Egg Tarts

I remember when my daughter went off to a school camp a few years back, I welcomed her home with a surprise homemade egg tart. This time round, before leaving for her school camp, she hinted at me and asked if I was going to welcome her with this yummy treat again. Keeping mum, I teased her with a smile and twinkle in my eye.

After four days of quietness at home without her, I can't believe how much I missed her. She came home excitedly chatting about her camp but stop short when she saw these tarts and her eyes lit up. As she was enjoying her tart, I asked her if it was good. She replied, "Of course, it is! These were made with "LOVE"!"  Haha ... well said, my dear, I guess that's what every mum likes to hear when they slave all day preparing food for the family!

Egg Tarts

(makes 12 small round tarts)

Ingredients

Pastry
280g plain flour
2 Tbsp icing sugar
2 egg yolks
1 egg white
150g butter

Filling
135g castor sugar
150g hot water
4 eggs
250ml milk
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
pinch of salt

Method

To make pastry :-

1) With a mixer, beat the butter and icing sugar till creamy. Add in the egg yolk and egg white and mix till well blended.

2) Add in the flour and mix well. Using your hands, gently bring the mixture together to form a smooth dough. (Take care not to overwork it)

3) For easier handling, you can divide the dough into 2 portions. Flatten them into discs and wrap with clingfilm. Place them in the fridge for about 15 mins.

4) Grease your tart cases well (to enable easier removal of tarts when they are done).

5) Remove the dough from fridge. Depending on the size and shapes of your tart cases, divide the dough into portions.

6) Roll them into balls. Place a pastry ball onto a tart case and flatten it with your palm. Using your thumb, gently spread out the pastry to line the case completely. Try to line the pastry slightly above the edge of your cases.

7) Place the tart cases back into the fridge and refrigerate for at least 30 mins. (this is to prevent shrinkage during baking)

To make filling:-

1) Add sugar to the hot water and mix well till completely dissolved. Set aside to cool.

2) Beat the eggs with milk, vanilla extract and salt.

3) Add in the sugar water and mix well.

4) Sift the above mixture twice to clear any lumps and achieve a smooth consistency.

5) Remove the cold tart cases from the fridge and fill them fully with the egg mixture.

6) Bake the tarts at 180C for about 25 mins. (take care not to overbake or the fillings will become too dry)

Enjoy!

To make these egg tarts extra special, you can top them with your favourite
berries and dust with some icing sugar. For this occasion, I've added
blueberries since they are my daughter's favourite!

Lemon Tart

A friend of mine had a good harvest from the trees in her backyard and was so kind to give me a bagful of lemons recently. My own pitiful little lemon tree unfortunately wasn't fruitful at all this year after giving me a good supply last year.

Well, what do you do with so much lemons? Lemon tart, of course! This is my first attempt at making lemon tart, though I've made egg tarts many times before. I love the extra hit of zesty and tangy lemon flavour and it gives you that extra lift to your taste bud.

To make the tart look even more inviting, I've decorated it with whipped cream rosettes and lemon slices.

Hope you like it too. Bon Appetit!

Lemon Tart
(makes a 20cm round tart)
recipe adapted from Rita Ho's cookbook


Ingredients

Shortcrust pastry/Pate Brisee
300g cake flour
20g icing sugar
225g unsalted butter, chilled
3g salt
1 egg yolk
30ml ice water
butter, to grease the tart pan

Lemon custard
5 eggs
1 egg yolk
120g castor sugar
200ml heavy whipping cream
3 lemons

Decoration
icing sugar to dust
heavy whipping cream, whipped
lemon, cut into thin slices


Method

Lemon custard

1) Rinse and wipe water off lemon. With a grater, grate zest off lemons. Do not grate too hard to avoid getting into the bitter pith. Cut lemons in halves and squeeze out juice. Mix juice with grated lemon zest. Set aside.

2) Beat eggs and egg yolk. Blend with lemon zest, lemon juice and castor sugar. Stir until sugar melted. Seal with cling film. Chill in a fridge overnight.

Pate Brisee

1) Cut chilled unsalted butter in cubes. Chill and set aside.

2) Sieve cake flour, icing sugar and salt twice. In a blender, blend the flour mixture with butter cubes at low speed until fine.

3) Continue to blend at low speed, adding egg yolk and ice water. Blend until incorporated. 

4) On a clean working table, with your wrist, divide dough into portions and gently knead to a whole piece of dough again. Seal with cling film. Freeze in a fridge for at least 1 hour.

5) Grease the tart pan with a little butter.

6) Dust the work surface and rolling pin with flour. Roll out thawed dough to 2-3mm thick. Place onto the tart pan. Cut excess dough off the edges. With a fork, poke some holes on the dough. Chill for 1/2 hour.

7) Preheat oven at 180C. Take out tart pastry from fridge. Cover pastry with baking paper and place baking beans (can be replaced by beans and rice) on top. Bake for 15 mins and remove from oven.

8) Remove baking paper and baking beans. Bake for another 5 mins. Take out and leave to cool.

Baking

1) Remove lemon filling from the fridge. Mix well with heavy whipping cream. Strain the mixture through a sieve.

2) Pour filling onto the pastry tart until 90% full. Bake at 180C for about 30 mins or until filling is just firm. (If you're using smaller tart pans, reduce the baking time. Just ensure the filling just gets set, not overdone.)

3) Let the lemon tarts cool. Remove from the pan. 

4) Dust with icing sugar. Pipe whipping cream rosettes on the tart and decorate with thin lemon slices on top.

A well-deserved slice for tea ...

"When life gives you lemons, make lemonade!"

Blueberry Cheese Tarts

Once in a while, I like to surprise my daughter with some delightful snacks when she comes home from school and today is one of those days.  A lover of blueberries, I'm sure these pretty and dainty tarts will light up her day. Just can't wait to see the glee on her face!

Blueberry Cheese Tarts

Ingredients

1 sheet ready rolled puff pastry
1 egg, lightly beaten
113g cream cheese
1/4 cup heavy cream
2 Tbsp icing sugar
125g blueberries

Method

1) Preheat oven to 200C. 

2) Using a round fluted cutter, cut out rounds from the pastry sheet. Place them on a baking tray lined with baking paper. With a smaller round cutter, score an inner circle on each of them, pressing 3/4 of the way through the pastry, taking care not to press all the way through.

3) Brush the pastry with the beaten egg and bake until golden and puffed, about 15-20 mins.

4) Remove from the oven and using a small, sharp knife, gently cut around the inner circles without cutting all the way through. Remove the first top layer and gently press down on the fluffed centre of the pastry to flatten it. Set aside.

5) Meanwhile, beat the cream cheese with an electric mixer until smooth. Add the heavy cream and icing sugar and beat until creamy and smooth.

6) Spread the cream cheese mixture onto the pastry shells evenly within the border.

7) Arrange the blueberries over the filling and sprinkle some sifted icing sugar over the tarts.

Breakfast Tart

This is a little twist to your usual breakfast bacon and eggs on toast. So instead of having them on bread, why not serve them on pastry for a change! Yum!

You can even call it Breakfast Pizza! Sunny side UP!

Breakfast Tart
(Serves 4)

Ingredients

4 bacon rashers, cut into 3 pieces
2 sheets frozen puff pastry
2 Tbsp pizza sauce or tomato paste
1 small egg, lightly whisked (to use as egg wash to brush)
8 small eggs
1 Tbsp parsley, finely chopped

Method

1) Preheat oven to 200C and line two oven trays with baking paper.

2) Cook bacon, in batches, in a non-stick frying pan over moderately high heat for 3 mins or until lightly browned. Drain on paper towel.

3) Place pastry on prepared trays. For each tart, score a 2cm border around edge of pastry. Brush border with a little egg wash. Prick a few places in the centre with a fork. Spread half the pizza sauce over pastry within the marked border. Top with half the bacon.

4) Bake for 10 mins. One by one, crack the eggs into a cup, then gently pour onto tarts. Bake for a further 5-8 mins or until yolks are cooked to your liking. 

5) Sprinkle with chopped parsley and serve!

Individual breakfast tart

Ham and Broccoli Quiche

Quiche is one of my family's favourite dish and whenever we patronize a cafe it's one of our regular orders.  So what's better than to make your own quiche at home (with your favourite choice ingredients)  and have it fresh straight out of the oven! 

The crisp of the pastry and the richness of the filling is definitely something to look forward to.

One word .... Divine !

Ham and Broccoli Quiche

Ingredients

Shortcrust Pastry
125g butter
240g plain flour
pinch of salt
1 egg
1 tsp lemon juice (optional)

Filling
50g butter
1 small white onion, finely diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 small florets broccoli, chopped into small pieces
150g ham, cut into small pieces
 300ml cream (whipping/cooking cream)
3 eggs
2 egg yolks
1/2 cup grated Parmesan/Cheddar cheese

Method

1) For pastry, place butter, flour and salt in a food processor and pulse until mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Add egg and lemon juice and process until mixture forms a ball. Turn onto a floured bench and gently knead to bring dough together. Do not over work. Wrap in plastic wrap and rest in refrigerator for 10-15 mins.

2) For filling, melt the butter in a large frying pan over a medium high heat. Add onion and garlic and cook for 3-4 mins until fragrant. Add in the broccoli and stirfry it for about 3 mins until it softens. Dish out and set aside.

3) Preheat oven to 200C. Lightly grease a 9-inch loose-bottomed fluted tart tin.

4) Remove dough from the fridge and roll the pastry between 2 sheets of baking paper to a 10-inch circle and 3mm thick.  Gently ease into prepared tart tin, pressing pastry into the edges of the tin. Trim with a small knife and prick the base. Lay a sheet of baking paper over the base and fill with baking beans or rice and blind bake pastry for 15-20 mins or until golden. Remove from oven, take out paper and baking beans and return to the oven for 5 mins to crisp.

4) Whisk cream, eggs and yolks in a bowl until well combined. Season with salt and pepper.

5) Fill the base of the cooked pastry shell with onion & broccoli mixture and scatter over half the cheese and half the ham. Pour over egg mixture and sprinkle with the rest of the ham and cheese.  Bake for 15 mins, reduce temperature to 160C and bake until set. Allow to cool before cutting.


Bon Appetit!