Life just got a whole lot better: homemade Macanese custard tarts, part 2

I have yet to find anyone who does not adore these creamy little tarts from Macau. For, when made right, they are simply divine.

But the problem – a theme I keep on returning to again and again here – is that very few bakeries or dim sum teahouses go to the relatively minimal effort required to make these the old-fashioned way, and even fewer use excellent ingredients.

So, of course, that is where you and I step in. If you can get your hands on organic milk and cream, as well as the best possible eggs and the finest quality puff pastry you can find, no restaurant will be able to hold a candle to your creations. That’s a promise.

You can, of course, make Chinese puff pastry from scratch, and you will at that point be making the food of the gods. You should then serve them to your friends, wear your crown with pride, and retire with a totally satisfied look in your face. But frozen puff pastry will do in a pinch or if you seriously need to have a batch of these immediately. Trust me, I know that feeling.

Creamy filling & wafer thin crust

A couple things about this recipe that make me want to pat myself on the back: 

First, the filling is little more than baked pastry cream. It took me quite a while to suss that out, but there you have it. These are, therefore, not genuine custard tarts per se, but rather baked pastry cream tarts. Isn't that an excellent idea? Baked pastry cream?!

Second, a slight dusting of sugar on the custard helps get the caramelization going, so that you have those gorgeous leopard spots appearing before the piecrust gets incinerated. (You will not believe how much piecrust I've carbonized while figuring this out.) 

Third, I had a Eureka! moment one morning around 3:00 am when I realized that the way to make the puff pastry crust behave was to set it on its side – I had discard countless batches where the crust billowed up in the hot oven and pushed all the custard out, and nothing (absolutely nothing) was working. And then my lizard brain figured out that setting the crust on its side allowed the hot air in the dough an escape route, the crusts stayed put, and the filling remained solidly in place. 

Silky pastry cream filling

Fourth, finding the correct place in the oven to cook these took some figuring out. Just a couple inches from the top element gives the custard the chance to brown, while the crusts have relatively gentle heat on the bottom.

And finally, getting the oven hot enough was a chore. Most ovens got up to a maximum of 500°F (260°C). But with a convection oven, that same setting will get boosted up a bit so that you almost have the heat of a bakery oven. At least, this is how it seemed to me.

Anyway, enough with the boasting. 

I’ve had these tarts all over the place, and very, very, very few bakeries or teahouses manage to pull this creation off well. Again, I don’t understand why. It’s really not that hard at all once you get the ratios right. But instead of trying to parse this out, it seems like too many producers depend too much on packaged mixes. You can tell by the smell of vanillin, rather than vanilla; the taste of custard powder, rather than honest eggs, milk, and sugar; the pasty texture that speaks of ennui and cheap dough, rather than a seductive little come-hither disguised as a dessert.

Chef Yang with his tarts

Like the Hong Kong-style custard tarts we made a couple of weeks ago, it took me a long time to figure this one out, but I’m at long last satisfied. You wouldn’t believe how many versions I’ve worked on… evaporated milk, all milk, half-and-half, sweetened condensed milk, or cream… but none were exactly right. But now? Now we have the opportunity to delight in perfect custardy clouds against a shatter of crispy puff pastry whenever we want. (Thanks goes to Chef Power Yang 謝少希 of the Ritz-Carlton in Chengdu for slipping me his suggestions at the end of one of his marvelous breakfast, for he helped me crack the danta code.)

A bit about the history: I had long believed the common knowledge that these were riffs on Portugal's pasteis de nata, and now I realize that this was almost right. From what I've read, these were actually the 80's brainchild of a British industrial pharmacist-turned-baker, Andrew Stow. Stow also happened to be a showman of the first order who styled himself as "Lord Stow," and so his famed bakery on the southern Macanese island of Coloane is still called Lord Stow's Bakery. 

Bakery-type tarts

But enough of history. Let's get down to the serious business of making something heavenly to eat. 

Here is my recipe for Macanese-style custard tarts with all the guesswork taken out. And so enjoy. Your reputation as a great Chinese cook is about to become written in stone.

Macanese-style custard tarts

Púshì dàntá 葡式蛋塔

Macau

Makes 12

Filing:

4 large egg yolks, lightly beaten

2 cups (500 ml) whole milk

⅔ cup (160 ml) heavy cream

¼ cup sugar

½ teaspoon sea salt

2 tablespoons cornstarch

1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Around 4 tablespoons sugar for dusting the tartlets

Crust:

Divide the dough (Step 4a)

1 recipe for southern-style puff pastry, or a (1 pound / 450 g, or thereabouts) box good quality frozen puff pastry, completely defrosted yet cold

Flavorless oil (like canola), as needed

1. You can start this recipe up to 3 days ahead of time, and then easily assemble and bake the tartlets an hour or two before serving.

2. Prepare an ice bath first: Fill a medium work bowl with around 20 ice cubes and around 2 cups (500 ml) water and set this near the stove. Use a whisk to combine the yolks, milk, cream, sugar, and cornstarch in a heavy-bottomed, 4-cup (1 liter) saucepan. (Be sure to add the cornstarch to the cold liquids so that it combines, rather than turns into lumps.) Heat the mixture gently on your smallest burner, as this way the custard will have time to set up without burning. Whisk the custard often as it heats, being sure to scrape the bottom of the pan every time. The custard will thicken as it approaches the boiling point. Keep an eye on the bubbles around the edge of the pan, as they will tell you how hot the pot is getting.

Rolled up frozen pastry (Step 4b)

You do NOT want the custard to boil. 

And so, when you start to notice those bubbles, stir the custard a bit more constantly. 

3. Remove it from the heat as soon as it is thick enough to coat the inside of the pan, as well as the whisk. Set a sieve over a bowl and scrape the custard into the sieve. Stir in the vanilla into the smooth custard; you will have about 2½ cups (590 ml) custard. Place the bowl in the ice bath and stir the custard to release the heat – replace the ice bath as needed. Cover the container and chill it for at least an hour and up to 3 days.

4a. If you are using homemade southern-style puff pastry, make sure you have divided it into 16 even pieces as directed in last week's recipe and keep the pastry covered with a tea towel or plastic wrap to help it stay moist. 

4b. If you are using frozen puff pastry, defrost it according to package directions and then gently unfold each of the sheets before rolling each sheet up from one of the long sides so that it looks like a rolled-up carpet. Cut each carpet crosswise into 8 even pieces and keep the pastry covered and chilled if you are not immediately working on it. 

Cut end up on the homemade dough (Step 5)

5. Spray 1 standard-sized, all-metal cupcake tray with oil. Lightly oil a clean, smooth work surface. Set a slice of the rolled-up dough in front of you with the cut end up so you can see the spiral. 

6. Lightly oil your hand and gently squish it down into a disc. Use a Chinese rolling pin to roll this out into a 5-inch (13 cm) circle. Repeat with the rest of the dough. 

7. Set these circles in the oiled cupcake tray and pat them into place, paying special attention to the bottom edges; the crust should rise about ¼ inch (5 mm) above the top of the muffin tin – this extra space gives the custard room to expand in the hot oven. Freeze the trays to help set the tartlets' shape. Do not defrost them before you bake them.

Rolled-out circle (Step 6)

8. Set an oven rack about 4 inches (10 cm) from the top of the oven, and heat the oven on the convection setting to as high as it will go, usually 500°F (260°C). If you don't have a convection oven, simply set your oven as high as it will go, but not all the way up to broil. Divide the custard among the pieshells. Sprinkle about 1 teaspoon of sugar over the custard in each tartlet, as this will help with the caramelization.

9. Bake the tartlets for about 30 minutes, rotating the trays top to bottom and back to front around halfway through the cooking time. (The crust will look alarmingly overcooked at the 15 minute mark, but have courage and keep on baking. They'll be fine.) Starting at the 30 minute mark, check them every minute or so from then on. Total cooking time will be about 30 to 40 minutes, depending upon your oven. Do note that the custard will stop bubbling furiously when the tartlets are ready. If the custard is still bubbling in the center, though, it's not yet set. Remove the tartlets from the oven and cool them for around 20 minutes before serving. They will be molten when they come out of the oven, so don't burn your mouth by eating them too soon.

Pieshells in the tin (Step 7)

10. Remove the tartlets from the trays and serve them while they are still warm or at least at room temperature. (These are really easy to remove from the tins after they have cooled down a bit, especially if you spray the tins with oil and use homemade puff pastry.)

Tips

You can fill and bake as many of these tarts at a time as you want.

Leftovers may be refrigerated in a resealable container. Warm these up in a 400°F (200°C) oven on a baking sheet until heated through, or at least until the chill has been taken off. 

African chicken via Macau

Like Portuguese Chicken, this dish represents many of the colonies that Portugal once possessed in its globe-spanning empire. However, instead of Goa in India, this recipe from Macau proudly shows off its African roots through the use of peanut butter and peppers. 

In other ways, this also suggests the Algerian dish djej bil besla, or “chicken with onions.” But it is made more Chinese through the addition of five-spice powder, coconut milk, and shredded coconut, as well as a mound of shallots and garlic instead of onions.

Galinha à Africana is still popular in Macau, where it is served with or without potatoes, and usually with a mound of fluffy steamed rice. The cheesy-tasting sauce is exquisite, and so it is imperative that you serve lots of rice to sponge up every drop.

Definitely not Chinese stuff

As my husband said when he first tried it, “This does NOT taste Chinese!” And it doesn’t. 

It does not taste of Africa, either.

It tastes of Macau.

African chicken (Galinha à Africana)

Fēizhōu jī 非洲雞

Macau

Serves 4 to 6

Chicken and spice rub:

4 whole chicken legs (including thighs)

1 teaspoon coarsely ground dried chilies (not too hot)

¼ cup finely chopped shallots

2 tablespoons sweet paprika

½ teaspoon five-spice powder

½ teaspoon sea salt

Peanut or vegetable oil as needed

2 large baking (Russet) potatoes, optional but terrific

Sauce:

¼ cup unsalted butter

2 cups chopped shallots

¼ cup chopped garlic

2 red or orange bell peppers, seeded and chopped

2 tablespoons smoked paprika

¼ cup sweet paprika

Potatoes are great in this

2 (13- to 14-ounce) cans coconut milk

1 cup shredded coconut (unsweetened)

½ cup peanut butter, chunky or smooth

2 bay leaves

2 cups chicken broth, salted or unsalted

Sea salt to taste

Garnish:

¼ cup finely chopped parsley

1. Clean and dry the chicken and sever the joint between the legs and thighs. Slash the thicker parts of the meat so that the seasonings can penetrate it. Mix together the chilies, shallots, paprika, five-spice powder, and salt, and then rub this into the chicken. Place the chicken in a resealable plastic bag and refrigerate for at least 2 hours and up to overnight.

2. Heat a wok until hot, add the oil, swirl the wok around to coat the inside, and then add the chicken. Turn the heat down to medium and brown the chicken on all sides. Spray a 13 by 9 inch casserole with oil. Remove the chicken to the casserole. If you are adding the potatoes, cut them into thin wedges (no larger than ⅛ inch on the outside edge), place in a small work bowl, and cover with water so that they do not brown.  Place a rack in the middle of the oven and heat it to 400°F.

Tastes cheesy & rich

3. To make the sauce, add the butter to the wok, place it over medium heat, and add the shallots, garlic, and peppers. Cook the aromatics until they have wilted but not yet browned, and then add the paprika, coconut milk, shredded coconut, peanut butter, chicken stock, and bay leaves. Bring the sauce to a boil, stirring constantly. Reduce the heat to maintain a gentle simmer and cook until thickened, and then taste and add salt as needed.

4. Drain the potatoes, if using, and add them to the casserole. Pour the sauce over the chicken and potatoes so that every piece is coated. Bake the casserole uncovered for about 1 hour, or until the sauce has browned lightly and both the potatoes and chicken are cooked through. Dust the top with the parsley. Serve hot with lots of steamed rice.

Calling these jewels just 'cod croquettes' is an injustice...

Salt cod does not seem like your average Chinese ingredient — and you’re right, it definitely is not — but in the capable hands of Macanese chefs it becomes sublime. 

Pretty much a riff on Portugal’s ethereal bacalau (salt cod) croquettes, one taste of this dish shows how much it has been filtered through Macau’s Chinese sensibilities. 

As the former Portuguese colony at the mouth of the Pearl River shows in so many of its dishes, it’s all about balance.

Salt cod

On the one hand we have the Portuguese contribution of black olives, salt cod, butter, cream, and potatoes, and on the other we have Chinese cilantro, green onions, ginger, and garlic. I have played around with this a bit, using coconut cream instead of whipping cream, as this gives a very gentle tropical undercurrent to the flavors.

Tapenade was another delightful substitution I discovered, as the combination of various oil-cured olives with capers and seasonings gives this dish the zing it so desperately needs. Most traditional bacalau recipes I have seen also call for subdued amounts of aromatics, but I have thrown caution to the wind here. After all, this is mashed potatoes and cod, and something has to do the gustatory heavy lifting.

 Already smelling delish

Texture, too, was obviously given lots of consideration by Macau's great chefs. First, the cod and potatoes are turned into a moist mash. These are then turned into little croquettes that are double-bound and finally coated with dried breadcrumbs that supply a lovely crunch. What I have done here, though, is use potato starch here as the first layer of the coating, as it provides a nice, chewy edge to each bite in contrast with the soft center and crispy breadcrumbs.

To balance the croquettes a bit further, I have also supplied a small dressed green salad. This is completely nontraditional, but I have found it absolutely necessary to round out the dish and provide even more contrast between bites of the hot bacalau.

Count on making this in the spring, when salt cod is freshest and most available in Italian and Portuguese delicatessens during the Lenten season. And by the way, if you have never had salt cod before and are afraid that it is going to be something fishy and salty, you are in for a lovely surprise because it soaks up into a very fresh-flavored and -textured bit of fish.

Seasonings

Have this as an appetizer, as a lunch entree, or even as a brunch dish. A glass of vinho verde would be perfect.

Macanese bacalau

Zhá mǎjièxīu qíu 炸馬介休球

Macau

Makes around 30 (1 x 2 inch) croquettes and serves at least 6 as an appetizer, lunch, or brunch entree

Croquettes:

8 ounces salt cod (bacalau)

Cool tap water, as needed

1 large Russet (baking) potato (about 10 to 12 ounces)

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

2 green onions, trimmed and finely minced

2 large or 3 small cloves garlic, peeled and finely minced

2 teaspoons ginger juice

2 teaspoons soy sauce

1 large egg, lightly beaten

Lots of freshly ground black pepper  

6 tablespoons tapenade, or pitted and chopped oil-cured black olives

 Wheat starch & panko

½ cup finely chopped very fresh cilantro

½ cup canned coconut cream, or chilled whipping cream

Coating:

About 1 cup potato starch or cornstarch

2 large eggs, lightly beaten

2 cups Japanese panko (dried breadcrumbs), or more as needed

Fresh peanut or vegetable oil   

Salad:

4 loosely packed cups of baby greens (mizuna, arugula, spinach, lettuce, etc.) or spring mix, chilled

¼ cup balsamic vinegar

2 cloves garlic, peeled and finely minced

2 teaspoons Dijon mustard

½ teaspoon sea salt

6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

Toasted sesame seeds for garnish

 Soaked & flaking apart

1. Start this recipe at least 2 days before you wish to serve it. First, soak the salt cod in cool tap water to cover, changing the water at least once a day. Rinse the fish, pat it dry, and run your fingers over it carefully. Use tweezers to remove any bones. Then, pull off any silver skin you find. Flake the fish, tearing apart any tough sections; if a piece is too difficult to tear easily with your fingers, discard it. Coarsely chop the fish. You should have about 2 cups flaked fish.  

2. Peel the potatoes and cut them into ½-inch dice. Place them in a saucepan, cover with tap water, and bring to a full boil. Reduce the boil to a simmer and cook them until the potatoes are soft. Drain the potatoes and return them to the stove so that most of the water steams off. Remove from the stove and use a potato masher to mash them along with the butter.  (Do not use a food processor, as this will make the potatoes gummy.)

 Mash potatoes by hand

3. Scoop the mashed potatoes into a medium work bowl along with the flaked fish, green onions, garlic, ginger juice, soy sauce, egg, pepper, olives, and cilantro. Lightly mix these together and then fold in the coconut or whipping cream. If you have the time, cover the mixture and chill it for an hour or two to make it easier to handle. Otherwise, proceed with the recipe.

4. Next prepare the bound coating, which consists of three layers: a dry flour, beaten egg, and finally breadcrumbs. Place the wheat starch in one work bowl, the eggs in another, and the breadcrumbs in a third. Put two spoons in both the wheat starch and the breadcrumbs, and both a fork and a spoon in the eggs. (I like to use the plastic spoons from my local yogurt shop, as they are round and smooth. Keep the utensils for each bowl separate so that they do not become heavily coated with the fish, starch, eggs, and breadcrumbs.)

Bound coating layers

5. Now coat the croquettes: First, use the spoons from the wheat starch bowl to scoop up about 2 tablespoons of the cod mixture. Use the spoons to form this into a rough ball and drop it into the starch. Toss the ball around to coat it, and then shape it into a croquette (a long oval) between the palms of your hands. Lower this into the beaten eggs and gently roll it around in there to coat it completely. Lift it up with the fork so that most of the egg dribbles back into the bowl, and then place the croquette in the breadcrumbs. Use the two spoons in that bowl to gently roll the croquette around to cover it completely. Shape it once again between the palms of your hands, place it on a baking sheet, and you are done. Repeat with the rest of the mixture and coatings until you are finished. The croquettes can either be refrigerated or frozen at this point, if you wish; they do not have to be defrosted before they are fried.

6. To fry the croquettes, heat a large frying pan over medium heat until the edges are hot. Pour about ¼-inch fresh oil into the pan. Sprinkle a couple of the breadcrumbs in the oil, and if they bubble immediately, the oil is ready. Reduce the heat to medium-low and gently slide in as many of the croquettes as you wish to fry, or as many as will fit without touching. While the croquettes are slowly frying, heat an oven to 250°F and line a clean baking sheet with some paper towels. Fry the croquettes until they are a deep golden brown — but not dark brown — on the bottom. Use a spatula to carefully turn each croquette over and fry the other side; each one will take about 5 minutes total frying time. Remove them as they are done and place on the lined baking sheet. Keep them hot in the oven while you prepare the salad.

Excellent finds for this

7. Rinse the salad greens and spin them dry. Mix together the dressing in a large work bowl and toss the greens well in it; taste and adjust the seasoning. Distribute the salad among as many serving plates as you need, piling it up in the center. Just before serving, arrange an equal amount of the croquettes around the salad. Sprinkle with the sesame seeds. Serve immediately. These may be eaten with chopsticks or a knife and fork.