Pastéis de Nata — Portuguese Custard Tarts

Flaky puff pastry cases filled with a silky cinnamon and lemon custard, baked until blistered and caramelised.

TIME BREAKDOWN
Prep: 40 min
Cook: 20 min
Total: 1 hour
Vegetarian
✅
Nuts
❌
Serves
12 people
Difficulty
Medium

Ingredients

  • 320g ready-rolled all-butter puff pastry
  • 250ml whole milk
  • 30g plain flour
  • 150g caster sugar
  • 150ml water
  • 1 cinnamon stick
  • 2 strips lemon zest
  • 250ml double cream
  • 5 egg yolks
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • Ground cinnamon and icing sugar, to serve
  • Butter, for greasing

Method

  1. Heat the oven to its highest setting (about 250°C, 230°C fan) with a baking tray inside. Grease a 12-hole muffin tin.

  2. Unroll the pastry, roll it up tightly from the short edge into a log, then cut into 12 equal slices. Press each slice, cut-side up, into a muffin hole, then use wet thumbs to press it out thinly up the sides.

  3. Heat the sugar, water, cinnamon stick and lemon zest in a pan until the sugar dissolves, then simmer for 5 minutes. Discard the cinnamon and zest.

  4. Whisk the flour with a little of the milk to a smooth paste, then whisk in the remaining milk and the cream. Heat gently, stirring, for 5 minutes until thickened.

  5. Gradually whisk in the warm syrup, then the egg yolks and vanilla. Strain through a sieve into a jug.

  6. Pour the custard into the pastry cases until three quarters full. Bake on the hot tray for 15 to 20 minutes until the tops are blistered with dark spots.

  7. Cool in the tin for 5 minutes, then dust with cinnamon and icing sugar. Eat warm or at room temperature.