pasteis de nata

These Portuguese custard tarts are dangerously delicious! The famous pasteis de nata come from a small monastery outside of Lisbon, but this recipe gets you as close to the authentic original as possible.

Pasteis De Nata (Portuguese Custard Tarts)

all-purpose flour

salt

whole milk

white sugar

water

vanilla extract

cinnamon

lemon (peel only,

puff pastry

Pasteis de Nata (Portuguese Custard Tarts)

Preheat your oven to 550°F (290°C), and lightly grease a 12-cup muffin tin.

In a saucepan, bring to a boil the sugar, water, vanilla extract, lemon zest, and cinnamon stick. Cook until a thermometer reads a temperature of 220°F (100°C). Resist the urge to stir!

Separately, whisk the milk, flour, and salt together very thoroughly. Cook over medium heat, whisking constantly, for about 5 minutes or until well combined and the milk is thickened. Take off the heat and let cool for 10 minutes.

Once cooled, whisk in the egg yolks. Then add the sugar syrup (first removing the cinnamon stick), and mix until everything is well-combined. Strain into a measuring jug.

Meanwhile, cut the puff pastry sheet into two pieces and place them on top of each other. Tightly roll the sheets into a log, from the short side. Next, cut the log into 12 evenly sized pieces.

Place one piece in each of the 12 wells of the muffin tin. Dipping your thumb in cold water first, press your thumb down into the center of the dough piece and press outwards to form a cup with the pastry. The pastry cup should have its top edge just above the top of the well of the muffin tin.

Fill each pastry cup 3/4 of the way to the top with custard.

Put the tray in the oven and bake until the custard starts to caramelize and blister and the pastry goes golden brown (roughly 10-12 minutes).

Serve warm, with powdered sugar and ground cinnamon (both optional, but delicious)!

Portuguese Custard Tarts, or Pasteis de Nata, are a flaky dessert that migrated to Macau and became a local favorite. Our recipe has been extensively tested!

Portuguese Custard Tarts (Pasteis de Nata)

420 g homemade rough puff pastry

heavy cream ((35% fat dairy cream, 118 ml))

sugar ((granulated white sugar, 115 g))

¼ cup whole milk ((300 ml, 3.5% milk fat))

cornstarch ((11 g))

Roll out the puff pastry into a 10x12 inch (25x30 cm) rectangle. From the 10-inch side, start rolling the pastry into a tight roll until you have a 10-inch long roll. Return the pastry to the freezer for 30 minutes to chill until firm.

Cut the chilled pastry roll into 12 equal disks that weigh about 35 g each (cut the pastry in half twice, and then cut each of the remaining 4 pieces into 3 equal pieces to get a total of 12). You can also use a ruler for this purpose. Start with 6 pieces first, wrap the rest up, and put them back in the refrigerator or freezer to keep them chilled.

On a very lightly floured surface, place each piece of dough so the swirls in the dough are facing up. Use a rolling pin to roll each piece into a flat disc about ¼ inch wider than the diameter of the tin and about 3/16 inches thick. Use flour sparingly when rolling out the discs. Using a pastry scraper or metal spatula to lift the discs will help keep them intact.

Place each disk onto the bottom of each custard tart tin and press the dough onto the tin. When you spread the dough into the tart tin, form a lip that sits on top of the perimeter of the tin. This is crucial for preventing the custard from overflowing. Work quickly so your dough doesn’t heat up. Have some all-purpose flour on the table in case the dough sticks to your fingers, and as you press the dough against the bottom and the sides of the tin, try not to overwork it.

Freeze the finished tart cups for at least 35 minutes or until frozen. You can make the pastry tins ahead of time and keep them frozen for up to 2 weeks.

Make the pastry shells:

Whisk ½ cup heavy cream, ½ cup sugar, 1¼ cup whole milk, 2 egg yolks, 4 teaspoons cornstarch, and 1¼ teaspoon vanilla extract in a small saucepan until the sugar is dissolved.

Place over medium low heat, continuing to whisk until the mixture begins to coat the sides of the pan. Patience and low heat are key to a successful custard. The custard should get just hot enough so you see steam beginning to form. This is your signal that the custard is almost ready.

When the custard is thick enough to coat a spoon, remove from the heat and continue to whisk, ensuring you scrape the sides of the pan. Whisk until it is no longer hot. Do not cook the custard into a pudding, or it will dry out too much during baking! It’s a fairly thin consistency.

Set aside to cool completely, pressing plastic wrap onto the surface of the custard so a skin does not form on top.

Make the custard filling:

Preheat the oven to 475 degrees F (245 degrees C). Place the frozen pastry shells on a sheet pan (you can line it with parchment paper for easy cleanup).

Spoon the cooled custard in each shell until the custard is about 3/16 inches below the top of the pastry shell. Work quickly since you don’t want to give the custard any chance of soaking into the pastry. It’s important to have the oven ready to go once you start pouring custard into the shells.

Put the pan on the middle rack of your oven, and immediately turn the oven temperature down to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C). The total baking time for your Portuguese Custard Tarts should be 30 minutes, but check them after 20 minutes and rotate the pan if they are browning unevenly.

After 25 minutes, if the pastry is turning golden brown and you see those signature scorched bubbles forming, you’re on track for another 5 minutes. If the pastry looks like it is browning too fast, you may want to turn the heat off to let residual heat finish the baking process. Oven temperatures are not always accurate and may be slightly hotter or cooler than the temperature you set it for, so play it by ear.

When baking is complete, remove the custard tarts from the oven (leaving them in the tins), and place on a rack to cool.

Your Portuguese Custard Tarts will smell incredible, but be sure to wait until they cool, as the custard will be extremely hot. Once they are cool enough to handle, remove the custard tarts from the tins and enjoy them warm!

To reheat these tarts, preheat the oven or toaster oven to 350 degrees F, and heat them for 7-10 minutes until warmed through.

Assembly and baking:

https://content.jwplatform.com/videos/EwVQZMmc.mp4

How to roll out Portuguese custard tart pastry and press into tart tins

Try this Pastel de Nata or Portuguese Egg Tarts recipe. Taste just like the ones from Macao, light and smooth egg custard with crisp flaky puff pastry.

Pastel de Nata or Portuguese Egg Tarts

heavy cream ((at least 30% fat))

sugar

cornstarch

200 ml fresh full-fat milk

butter (- for greasing the forms)

Form the dough into pastry shells as I mentioned in my post above. Freeze them for some minutes while preparing the custard.

In a bowl, whisk together the cream, sugar, egg yolks, cornstarch and milk until well combined and all lumps age gone.

Using a double boiler, cook the egg mixture over medium-low heat while stirring continuously until it reaches the correct thickness, like that of a crepe batter. Remove from heat and place pot in a cold water bath to stop it from cooking further.

Add the vanilla extract and stir until well mixed. Let it cool down to room temperature.

Preheat oven to 250°C.

Take the puff pastry shells from the fridge and fill them with the egg mixture leaving about 5-7mm of the top uncovered.

Baked them at 250°C for 5 minutes or until the pastry starts to puff. Lower the temperature to 200°C and bake for another 15-20 minutes or until the top of the custard gets the burnt spots and the bubbling starts to subside. Rotate your tray several times throughout baking time to get the crust brown evenly.

Remove from oven and place on the cooling rack. Portuguese Egg tarts are best eaten while still warm.

Crispy-crunchy pastry crust with a smooth and creamy custard filling is what awaits your bite into these traditional, world famous sweet custard tarts from Lisbon, Portugal!

Pastéis de Nata (Portuguese Custard Tarts)

For the Custard:

cinnamon stick

lemon

milk

Make the Custard:Place the water, sugar, cinnamon and lemon rind in a medium saucepan and bring it to a boil.  Reduce the heat to medium and let it simmer - without stirring - until it reachers 220 degrees F on an instant read thermometer.Remove from the heat and let it cool for at least 15 minutes while you prepare the rest of the ingredients.In a separate medium saucepan scald the milk (heat until up to the boiling point but don&#039;t let it boil).  Turn off the heat and add the flour and salt to the hot milk and whisk constantly until the mixture is nice and thick.  Add the egg yolks and whisk until combined.  Whisk in the vanilla extract.Remove the cinnamon and lemon rind from the syrup.  In a thin, steady stream pour the syrup into the egg/flour mixture, whisking constantly.  The custard will be very thin, this is normal.Pour the custard through a fine mesh sieve to strain out any chunky bits.Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and set aside until ready to use.  You can make this in advance and refrigerate for up to 3 days.

Prepare the Pastry Dough:On a lightly floured work surface, roll the pastry dough out to roughly a 11x14 inch rectangle.  Beginning at the short end, roll up the pastry dough, rolling it tightly as you go along.  Wrap the pastry roll in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.  

Assemble the Tarts:Preheat the oven to the highest temperature it will go (I heated mine to 525 degrees F).   Use a pastry cutter or sharp knife to cut the pastry log into about 3/4 inch thick rounds.  (Cut a thin layer off each end and discard.)Use a standard size nonstick muffin pan.  Depending on how full you fill the tarts this recipe makes about 16 tarts so you may need a second muffin pan.Place a pastry round in each tin.  Use your thumbs to press the pastry down and up the sides to the very top to fit the mold.  Pour the prepared custard into each pastry case to about 3/4 of the way full.  Don&#39;t fill them too full or the custard will overflow onto the rims of the tart crusts.  Place the pan on the middle rack of the preheated oven.Depending on the max temperature of your oven, bake for about 14-16 minutes (my oven was set to 525 degrees F).  You&#39;ll know the tarts are done when the tops are nicely scorched and the filling is set. Remove from the oven and let the tarts cool for about 8-10 minutes before removing them. Serve with a dusting of powdered sugar and a small pinch of cinnamon if desired.  These pastries are best eaten warm the same day they are baked.

Pasteis de nata (Pasteis de Belem) are deliciously golden custard tarts that are famous all throughout Portugal and Portuguese-speaking countries.

Pasteis de Nata

Rind of a lemon

flour

Preheat the oven to 450 F / 240 C.

In a pot, add the milk, lemon rinds and cinnamon sticks.

Bring to a boil, then turn off the heat.

In a bowl, combine the sugar with the flour.

Add the mixture to the hot milk, and stir.

Remove the lemon rinds and cinnamon sticks and let cool for 10 minutes.

Add the egg yolks. Stir until forming a homogeneous custard. Put on low to medium heat, and stir constantly until thick.

Roll the puff pastry and cut circles the dimension of the individual molds.

With the help of your thumbs, press the puff pastry and spread the dough to the edges of the mold.

Pour the filling into the molds and bake for 15 minutes, or until golden brown. Serve warm, and sprinkle some cinnamon (optional).

Little bites of heaven, these take a while to make but well worth the effort.&nbsp; Transport yourself to Portugal&nbsp; in one bite!

sea salt

227 g / 8 0z unsalted butter (room temperature, stirred until smooth)

milk divided

egg yolks whisked

Cinnamon optional

To make the dough, place the flour, salt, and water in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a&nbsp; dough hook. Mix for about 30 seconds until soft dough forms that cleans the side of the bowl.

Place the dough on a generously floured work surface. Pat the dough into a 6-inch square using a pastry scraper. Sprinkle with flour, cover with plastic wrap, and let the dough rest for 15 minutes.

Roll the dough into an 18-inch square. Use the scraper to lift the dough and add flour underneath to avoid the dough sticking.

Brush excess flour off the top of the dough, trim any uneven edges with a pastry cutter, and using a small offset spatula dot and then spread the left two-thirds of the dough with a little less than one-third of the butter to within 1 inch of the edge.

Neatly fold over the unbuttered right third of the dough using the pastry scraper to loosen it if it sticks, brush off any excess flour, then fold over the left third. Starting from the top, pat down the packet with your hand to release air bubbles, then pinch the edges closed. Brush off any excess flour.

Turn the dough packet 90 degrees to the left so the fold is facing you. Lift the packet and flour the work surface. Once again roll out to an 18-inch square, then dot and spread the left two-thirds of the dough with one-third of the butter, and fold the dough as in steps 4 and 5.

For the last rolling, turn the packet 90 degrees to the left and roll out the dough to an 18-by-21-inch rectangle, with the shorter side facing you. Spread the remaining butter over the entire surface.

Using the spatula as an aid, lift the edge closest to you and roll the dough away from you into a tight log, brushing the excess flour from the underside as you go. Trim the ends and cut the log in half. Wrap each piece in plastic wrap and chill for 2 hours or preferably overnight.

Now make the custard. In a medium bowl, whisk the flour and 1/4 cup of the milk until smooth. Set aside.

Bring the sugar, cinnamon, and water to a boil in a small saucepan and cook until an instant-read thermometer registers 220°F.&nbsp; Do not stir.

Meanwhile, in another small saucepan, scald the remaining 1 cup milk. Whisk the hot milk into the flour mixture.

Remove the cinnamon stick then pour the sugar syrup in a thin stream into the hot milk-and-flour mixture, whisking briskly. Add the vanilla and stir for a minute until very warm but not hot. Whisk in the yolks, strain the mixture through a sieve into a bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and set aside.

Assemble and bake the pastries

Heat the oven to 550°F for at least one hour.&nbsp; Remove the pastry from the refrigerator and roll it gently back and forth on lightly floured work surface until it’s about an inch in diameter and 15 inches long. Cut it into 1.25-inch pieces. Place the dough pieces cut-side down into each of the the 12 cups of the 12-cup muffin pan. Let the dough pieces soften several minutes until they become soft and pliable.

Dip your thumbs into the water, then press straight down into the middle of the dough piece. Flatten it against the bottom of the cup to a thickness of about 1/8 inch, then smooth the dough up the sides and create a raised lip about 1/8 inch above the pan. The pastry sides should be thinner than the bottom.

Fill each cup 3/4 full with the slightly warm custard. Bake the tarts until the edges of the dough are brown, about 10-12 minutes.&nbsp; If the tarts are not browning as much as you would like place them under a broiler for just a brief minute.

Remove from the oven and allow the tarts to cool a few minutes in the pan, then transfer to a rack and cool until just warm. Repeat the steps with the remaining dough and custard mix.

You can sprinkle the tarts generously with powdered sugar, then cinnamon before serving but it is optional.

Instructions

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Top 6 pasteis de nata recipes from across the web

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