Pastel de Nata
Egg-yolk custard tarts in shatteringly flaky laminated pastry, baked scorching hot until the tops char-spot — created by monks at Lisbon's Jeronimos Monastery, whose original recipe is still a closely guarded secret.
Vegetarian
⚠ Contains: Dairy, Egg, Gluten. Always check your own ingredients — this isn't a guarantee for severe allergies.
Ingredients
- 1 sheet all-butter puff pastry, or homemade laminated dough
- 1 cup whole milk
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 1 strip lemon peel
- 1 1/4 cups sugar
- 1/2 cup water
- 2 tbsp all-purpose flour
- 6 egg yolks
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
Steps
- Roll the puff pastry into a tight log and slice into 1-inch rounds. Press each round into a muffin tin cup, working it up the sides.
- Warm the milk with the cinnamon stick and lemon peel, then strain and set aside.
- In a saucepan, dissolve the sugar in the water and bring to a simmer for 3-4 minutes to make a light syrup.
- Whisk the flour into the warm milk until smooth, then whisk in the hot syrup and cook over medium heat, stirring, until slightly thickened.
- Off the heat, whisk in the egg yolks and vanilla one at a time until the custard is smooth and glossy.
- Pour the custard into the pastry-lined cups, filling almost to the top.
- Bake at 500F (or as hot as your oven allows) for 12-15 minutes, until the pastry is golden and the custard tops are deeply charred in spots.
- Let cool slightly before removing from the tin. Best eaten warm.