Egg Tarts

The **egg tart** (traditional Chinese: 蛋撻; simplified Chinese: 蛋挞; Cantonese Yale: *daahn tāat*; pinyin: *dàntǎ*) is a kind of custard tart found in Chinese cuisine, derived from the English custard tart and Portuguese pastel de nata. The dish consists of an outer pastry crust filled with egg custard. Egg tarts are often served at dim sum restaurants, Chinese bakeries and *cha chaan tengs* (Hong Kong-style cafes).

## History

The egg tart started being sold in the early 20th century in Guangzhou (Canton), Guangdong province, inspired by the European custard tarts. Guangzhou's status as the only port accessible to European foreign traders led to the development of Cantonese cuisine having many outside influences. As Guangzhou's economy grew from trade and interaction with European powers, pastry chefs at the Western-style department stores in the city were “pressured to come up with new and exciting items to attract customers”. So egg tart varieties, inspired by those from Europe, featuring a lard-based puff pastry crust and a filling similar to steamed egg pudding (燉蛋), were then created by department stores and appeared as a "Weekly Special". Nowadays, there are two main varieties of egg tart in China. The one that appeared around 1927 in Guangzhou’s Zhen Guang Restaurant (真光酒樓) is close to the egg tarts popular in Guangzhou and Hong Kong today. The other variety is from Macau and is a Macanese take on the pastel de nata, as Macau was then a Portuguese colony.

*For further information, please see the full wikipedia page.*
## Jilly Bing Official Recipe

The Jilly Bing recipe was first posted on July 21 2023.

1. For the pastry, in a large bowl, sift flour, sugar, and salt. Then add softened butter. Bring the mixture together with your hands, careful not to knead the pastry dough too much or you will make the pastry tough.
2. Whisk the egg yolks and add the 2 tablespoons of beaten yolk to the flour mixture. Bring together until smooth. If the dough is too sticky, coating your hands with flour will help. Cover with plastic wrap and then refrigerate for 30 minutes, or until the dough is firm.
3. To make the custard filling, melt sugar and salt with hot water. Mix until dissolved then let cool.
4. Add the rest of the beaten egg yolk. Stir in sugar water and also evaporated milk (if adding vanilla, add now). Stir and combine everything well.
5. Strain the filling to ensure no lumps. Chill in the refrigerator.
6. Preheat the oven to 400˚F (200˚C.)
7. Take the dough out and divide into 16 equal portions. Spray the tart pan with a light coating of oil. Take one portion of your dough and roll it into a ball and place in your tart shell. Press the shell into the pan with your fingers. Try to make the wrapper uniform in thickness and avoid a thick bottom. Repeat to finish all.
8. Pour the custard filling into the shells until it is about 80% full. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes until the surface becomes golden brown and a toothpick can stand in the egg tart.
9. Cool down for several minutes and then take the egg tarts out of the pan. Serve while still warm.
10. Enjoy your egg tarts!

### History

**A Sweet Culinary Delight with a Rich History**
*Egg tarts have a fascinating history with origins in both English and Portuguese traditions. They might have been served during Henry IV's coronation. The Portuguese egg tart was invented thanks to monks.*
*Legend says that in 1920s Guangzhou, competition between department stores was tough. To rise to the challenge, every week the chefs of each store would invent a new goodie to draw in customers.*
*Egg tarts were then introduced in Hong Kong via their famed "tea restaurants."*
## In-Universe

Egg tarts are the favorite treat of Jilly Bing, who also owns a cooking buddy reversible plush tart named L'il Tart.

## Sources

1. ↑ 除了奶茶，還有蛋撻 - 香港文匯報 (zh).
2. ↑ Cam, Lisa. (2018, December 13). *Hong Kong egg tarts are not vegetarian – and here's why.* South China Morning Post. https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/travel-food/article/2177757/hong-kong-egg-tarts-are-not-vegetarian-and-heres-why
3. ↑ Official Instagram, 07/21/2023 – Egg Tarts