Pastéis de nata — Portugal's famous custard tarts, with crisp, flaky puff pastry cases holding a silky vanilla-and-lemon custard, baked until caramelised. Best dusted with cinnamon.
- 2 tbs Plain Flour
- 2 tbs Icing Sugar
- 375g Puff Pastry
- 250g Caster Sugar
- 2 strips Lemon Zest
- 2 Eggs
- 4 Egg Yolks
- 50g Corn Flour
- 500ml Whole Milk
- Pod of Vanilla
- To serve Cinnamon
Video
Preparation
- Mix the flour and icing sugar and use to dust the work surface. Roll the pastry out into a 45x30cm rectangle, then roll up lengthways to create a long sausage shape.
- Cut the pastry into 24 wheels, about 1–2cm thick.
- Roll each wheel lightly with a rolling pin to fit 2x 12-hole non-stick fairy cake tins.
- Press the pastry circles into the tins, moulding them into thin cases, and chill until needed.
- Heat the oven to 220C/fan 200C/gas 7. Make a sugar syrup by bringing the sugar, 200ml water, lemon zest and cinnamon stick to the boil, then reduce until syrupy. Cool, then remove the cinnamon and lemon. In another large pan, whisk the eggs, egg yolks and cornflour until smooth.
- Heat the milk and vanilla seeds in a separate pan until just below the boil. Gradually pour the hot milk over the eggs and cornflour, then cook over low heat, continually whisking.
- Add the cooled sugar syrup to the custard and whisk until slightly thickened.
- Pour the custard through a sieve, then into the pastry cases, and bake for 15 minutes until the pastry is golden and the custard has darkened.
- Cool completely in the tins, then sift over icing sugar and ground cinnamon to serve.
