HONG KONG CUSTARD TARTS

I absolutely love these custard tarts and for 20-odd years i completely took for granted the difficulty involved in making them properly.In my opinion，there are certain criteria for the perfect custard tart：first，the pastry must be multilayered like puff pastry yet it should still be crumbly；second，the custard filling should be warm.Funnily enough，after five years of researching this Hong Kong staple，ed soft to the touch yet just firm enough to support itself；and third，it must be serv was only when i got to Beijing that i finally learned how to make the tarts correctly.Allit took was a few packets of cigarettes as a bribe to the pastry chef of the hotel

Makes 30 tarts

INGREDIENTS

For the oil dough

800g low-gluten（bun）flour

800g white vegetable fat，at room temperature，diced

300g butter，at room temperature，diced

100g baking margarine，such as stork，at room temperature diced For the water dough

750g low-gluten（bun）flour

100g high-gluten flour

100g caster sugar

100g white vegetable fat，at room temperature，diced

2 eggs，lightly beaten

water for binding，if needed

For the filling

300g lightly beaten egg

150g caster sugar

2 tablespoons custard powder

600ml water

300ml evaporated milk

low-gluten（bun）flour，for dusting

vegetable oil，for oiling

1.For the oil dough，mix all the ingredients together in a bowl Place the mixture between 2 sheets of baking paper and roll out until 2cm in thickness，ideally into a rectangular shape

3.For the water dough，place all the ingredients in an electric stand mixer fitted with the dough hook and mix to form a dough，adding a little water in order to bind the ingredients together if necessary

4.Knead in the mixer for 10 minutes until the dough is super-stretchy-you should be able to stretch the dough out between your hands to form an ultra-thin film without it breaking

5.To make the tart cases，follow these instructions

6.For the filling，place the beaten egg in a bowl.In a separate bowl，lightly whisk the sugar and custard powder into the water until the sugar has dissolved

7.Pour the sugar mixture into the eggs and stir with a spoon，then stir in the evaporated milk

8.Strain the mixture through a fine-mesh sieve to remove any lumps and then gently skim the

surface with a spoon to remove any floating bubbles

9. To finish the tarts, preheat the oven to 180 C, Gas Mark 4

10. Stand the tart moulds on a baking sheet and fill the tart cases 70 per cent full with the custard mixture

11. Bake for 5 minutes, then reduce the oven temperature to 160 C, Gas Mark 3 and bake for a further 15 minutes or until the custard is just set but with a slight wobble.

12. Turn the oven off and leave the tarts inside for 1 minute

13. Remove from the oven and leave until warm before eating CHEFS TIP

It is essential to make the water dough highly elastic in order to achieve the beautiful layers in the pastry

hancheng

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