Missing The Flavor of A Homemade Portuguese Egg Tart

In 2021, when I was still a depressed college student, I usually took some break by baking something easy.

One day, I searched for a pastry, bread, or dessert recipe on Youtube, and this egg tart thumbnail stole my attention. That one dish went viral long before I watched the video, but I didn’t have the chance to try it at that time. So, I checked the ingredients , and luckily I have it all at home. Then, the story begins.

I knew that making egg tarts is not an easy job, it’s very tricky. You have to be patient, or else, say goodbye to egg tart.

I spent 5 hours total making 9–12 (I don’t really remember) egg tarts. It wasn’t perfect, but the flavor was beyond my expectations. It was heaven! And the fact that it was my first time makes me so proud of myself.

The journey begins with me patiently making the shells layer by layer every 30 minutes. It was full of sweat. And flour. And butter.

Oh, I forgot to mention that I live in a tropical country. That day was super hot. I don’t have AC so I was just leaving my precious tart shells soak in melting butter. I even increased the chilling time to 40–50 minutes, but it still didn’t help. So, I just leaving it to fate. If it work, it’ll work.

I pour the perfect pastry cream that I made in the middle of the shells. Then I baked it for 25 minutes in a 200 degree Celcius, hoping that at least it wont burned.

10 minutes, I started to smell something addictive. The sweet scent overflowed the entire house. It was the smell of the heavenly pastry cream and the hellish tart shells I made. I wonder if my neighbour could also smell it too. It smells so wonderful that my expectations for the results are increased.

And finally, the wait is over. I took it out of the oven and I could see my egg tart looked so sad. Yes, the egg tart looked terrible, but I could see the thin layers! I thanked God, my 5 hours wasn’t in vain. It pays.

Pardon me, I can only show you that one picture, because I didn’t take a lot at that time, since it doesn’t look great. But trust me, don’t judge by the cover.

When I have a bite, I feel like I was flying. The taste was incredible! The soft and slightly crisp shells that melt in your mouth were very buttery. And when the savory taste meets the sweet, creamy, and soft pastry cream, oh well, I hope I can spend my time making this every day so that I could eat it whenever i want, rather than doing my assignments.

My depression was cured. The egg tart saved my life.

Now, I have graduated but I’m still depressed. Should I prepare 5 hours of my time again?