneven edges of the dough roll and divide into 12 equally sized pieces. When looked at from the side, the rolls should have a tight buttered swirl.

13. Place the dough into the center of the greased muffin tin and gently press it down from the center out - first trying to cover the bottom of the tin, followed by the sides. Repeat until the cupcake tin is full.

14. Fill each pastry 80% full with the custard mixture. Bake in the oven for 12-16 minutes, until the custard is puffed and the pastry is golden brown. Serve and enjoy!

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Coconut Tarts

makes 10 tarts

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Dough
 

• 125 g all-purpose or cake flour

• 25 g confectioners' sugar

• 1 g kosher salt

• 65 g unsalted butter, cold and cut into cubes

• 1 egg yolk (20 g)

• 4 g milk

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Filling
 

• 60 g milk

• 75 g confectioners' sugar

• Pinch salt

• 30 g unsalted butter, melted

• 80 g unsweetened desiccated coconut

• 2 large eggs, beaten (100 g)

• 48 g whipping cream

• 5 g cornstarch

• 5 g granulated sugar

• 4 g vanilla extract

• 3 g baking powder

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Instructions

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1. Dough: Whisk together dry ingredients. Cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in the egg yolk and milk, kneading together just until a dough forms. Do not overmix. Shape into a flat square, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate 1 hour.

2. Filling: Mix together the milk, confectioners' sugar, pinch of salt, and butter in a small mixing bowl. Stir in shredded coconut. Stir in beaten eggs, whipping cream, cornstarch, sugar, vanilla, and baking powder until thoroughly combined.

3. Assembly: Divide the pastry dough into 10 equal pieces. In 10 lightly-greased mini tart pans (2-3 inches in diameter), press a piece of dough so that it covers the bottom and sides. Poke the bottoms with a fork. Divide the filling evenly among the tart pans.

4. Place pans on a cookie sheet and bake in a 375°F oven for 15 minutes, or until golden brown on top. Open oven door slightly and let tarts sit for another 15 minutes. Remove tarts from pans and let cool. Serve within two days, or freeze and reheat in the oven.​

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Hokkaido Cheese Tart
makes about 9 tarts

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Dough
 

• 125 g all-purpose or cake flour

• 25 g confectioners' sugar

• 65 g unsalted butter, cold and cut into cubes

• 1 g kosher salt

• 1 egg yolk (20 g)

• 3 g milk

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Filling
 

• 150 g cream cheese

• 50 g mascarpone cheese

• 10 g parmesan cheese (optional)

• 30 g unsalted butter

• 100 g milk

• 30 g confectioners' sugar

• 10 g cornstarch

• 1 egg (50 g)

• 15 g lemon juice

• 2 g vanilla extract

• 2 g kosher salt

• 1 egg yolk, beaten, for brushing the tops

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Instructions

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1. Dough: Whisk together dry ingredients. Cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in the egg yolk and milk, kneading together just until a dough forms. Do not overmix. Shape into a flat square, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate 1 hour.

2. Filling: Mix together the cheeses, milk, and butter in a heatproof bowl. Set the bowl over a pot of simmering water (double boiler). Keep stirring the mixture until everything is melted.

3. Add sifted cornstarch and icing sugar. Mix until well-blended. The mixture will thicken slowly.

4. Add whole egg, vanilla extract and lemon juice. Mix until well-blended. The mixture will thicken into a custard. Taste the custard and add sea salt to increase the intensity of the cheese taste.

5. Press the custard through a sieve to remove any lumps. Cool custard completely.

6. Assembly: Divide the pastry dough into 10 equal pieces. In 10 lightly-greased mini tart pans (2-3 inches in diameter), press a piece of dough so that it covers the bottom and sides. Poke the bottoms with a fork.

7. Bake the tart shells at 350°F for 10 minutes. Remove from oven and place on wire rack to cool, then remove the shells from tart pans.

8. Preheat oven to 450°F.

9. Put the cooled filling in a piping bag. Pipe mounds of filling evenly among the tart shells, shape slightly domed. Brush custard evenly with egg yolk.

10. Bake the tarts at 450°F, about 6 minutes. Watch closely so it doesn't overbake or burn.

11. Once baked, remove from oven and place on a wire rack to cool. Best eaten warm, freshly baked.