"You didn't wish me Happy Easter!" —Mom

... Mom indignantly reminds me over the phone, after guilt-tripping my decision to stay in New York for the holiday. "You know I pray for you and your sister everyday, else God will smite you, I'm saving your souls," she says during the same conversation.

So Mom's a devout Catholic, in case you haven't noticed.

Which meant that growing up, we celebrated Easter from a religious perspective versus secular—a.k.a. the Easter Bunny managed to skip our house every year.

But Mom didn't grow up religious. She immigrated here with no knowledge of Catholicism. At best she associated with Confucianism, but that's more from a cultural stance. Dad's family, on the other hand, was one of the first in Vietnam to convert (yay Colonialism!) and Grandma told Mom as much when she first arrived, telling her that as a member of the Phan clan she must live a Catholic life.

Mom took a very "ehhh" stance on this at first, but she eventually joined the church...10 years later. And that kick started it all—I began attending Sunday School, Sis went on Youth Group retreats, and Bible study became a fixture in our lives. But what I didn't realize during all those mornings throwing hissy fits about Sunday School is that, for Mom, Church became a way for her to stay tied to her roots. We didn't just go to any Catholic church. Ours was at the heart of the local Chinese community—centrally located in Chinatown, D.C.—with sermons in both Mandarin and Cantonese. So at church, Mom could be Chinese.

Easter usually meant pot luck brunch at Church and dinner at Grandma's. And because we're Chinese, at some point in the day there would be egg tarts, which are universally beloved by all who've tried them. They're literally eggs, cream, and sugar—what's not to love? Mom often bought pre-made tart crust, but I adopted my favorite pie crust for this recipe (though really any crust will work).  

Prep: 50 minutes Bake: 25 minutes

INGREDIENTS (MAKES 10) 

+ Use your favorite crust recipe.

PREPARE

1. Preheat oven to 350 F.

2. Make your pie crust and set it in mini tart pans, which can be purchased at most home good stores (but not Michael's, even though they have a huge baking section, I checked). Set aside—I like to keep mine in the freezer while I make the filling, because it makes the crust flakier.

3. Combine milk and water in a pot and bring to a boil. Keep a close eye on it, as you don't want the milk to explode everywhere. 

4. Stir in sugar until dissolved and taste it for sweetness. You can add more if you prefer it sweeter.  

5. Pour eggs into the milk and sugar mixture and mix well.

BAKE

1. Take a strainer and pour mixture through it once—this will give it a silky texture.

2. Fill tart pans 3/4 of the way.

3. If you want these to look extra fancy, Mom suggests painting egg yolk around the edges of the crust, giving them that perfect toasted sheen. 

4. Bake for 25 minutes. Don't overcook them—eggs are temperamental and you don't want your tarts to dry out!

5. Let cool.

EAT

These little rays of sunshine can be eaten warm or at room temperature. Enjoy and happy Easter!