A little pastry shell filled with sweet, gooey goodness is a dessert treat heaven for so many. Custard tarts put the flake in your pastry and the wobble in your egg. People who love custard tarts really, really love custard tarts. It's been that way for centuries.
There's much contention over who first 'invented' the custard tart, but it's documented that 'darioles' were served as far back as Henry IV's coronation in 1399. Meanwhile, over in Portugal, monks in the Jerónimos Monastery in Lisbon were making pastéis de nata as early as the 13th century. However, both the English and Portuguese versions were most likely based on the French flaon, which was first documented in the 12th century.
At some point, while all this egg-separating was going on, egg tarts were introduced to China - most likely by Portuguese naval explorers. They've been a lifestyle in Hong Kong ever since.
The who, the when... what we're most interested in is the how. Try your hand at any or all of these recipes and add a wonderful wobble to your week.
Big in Kuala Lumpar, these silky-smooth Hong Kong-style tarts were a colonial legacy from the British. You want the custard to be just cooked through – only 10 minutes on the stovetop, max.
Featuring a pastry base rather than a tart one, Greece’s custard-y hallmark sports a thick, creamy custard bulked up with semolina. Then in true Greek dessert style, It’s doused with hot sugar syrup at the end, which is sometimes infused with orange blossom.
Few can resist these pint-sized flakey favourites. With their crisp and crumbly base and golden top, these ones are made with a store-bought puff, but trust us: no one will notice!
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Chai-spiced custard tarts
If you skip the pastry making and opt for store-bought puff, you can have these creamy Hong Kong-style tarts in your gob in less than half an hour.
Our Bakeproof columnist Anneka Manning confesses that these are one of her all-time favourite desserts. The rich and velvety Crème brûlée filling, spiked with a good hit of crystallised ginger, might be the reason. Again, it’s using store-bought pastry (shortcrust this time) so it’s totally achievable.
Recreate a typical Argentine ‘flan mixto’ at home, by serving your egg flan with whipped cream and a mountain of dulce de leche.
Considered to be a legacy of the Portuguese and British, these ubiquitous Cantonese custard tarts have been around since the 1940s.
Sometimes called Melk tarts, the South African classic needs to be started at least six hours ahead to really have time to set. Finished with a dusting of cinnamon, it’s slightly more subtle than its other custard tart counterparts.
With its bright yellow glazed top (made with no less than 18 large egg yolks), Brazil’s quindão can be made the day ahead. The coconut base adds earthy tropical notes to the rich eggy custard.
These punchy spins on the Portuguese classics are the perfect after-dinner dessert and coffee hit in one. A muffin pan makes light work of feeding en masse, as does some ready-rolled butter puff.
Served cold rather than warm, this is a zingy, bright version of the beloved custard tart, best made over the summer months. It’s a knockout dessert when it hits the table, with all that passionfruit curd oozing about.
If you like your caramel, you’ll love these salted cardamom dulce de leche desserts. No time to make your own? No worries - you can use canned caramel from the cake aisle.
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