Name: pasteis de nata
Prep time: 60 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 75 min
Yield: 12
Cuisine: Portuguese
Ingredients: 1 cup AP flour + 2 tablespoons pinch of salt; pinch of salt; 1/2 cup water; 1 stick softened butter; 1.5 tablespoons flour; 1/2 cup milk + 2 tablespoons; 3 egg yolks; 2/3 cup sugar; 1/3 cup water; 1 cinnamon stick; lemon peel; 1/4 teaspoon vanilla paste

Pasteis de nata are delightful Portuguese custard tarts with an extremely flaky crust, a burnished caramelized top, and filled with a smooth rich custard. You can find them in every cafe across Lisbon, and most famously, at Pasteis de Belem. Overlooking the Atlantic ocean in the neighborhood of Belem, a monastery began selling these tarts nearly 200 years ago. They’ve kept their original recipe a closely guarded secret, but I’ve come up with my version below.

What is the difference between a Portuguese custard tart and a regular custard tart?

A Portuguese custard tart stands out for its exceptionally flaky crust that shatters are you bite into it. The custard is rich and creamy with notes of lemon, cinnamon and vanilla. Unlike other custard desserts that are often cooked gently, Portuguese tarts are quickly cooked in a blazing hot oven reaching impossibly high temperatures that home ovens can not reach. However, by pre-cooking the custard we are able to cook off some of the excess moisture on the stove top before hitting the oven allowing us to get that deliciously burnished crust on top of the custard.

How long do the tarts keep?

The tarts at best served fresh out of the oven. However, as I’ve learned from carrying these tarts home in my carry on from Lisbon, these freeze perfectly and if you just reheat them in the oven, they taste like they were freshly baked.

A few tips for success:

If your custard is too liquid, make sure to thicken up the mixture on the stovetop before baking. Don’t skip this step, or else you won’t get the toasty lookin’ tops (like the traditional ones do).
You want to bake these tarts at as high of a temp your oven will go (my oven goes to 550 F). Keep a close eye as it cooks quickly at these temperatures, and if you see your pastry cooking more quickly than your custard is caramelizing, finish it off with a few minutes under the broiler.
Adjust the cooking time based on what mold you use. I used smaller tart molds, but you can also use a muffin tin. Since the tart molds make smaller tarts, adjust the cooking time if you’re making larger tarts.
You can make the pastry dough and custard ahead of time, so that it’s less of a project to make these tarts.

Pasteis de Nata
makes 10 - 12 tarts

ingredients

for the pastry dough:

1 cup AP flour + 2 tablespoons

pinch of salt

1/2 cup water

1 stick softened butter

for the custard filling:

1.5 tablespoons flour

1/2 cup milk + 2 tablespoons

3 egg yolks

2/3 cup sugar

1/3 cup water

1 cinnamon stick

lemon peel

1/4 teaspoon vanilla paste

To finish:

icing sugar and cinnamon (optional)

steps

Preparing the dough

Mix dough: In a medium sized bowl or using a stand mixer, mix together the 1 cup of flour, salt, and water. Mix with dough hook of knead for a few minutes until dough comes together. The dough should be soft and tacky, but shouldn’t stick to your hands - add 2 more tablespoons flour if too sticky. Cover dough, let rest for 15 min.

Lamination: Clear out a large workspace, and dust generously with flour. The dough is relatively wet and will stick easily. The lamination can be broken down into 3 stages, and make sure to keep your work surface well floured throughout each roll. Use a bench scraper to help you maneuver the dough.

a. Roll out dough into approx. 12 in square - it’s ok if it’s not perfect. Gently spread 1/3 of the butter across the left 2/3 of the dough, keeping an inch border around the edge. Using the bench scraper, fold the right unbuttered 1/3 over the middle, followed by the left 1/3 like you would fold an envelope. Dust off any excess flour, push out any air bubbles in between the folds, and seal in the butter around the edges.

b. Rotate the dough 90 degrees clockwise, so that the seam is now facing you. Roll the dough back out to a 12 in square, and repeat the same buttering and folding process.

c. For the final roll, rotate dough 90 degrees clockwise once more. With the edge facing you 12 in wide, roll out dough into a rectangle that’s 14 in long. Spread the rest of the butter across the entire dough. Starting from the edge closest to you, roll the dough up into a tight log, dusting off the excess flour as you go. Trim off the uneven ends of the log, cover in plastic wrap, and let it rest in the fridge for 30 minutes as you start on the custard.

Preparing the custard

Preheat oven to 550 F

Prepare sugar syrup: In a saucepan, add the sugar, water, cinnamon stick, and lemon peel. Without stirring, bring to a simmer until it reaches 225 F. Set aside.

Start custard: In another saucepan, whisk together flour and 2 tablespoons milk until you get a paste with no lumps. Slowly mix in the rest of the milk as you continue to whisk. Cook over low heat, continuing to stir, until the milk thickens and the whisk leaves tracks.

Mix in eggs: In a separate bowl, first whisk the egg yolks. Fold in some of the hot milk, quickly whisking with the egg yolks to avoid cooking the eggs, before mixing the eggs with the rest of the milk mixture in the pot. Mix in the sugar syrup, leaving out the cinnamon stick and lemon peel, along with the vanilla paste. You should now have a very liquid mixture. Bring the pot back over low heat, continuously stirring until the custard thickens up enough to coat the back of a spoon.

Making the tarts

Transferring dough into the molds: Retrieve the log of dough from the fridge, and cut into 2/3 inch sections if you’re using mini tart molds - cut them into 1 inch sections if using a muffin tin. Arrange them cut side up in lightly greased molds, where you can see the swirls of butter. Using your thumb, press the dough down in the middle, and continue pressing the dough along the walls of the mold. If sticking, lightly dampen your fingers with water. The dough should be thin around the bottom, but make sure not to make any holes.

Filling and baking the tarts: Fill the tarts 3/4 full with the cooled custard. Bake them for ~8 minutes in the preheated oven, and finishing the last 2 minutes with the broiler. Keep a close eye on the tarts as they bake, as you want a well cooked pastry without burning it.

Let cool for a few minutes, before removing pastries from the mold. Serve warm, with some optional powdered sugar and cinnamon sprinkled over top as the Portuguese do.