Michele Pasteleria
The business earned a long history of forty years operations. The Western-style cake shop near Zuk Lam Temple, Estrada de Coelho do Amaral, looks simple, direct from the outside, leaving behind the nostaligic setups back in the 1980s. When the everyday egg tarts are baked and ready at noon time, quite often formed in a long queue everyday, getting their own egg tarts bulk purchases.
Their puff pastry base are made of traditional meringue baking styles, containing a rich egg flavor with a smooth filling; the puff goes so layered and cripsy, in a a considerable layers. The sweetness of a traditional filling is crucial; Their sweetness was just right, not being too greasy at all. What they offer is an non-expensive sweet delicacies, selling at affordable prices in the streets of local neighbourhood area, selling their best popular Hong Kong and Macau-style sweet pastry snacks serving neighboring communities. Selling for just Four dollars a tart, not a lot of places can acquire such cheap and authentic snacks in Macau nowadays.
Other yummy bakery products
Apart from their egg tarts, there are also many other traditional bakery and desserts items available for sale; The coconut jelly, Mango pudding, Chocolate cake, French donuts, Walnut cake, etc. These pastries owned its local characteristics in Macau, attract many people buying their bakery items. They also sell Black Forest Birthday cakes and Assorted fruit cakes that I have been dreaming of when I was a kid; These are all each individual’s childhood memories and traditional old-style cream cakes that almost went forgotten.
In order to control costs back then, most bakery chefs would used canned fruits and cherries make their creamy, lightend sweetened cakes; Apart from white color, they also sell light pink cream cakes upon requests. If wanna get spoilt or appearing a bit more luxurious; can consider putting some some colorful jelly paintings; with chocolate wordings on it. Now not too many bakery shops nowadys follwoign these styles.
Chinese egg tart practice
The western style pastry making normally uses puffy pastry making method; which is quite similar to other western puff pastry way of making; All need to fold up nearly a hundred times, in order to get each layer puffy. By putting lard into the pastry is the key having such effect. Although the end taste is not as smooth as expected, the tart base is goes thick enough; Thus the filling and is less than other sterotype butterish tarts. In Macau, shops that gain the skill how to make good tart bases is quite hard to find nowadays; it contributes high costs and long production time. Currently only Michele bakery, Chion Chau, Taipa San Hao Lei, New Hong Fat and other old-style Cha Chaan Teng masters can able to make it.
Butter tarts are smooth and taste more complete; something like a cookie base, with a heavy buttery flavor. Similar to a Western Pie Crust base. It always goes to a generous portion making and completely taste so texturised when eaten.
In addition to egg tarts, many other shops mix with other ingredients such as Fresh milk, Ginger juice, Egg whites, Chocolate, Matcha, and Bird’s nest tarts, attracting more customers with options. Personally best prefer original flavors, while enjoying the complete egg tastes. The perfect combination of fragrance and puffy layers melted me entirely.
Cantonese tart is always the best
I believed many people will deliberately go for Portuguese egg tarts rather than Cantonese or French egg tarts. The Portuguese style reached its s best position when tart is piping hot. The taste mainly goes to the crunchy and creamy part, which always tates rich but soft inside; The French style pastry base always need to get balanced with the filled ingredients, cheese cream or fruit to bring out the best authentic flavors. When compared, the Cantonese style looks a bit monotonous and has a hard core textures. But when compared with the other two kinds; the Cantonese egg tarts are moderately sweet and full of milk flavors; they dont necessarily need to eat while serving hot, while not greasy at all. This is also their most attractive features among all.
