Cream tartlets are delightful single-serving shortcrust pastries with a creamy lemon custard heart. These cream-filled tartlets are perfect for breakfast, a snack, or a dessert, and are easy to transport, making them suitable for work or for children to take to school for a snack. With these measurements, you can make 6 tartlets with custard, or you can make one large tart in an 18 cm pan. To prepare these mini tartlets, I used small molds with a 3.74-inch diameter (like these HERE), which are very practical and the pastry comes off easily without greasing the molds. Besides this custard tart, I’ve also tried the version with jam, which is also very tasty, or even with apples. Now let’s see how to make cream tartlets, and if you try them, let me know. Barbara

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Difficulty: Easy
Cost: Cheap
Preparation time: 20 Minutes
Portions: 6
Cooking methods: Oven, Stove
Cuisine: Italian
Seasonality: All seasons

Ingredients to Prepare Cream Tartlets

50 powdered sugar
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp vanilla extract
3 oz butter (cold from fridge)
1 egg (large)
1 pinch salt
2 egg yolks
70 g sugar
20 g cornstarch
1 lemon
1 cup milk

Tools

Tart Molds

How to Prepare Cream Tartlets

We start preparing the Cream Tartlets. First, prepare the shortcrust pastry by sifting the powdered sugar directly into the bowl and
the flour,
add the cold butter cut into pieces,
a pinch of salt
a teaspoon of vanilla extract,
mix everything first with a fork and then with your hands until you get a sandy mixture.
Now add the egg and knead first with a fork
and then with your hands until you get a classic firm and shiny shortcrust pastry.
Then transfer it between two sheets of parchment paper and roll it out thin with a rolling pin, then place it in the fridge.
In the meantime, while the shortcrust pastry is in the fridge, prepare the cream by pouring the egg yolks into a saucepan and working them with a whisk,
add the sugar and always work with the whisk to get a light mixture,
also add the cornstarch and incorporate it into the eggs and sugar to have a smooth cream without lumps.
Add the milk little by little, always stirring with the whisk,
lastly, add the grated lemon peel,
put it on the stove, bring to a boil while always stirring; otherwise, the cream may stick to the bottom, and let it thicken. Let the cream cool at room temperature.
Take the shortcrust pastry and, with the help of the tart mold, cut out even circles; one will be for the base and another to cover the tart. The leftovers, knead them again and roll them out to make more tartlets.
Place a circle of pastry in the mold, I neither greased nor floured them,
add the custard,
cover with a second circle of shortcrust pastry and make it adhere well to the edges to close the tartlet properly,
use a knife to slightly cut the pastry, which will allow steam to escape and ensure a perfect pastry. Continue this way until the remaining custard tartlets are completed.
Bake the Cream Tartlets in a preheated static oven at 356°F for 25/30 minutes. Once cooked, remove them from the oven and let them cool, then dust with powdered sugar.