Dim sum is a type of Chinese cuisine that involves small plates of food offered to patrons on mobile carts. Weekend brunches with my grandparents often meant dining in this style, in which a multitude of dishes were always ordered. Regular items featured on our table included fried glutinous rice dumplings filled with meat (my favorite), radish cakes, pork buns, and chicken feet. And to conclude every meal, egg tarts—sweet, creamy custard cupped in flaky pastry, eaten in two or three avid chomps.
I’ve expanded the portions of the standard egg tart here and added a slate of strawberries to balance the sweetness of the custard and bring an extra dimension of color. It’s a twist on a classic that makes it all that and dim sum.
1 fully baked Matcha Green Tea Tart Pastry Shell
HONG KONG–STYLE EGG CUSTARD
1 cup (237 milliliters) boiling water
½ cup (99 grams) granulated sugar
2 large eggs plus 2 egg yolks
½ cup (118 milliliters) evaporated milk
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
2. Dissolve the sugar in the boiling water. Let the mixture cool to room temperature.
3. Combine the eggs, egg yolks, evaporated milk, and salt in a medium bowl and whisk until smooth. Mix in the sugar water. Strain the mixture through a fine-mesh sieve to eliminate any bubbles and large clumps of egg white.
4. Pour the egg mixture into the fully baked tart shell placed on a rimmed baking sheet. Gently poke away any remaining bubbles on the surface.
5. Carefully transfer the baking sheet to the oven and bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until the custard is just set.
6. Cool completely before decorating.
STRAWBERRY RIGHT TRIANGLE DESIGN PROCESS
15 to 20 large fresh strawberries
1 green kiwi (optional)
1 × ½-inch rectangle cutter
Chef’s knife
Ruler
1. Hull the strawberries and slice them in half, crown to point. Cut a rectangle out of each strawberry half with a 1-inch rectangle cutter or a chef’s knife. Slice each rectangle in half on the diagonal to create two right triangles.
2. If using, peel and cut the kiwi into ¼-inch slices. Cut kiwi right triangles to match your strawberry shapes.
3. Lay a ruler, resting on the edges of the pan, horizontally across the center of the tart. Starting from the left edge of the tart, place a line of strawberry right triangles with the short edges parallel to the ruler. The triangles should be touching at the lower corners. If you’re feeling brazen, toss a kiwi triangle into the mix.
4. Once the first row has been completed, lay another row of strawberry triangles directly above the first row. The lower corners of the triangles in this new row should touch the apexes of the triangles in the first row.
5. Continue laying lines of right triangles until the entire surface of the tart has been covered. If you like, randomly substitute a handful of kiwi triangles for strawberries to bring an abstract aesthetic to an otherwise precise pattern. Cut shapes to size as necessary at the edges of the tart.
6. Keep in the refrigerator until ready to serve. This tart is best consumed within 2 days.
SUGGESTED SUBSTITUTIONS
Crust alternative: Basic Tart Pastry Shell
Topping alternatives: Mango, papaya, pineapple, kiwi, dragon fruit
NOTES
If your baked tart shell has any cracks, consider opting for a denser filling like the matcha white chocolate cheesecake, as a liquid filling like this egg custard will leak through before becoming fully baked. Any strawberry scraps can be utilized fresh or frozen in pies like In It to Spin It, Kiss and Shell, or Sun in a Million.