Egg Tarts (Hong Kong Style)

Pastry

1. Mix the Ingredients: To a food processor, add all the pastry ingredients. Pulse just until all the ingredients form into a dough. Do not over mix because it will make the pastry tough.
2. Form and Refrigerate the Dough: Form the dough into a disc and wrap it up in plastic wrap. Place it in the refrigerator for 30 minutes, or until the dough is firm.

Egg Custard

1. Make a Simple Syrup: In a small saucepan add the sugar and water. Cook over medium heat until the sugar dissolves. Let the simple syrup cool then whisk in the milk.
2. Whisk in the Eggs and Vanilla: Whisk in the beaten eggs and vanilla extract.
3. Strain the Filling and Chill: Strain the filling through a sieve and chill in the refrigerator while forming the pastry into tart shells.

Assemble and Bake

1. Prep the Oven: Preheat the oven to 400°F.
2. Roll and Cut the Dough: Remove the dough from the refrigerator and roll it out so that it's a ¼ of an inch in thickness. Using a cookie cutter that's the same size in diameter as the top of your egg tart molds, cut into 12 rounds.
3. Press Dough in Tart Molds: Press each round into the tart mold using your fingers, making sure the pastry is uniform in thickness for both the bottom and up the sides. Repeat with remaining rounds of pastry.
4. Pour the Custard in Shells: Place the tart molds on a baking sheet that large enough for all of them. Pour the egg custard into the shells until it's about ¾ full.
5. Bake the Tarts: Transfer the baking sheet to the oven and bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until the tart rim turns golden brown and the egg custard is cooked through. To tell if the custard is cooked through, a toothpick should stand in the egg tart.
6. Cool and Serve: Cool the egg tarts for 10 minutes then remove them from the tart molds. Serve while still warm.