Pastel De Nata, Portuguese Custard Tarts

Cheat’s Pastel de Nata

A quicker version of the famous Portuguese custard tarts using puff pastry—saving you time without sacrificing that delicious flavor!

Ingredients:

• 1 sheet of puff pastry
• 110g sugar
• 80ml water
• ½ cinnamon stick
• 130ml milk
• 1 piece of lemon peel
• A bit of vanilla pod (if you have it)
• 15g flour
• 25ml milk
• 3 egg yolks

Instructions:

Prepare the Pastry Cases:

• Roll up the puff pastry and cut it into 6 pieces.
• Press each piece flat from end to end and fit them into a muffin tin, keeping the thickness even from bottom to top.
• Place the tin in the fridge to chill while you make the custard.

Make the Sugar Syrup:

• Add the water, sugar, and cinnamon stick to a pan.
• Bring to a rapid boil, cook for 1 minute, then remove from heat.

Infuse the Milk:

• In another pan, heat 130ml of milk with the lemon peel and vanilla pod.
• Bring to a boil, then remove from heat and let it infuse for 5 minutes.

Mix the Custard Base:

• In a bowl, whisk the flour with the remaining 25ml milk to make a smooth paste.
• Gradually add the infused milk, starting with a little to thin the paste, then the rest.
• Stir in the cooled sugar syrup, followed by the egg yolks.

Strain the Custard:

• Pass the custard mixture through a sieve to remove any lumps, then set it aside.

Bake the Tarts:

• Preheat your oven to its highest temperature.
• Once the oven is fully heated, take the pastry cases out of the fridge.
• Give the custard a quick stir in case any flour has settled.
• Place the muffin tin on a slightly pulled-out oven rack and carefully fill the pastry cases with the custard.
• Bake for 16 minutes until golden and bubbling.

Cool and Serve:

• Let the tarts cool on a wire rack for about 15 minutes.
• Dust with icing sugar and a sprinkle of cinnamon.

Now take a big bite of that warm, flaky, and creamy goodness—your very own cheat’s Pastel de Nata!

Enjoy, Del x