I didn’t get a chance to say this earlier, but Happy Lunar New Year! To celebrate in our own little way, I wanted to make Andy’s favorite custard pastry. His family certainly makes them in a different way (and of my god–they’re amazing), but I thought we’d give this recipe a try!

Today’s review comes from one of my favorite Thai-Australian cook’s website: Marion’s Kitchen. The recipe for these Dim Sum Custard Tarts can be found right -> here.

What really caught my attention in this recipe was the small number of ingredients required to get the finished product. As someone who doesn’t bake often, I had to give this a chance. I do have some notes for those thinking of trying this recipe, so let’s get to that.

Perfectly Flaky Tarts? How so?

One of the best parts of these tarts is the flakiness of the puff pastry against the egg custard. However, there are some tips that could be added when working with puff pastry. For this recipe, it was store-bought, but if you make your pastry from scratch, the following notes will absolutely still apply. Some that I wish I had before making these. Now, Marion’s Kitchen recipes aren’t meant to be difficult, but puff pastry, specifically, can be a bit moody when baked with a filling.

My custard tarts were flaky and the filling was fantastic. The main culprit was the color and the doneness of the pastry at the bottom when it was cut through. I followed the recipe exactly, so there had to be a different factor.

When I cook and bake, I use an electric oven, which can often change the way pastries react, however, I think that you can accomplish a perfect bake no matter what kind of oven you use.

That’s when I started doing a little bit more research. One way of ensuring that your puff pastry will be perfectly baked through is to do a blind bake. That’s also known as pre-baking your pastry without the filling. I’m absolutely going to make this again because I know that I can have them turn out better. If it wasn’t for the small layer of partially damp pastry, it would have been perfect.

What you see above was with an additional 40 minutes of baking. I checked after each additional 10 minutes to make sure the custard wasn’t drying out, but still, the very bottom closest to the custard was raw/damp. I think that Marion’s time and directions were fine, but they could have done with the recommendation of blind baking. I will be making these again, and while I will not be writing another review, I will report back on my social media.

How Did It Taste?

Aside from sweating from all the baking, the final taste test was wonderful! If it wasn’t for the awesome custard, I wouldn’t want to try it again. I have too much love for this pastry to give up after a single attempt. That’s also something that’s great about baking and cooking. If you try something once and it doesn’t turn out, it’s a great learning opportunity. Don’t treat it as a defeat.

Grey’s Grade: 4.5/5

Despite my issues with the pastry bake, I would never tell someone to avoid this recipe. It’s TOO good to pass upon. I simply offer the advice that I wish I had. That’s why I do this, my friends. I am a simple home cook and I learn from my mistakes. What fun would this be if it didn’t make you think a little, right? I just hope that I can continue to urge you all to take a chance with your cooking. Try something you’ve never made before!

Check Out My Other Reviews

• Defined Dish’s Weeknight Hero: Cumin Beef Stir Fry
• My New Favorite Sriracha Shrimp Tacos
• Raspberry-Ricotta Cake
• Peach Cobbler for Two

As always…happy nomming!