Pasteis de nata, is a Portuguese custard tart pastry consisting of a crème brûlée-like custard caramelized in a crust common in Portugal, but also quite similiar to South Africa’s most loved dessert…milk tart! Give this easy delicious recipe a try…you won’t be sorry!
PASTEIS DA NATA
Author: Fazila Olla-Logday
Recipe type: Dessert
Cuisine: Portuguese
Pasteis de nata, is a Portuguese custard tart pastry consisting of a crème brûlée-like custard caramelized in a crust common in Portugal, but also quite similiar to South Africa's most loved dessert...milk tart! Give this easy delicious recipe a try...you won't be sorry!
Ingredients
- 125ml (1/2 Cup) Full Cream Milk
- 50g Plain flour
- 250 ml (1cup) Cream
- 300g Sugar
- 180 ml (3/4 cup) Water
- Thinly peeled zest from 1 Lemon
- 1 Cinnamon stick
- 6 large free-range Egg Yolks
- 2 x 400gr packs All-Butter Puff Pastry
- Cinnamon powder to dust
- Icing sugar to dust
Instructions
- Spray 18 holes of 2 standard 12-hole muffin tins generously with cooking spray.
- Whisk the milk into the flour in a small bowl to form a thin paste.
- Heat the cream until hot, then stir in the flour paste and cook, stirring constantly with a balloon whisk, for 2-3 minutes until thick.
- Put the sugar in a pan with water, lemon zest and stick cinnamon. Heat gently to melt the sugar, then turn up the heat and boil for 4-5 minutes until the syrup reaches the short thread stage.
- Gradually whisk it into the milk mixture to give a white liquid with a similar thickness to double cream.
- Put the egg yolks in a large bowl and strain over the milk mixture, whisking continuously until combined. Place a sheet of cling film over the surface and leave to cool. Once cooled, remove the strip of lemon zest and cinnamon stick.
- Heat the oven to 230°C. Unroll the pastry, remove the plastic lining sheet, then roll it back up. Cut it in pieces, 3 cm wide. Put each piece into a space of the muffin mould with the folded part facing the top. Use your thumb and start spreading it to create a shell.
- Pour or spoon the custard into the pastry cases to 1cm below the top, dust with cinnamon and then bake for 15 minutes or until the pastry is golden and crisp.
- Cool in the tin for 5 minutes, then gently lever out the tarts with a spoon and dust with icing sugar.
