Pastéis de nata
Lisbon’s custard tarts: crisp, flaky pastry filled with a silky egg custard and blistered in a very hot oven.
- 50 min30 prep · 20 cook
- HardDifficulty
- 220 kcalper serving
Ingredients
- Sheet of puff pastry1
- Whole milk400 ml
- Plain flour30 g
- Sugar200 g
- Water120 ml
- Cinnamon stick1
- Strip of lemon peel1
- Egg yolks6
- Vanilla extract1 tsp
- Ground cinnamon and icing sugar, to serve1 tsp
Missing something? Ingredients with × can be left out.
Steps
- 1
Roll the pastry up tightly into a log and cut it into 12 slices. Press each slice into a greased muffin tin with wet thumbs, from the centre up the sides.
- 2
Chill the tin while you make the custard. Heat the oven as high as it goes, ideally 280 °C.
- 3
Boil the sugar and water with the cinnamon stick and lemon peel to make a light syrup.
- 4
Whisk the flour with a little of the milk, then heat with the rest of the milk, stirring, until it thickens.
- 5
Pour the syrup into the milk, discarding the cinnamon and peel. Let it cool slightly, then whisk in the yolks and vanilla and strain.
- 6
Fill the pastry cases three-quarters full and bake until the pastry is crisp and the tops have dark blistered spots.
- 7
Cool a little and serve warm, dusted with cinnamon and icing sugar.
Tips and questions
- How do I get the dark spots on top?
- Bake them as hot as your oven goes (250–280 °C) on the top shelf; the custard caramelises in spots before it overcooks.
- How long do they keep?
- They are best the same day. Keep leftovers 1–2 days in an airtight box and crisp them for 5 minutes in a hot oven.
Enjoy your meal!
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