Pastry worth the afternoon

Choux paste

One paste, cooked twice. Learn it and you own éclairs, profiteroles and puffs forever.

some practice 1 hour 15 minutesUntested draft

Rough puff pastry

Not the classical laminate. Three-quarters of the lift for a quarter of the trouble.

some practice 2 hours 30 minutes, mostly restingUntested draft

Sweet tart shell

The crisp, sandy base under every good fruit tart. Forgiving once you stop overworking it.

first bake 2 hours including chillingUntested draft

Madeleines

The shell-shaped ones with the bump on the back. Best eaten within the hour, which is the whole charm.

first bake 2 hours including the essential restUntested draft

Egg tart蛋撻

The one that's ours. Silky custard, no bubbles, in a short crust — the Hong Kong style, not the scorched Portuguese one.

some practice 2 hoursUntested draft

Kaya puff咖椰角

Coconut-egg jam in a spiral-flaked shell. The most Singaporean thing on the bench, and the best use of a laminated dough.

a project 3 hoursUntested draft