Mengding Huangya Honey Custard Tarts
Mini egg tarts with a Mengding Huangya-infused custard and a touch of honey — a delicate, sweet-nutty dessert that honors a tea once reserved for emperors.
Egg tarts are a beloved staple of Chinese teahouses, and infusing the custard with Mengding Huangya feels like a natural extension of that tradition — pairing a humble, comforting pastry with a tea that was once too precious for anyone outside the imperial court to taste.
The key technique is a double infusion: brewing the tea into the milk used for the custard base, then steeping a second, stronger batch to brush lightly over the cooled tarts. This layers the tea's sweet, nutty character throughout the dessert rather than leaving it as a single faint note.
A touch of honey in the custard rounds out the sweetness and echoes the soft, mellow profile the tea is known for — resist the urge to oversweeten, since Mengding Huangya's appeal lies in subtlety, and a tart that's too sugary will mask the tea entirely.
Serve these tarts slightly warm or at room temperature alongside a fresh-brewed cup of the same tea. The combination makes for an elegant afternoon treat that feels celebratory without being heavy — fitting for a tea with such a storied, ceremonial past.
Ingredients
- 1 sheet store-bought puff pastry or shortcrust pastry
- 1/2 cup whole milk
- 2 tsp Mengding Huangya tea leaves
- 2 large egg yolks
- 1 whole egg
- 3 tbsp honey
- 2 tbsp sugar
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- Pinch of salt
- Extra strong-brewed tea for brushing (optional glaze)
How to make it
- 1Preheat oven to 200°C (400°F). Roll out pastry and cut into rounds to fit a 12-cup mini muffin or tart tin; press gently into molds.
- 2Heat the milk until just steaming, remove from heat, add the tea leaves, cover, and steep for 4 minutes. Strain and discard leaves.
- 3Whisk egg yolks, whole egg, honey, sugar, vanilla, and salt together. Slowly whisk in the warm tea-infused milk until smooth.
- 4Strain the custard through a fine sieve, then pour into the pastry shells, filling about three-quarters full.
- 5Bake for 15–18 minutes until the pastry is golden and the custard is just set with a slight wobble in the center.
- 6Cool in the tin for 10 minutes, then transfer to a rack. If desired, lightly brush tops with a small amount of extra-strong brewed tea for a subtle sheen before serving.
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