of tarts, an award and a bake sale

It has almost been a week into Ramadan, yet today was the first that I actually brought something to the dining table for iftar, the meal we have at sundown to mark the end of the day-long fast. A typical iftar at our place usually comprises of a main dish prepared by the mother (noodles or rice), and several small bites on the side, such as sweet or savoury Malay kueh, or sandwiches of sorts. We normally have only one or two varieties of small bites, but end up with quite a few varieties on the table by iftar, thanks to the food exchanging culture we have amongst the neighbours and other family members.

The mother had been busy preparing all sorts of kueh and dishes for the past few days, so when she finally headed out to fetch the sister and the two nieces who were staying over for the weekend, I scrambled to contribute a lil something for iftar. Something sweet, hassle-free, and instant.

Enthralled and inspired by HHB’s use of instant prata to make sausage prata rolls, I made a batch of Portuguese egg tarts this afternoon using frozen instant prata. I loved the idea of using instant prata akin to frozen puff pastry, and thought it was a great way to use up the remaining packet of instant prata we had stowed away in the fridge.

Truth be told, I never had portuguese egg tarts before, but have heard of numerous raves from those who swear by them. I’m not a big fan of egg custard desserts, so I had my apprehensions; that it would be too eggy for my taste. Apparently I wasn’t the only one with apprehensions, as the family clearly had their doubts about the instant prata bit. These puffed little nuggets of egg custard, however, proved to be worth the try.

The prata puffed up to a flaky and crispy crust, while the egg custard caramelised at the sweet surface, hiding a layer of soft yet not runny filling. Next time though, I would be sure to fill the cups more so that they encase the top of the puff pastry even more. I knew that the filling would rise and puff up into literal balls in the oven, thereafter sinking upon cooling to give the characteristic sunken caramelised look, but mine turned out too shallow to even look half as pretty as those out in stores. These received the thumbs up from the household, and I foresee myself turning to this simple and instant sweet bites again in the near future.

(Recipe at the end of this post)

In other news, the talented Helene had passed on the award of Brillante Weblog to me, and I couldn’t be more thrilled and honoured. If you haven’t already been crazily bookmarking the recipes on her blog, come hop onto the bandwagon already! Thanks, sweetie

And so, now is my turn to pass it on to seven blogs whose content and/or design I find brilliant:-

1. Happy Home Baking
2. Linda from Make Life Sweeter
3. Ashley from Eat Me, Delicious
4. Todd and Diane from White on Rice Couple
5. Zita from Simplicious
6. Destiny from Destiny’s Vegan Kitchen
7. Patricia from Technicolor Kitchen

Absolutely ADORE all of these blogs; they’re on my Foodblogs – Dailies bookmarked folder on my window. Truly inspiring, I wish I had half the tenacity and talent of these foodbloggers bakers and cooks.

On a last note, if you haven’t already received my email (I know that some of my friends have filled-to-the-brim mailboxes, and find ploughing through the inbox much too cumbersome!), here it is, Ovenhaven Hari Raya Cookie Cravings bake sale for this year!

Remember lovelies, closing date for the orders would be on Monday, 15 Sept. I have already received enquiries on ordering other cookies and/or cupcakes, so if you’re interested in anything beyond the catalogue, just drop me an email, and I will try to accommodate. Also, fret not, cupcake and brownie orders are still running as usual

Quick & Easy Portuguese Egg Tarts
(makes 6 pieces)

3 pieces of frozen instant prata
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup milk
1/4 cup whipping cream
3 egg yolks
1 tsp vanilla essence

1. Preheat oven to 220C.
2. Cut each piece of frozen prata into two. Fold and press each half into a muffin hole.
3. Beat sugar, milk, whipping cream, yolks and vanilla essence until all of the sugar has dissolved. It should thicken, and look almost white.
4. Pour the egg mixture into each of the prata ‘cup’, filling about 2/3 full.
5. Bake at 220C for 20-25mins.