Portuguese Custard Tarts #Recipe
Emma Shawcross
4th December 2018
Portuguese Custard Tarts or Pastel de Nata make the perfect alternative to mince pies this Christmas. These lovely things are super Christmassy, but a little bit different to your traditional Christmas treat and you wont have any left once you have tried one.
Sugar syrup
Preheat the oven to high setting, or at least 230C/210C Fan/Gas 8. So it is hot
First do the sugar syrup (this can be done the night before or few days before)
For the sugar syrup, bring the sugar, cinnamon and lemon rind to the boil in a saucepan with 250ml/9fl oz water. Reduce the heat until the mixture is simmering, then simmer for 3 minutes. Set the syrup aside until completely cool. Once cool, discard the cinnamon stick and lemon rind.
Custard Filling
First mix the flours together in a bowl
Pour in a little bit of milk and stir with your finger until combined.
Bring the remaining milk to the boil in a saucepan over low heat, stirring regularly.
Gradually add the boiled milk to the flour mixture and whisk for 1 minute, or until smooth and well combined.
Slowly whisk in the sugar syrup until all mixed in
Whisk in the egg yolks, whole egg and vanilla seeds until smooth and well combined. Put to one side
*Please note – (egg whites you can freeze in a bag for up to 3 months just mark how many and date- so you don’t waste them)*
Tart Cases
Roll out the pastry onto a lightly floured work surface to a rectangle
Measuring approximately 50×30/20x12in, but more importantly to a thickness of 1mm.
With the longest edge of the pastry rectangle facing you, roll the pastry as tightly as possible, brushing it from right to left with water as you go. Cut the pastry roll into 2cm/¾in-thick discs.
Or you can use a cutter and smooth up the sides of a muffin tin
Place the disks in the holes of a muffin tin and massage them with a circular motion using a wet thumb, until the pastry rises up the sides of the holes in the tray. Make sure you don’t make any holes in the pastry.
Fill the pastry cases with the custard until they are almost, but not quite, full.
Bake the custard tarts in the oven for 20 minutes, or until the pastry has risen and the surface of the custard is scorched. Set aside to cool for at least 15 minutes before serving to allow the custard to set slightly.
Recipe Info
Serves
12
Ingredients
Sugar syrup
250g/9oz Sugar
1 Cinnamon stick
1 Lemon whole peeled rind only and squeeze of juice
Custard Filling
25g/1oz Plain Flour,
12g Cornflower
300ml/10½fl oz milk
4 free-range Just egg Yolks
1 whole free-range egg
Vanilla seeds from a Vanilla Pod or Vanilla Paste Half a teaspoon
Optimal: You can add extra grated cinnamon if you wish
Tart Cases
Extra plain flour for dusting for rolling out
300g/10½oz ready-made all-butter Puff Pastry
Equipment
Electric mixer or Whisk
Measuring jug
Pan
Muffin tin
Rolling pin