This is my rudimentary first post! My little sister loves Portuguese egg tarts so she asked me to make some. I have never made puff pastry before so this is my first attempt to do it. It sounds so scary at first, but when you finally make it, it isnt really that bad! I surprised myself and am super excited to make more puff pastries, especially with my Tartine bakery cookbook in the future.
Ingredients

Puff pastry:

1 1/4 bread flour
some salt
2/3 cup butter
2 tsp lemon juice
8 tablespoons of iced water

1. Cut the butter into thin slices
2. Freeze the flour and butter for 30 min
3. Put the flour and butter in food processor and blend in the salt and lemon juice
4. The butter will still be chunky–this is perfect! cold butter is the key ingredient to puff pastry
5. Put the iced water in the processor and blend. The mixture should stick and when you take it out it will form a ball
6. Freeze the ball for 30 min
7. Roll it out into a rectangle– it will be difficult to because the dough is basically frozen, but do your best. If it isnt perfect, dont fret!
8. After rolling it out to a rectangle, fold the dough like an envelope. Roll it out again into a rectangle.
9. Repeat folding and rolling 3 times.
10. On the last roll out, the dough should be easier to work with, so roll it out into a rectangle. This time make a spiral roll along the length of the rectangle.
11. Freeze for about 20 min.

In the meantime, make the custard!

Custard:

3 egg yolks + 1 egg
1/2 cup whipping or heavy cream
1/2 cup milk
1 tsp vanilla
1 strip of lemon peel
1 tbsp flour
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 tsp cinnamon
some salt

1. Put milk and cream in saucepan. Place the lemon peel, sugar, flour, cinnamon, and salt and stir around until dissolved. Some pieces wont, but thats ok, we will strain it later. Add vanilla.
2. Whisk the eggs together.
3. Use a 1/2 cup measuring cup or whatever you have on hand and gradually whisk until smooth 1/2 cup hot milk mixture into the eggs. This is called tempering– it prevents the eggs from curdling (*shudder*).
4. Repeat until the milk mixture is with the eggs. Strain the egg mixture using a sieve.
5. Set aside

Assembly:

1. Take the spiral dough out. Cut the spiral dough into 12 pieces. Place the dough parts, spiral side facing up, into each cupcake hole.
2. Working fast, push the dough in the center, and work your way up the sides to the top.

IF AT ANY POINT YOU THINK THE DOUGH IS GETTING SOFT OR SOGGY, PLACE IT BACK IN THE FREEZER FOR 5 MIN. The butter cannot melt into the dough or it will ruin the puff pastry.

3. Once the cups are ready, put in freezer until your oven is preheated to 410 deg.
4. Once heated, take the cupcake pan out and spoon the egg mixture about 80% full into the cups.
5. Bake 18 min. Then switch to broiler and broil until the tops turn slightly brown. DO NOT LEAVE OR IT WILL BURN QUICKLY!

Then voila! Portuguese egg tarts!

***Edit: This recipe is a non-Chinese version. Real Chinese ones are made with pork lard, not butter! My dad is making me try making it again according to my uncle, who is a dim sum chef, and all Chinese egg tart recipes -_-. Stay tuned.