Second time making this, I split it down into 4 smaller loaves, each about 18 inches long and 1.5 inches in diameter. Scored them too horizontally the first time and it was dense so this time I scored them more vertically and they actually spread out better that way and it makes the crumb inside fluffier. baked it with a hotel pan full of hot water on the bottom of the oven. actually proofed it in the fridge overnight to develop some more flavors but my fridge was a little too cold so it stopped rising. once i took it out of the fridge it took 4 hours to start proofing again and another hour until they were ready to shape.

I forgot to temper the eggs with hot milk so I ended up straining out egg solids and adding more yolk. It still came out great although I think it was a little too sweet for me. I also had no vanilla extract so I used coconut powder. Instead of puff pastry I brushed phyllo dough with melted butter, sprinkled with sugar and layered 5 to 6 sheets. It came out rather thin and the bottom was soggy so I probably needed more layers. The top was brown and flaky and just melted in my mouth. MM! There were egg whites left over so I handwhipped some into meringue with cream of tartar and some sugar and placed dollops on top of the tarts. They look "cute" according to my girlfriend and the custard was delicious! Although the custard did foam up during baking which sort of compromised the texture. I think the heat may have been too high even though I made them at 350. Next time I'm going to try it at 300. The cornstarch made the custard a little too pasty for my taste so maybe I'll cut that in half next time. Thanks for this, it's a good substitute for the Hong Kong style Egg Tarts.