Pastel de Nata Recipe: How To Make Traditional Portuguese Custard Tarts At Home
Written by jheelum basu | October 1, 2024
As exquisite as it sounds, Pastel de Nata is a popular Portuguese egg custard tart. It is best defined as a crispy, flaky, laminated puff-pastry shell filled with a rich, creamy custard and baked at a very high heat. On top, it carries some signature dark, caramelized spots. Cherished for a perfect contrast of flavors and textures, it is best served warm with some cinnamon. With every bite, it offers a perfect balance of sweetness and texture.
History Of Pastel de Nata
With its history rooted in 18th-century Portugal, Pastel de Nata was a brainchild of
Catholic monks at the Jerónimos Monastery in Belém, Lisbon. This dessert came from all the surplus egg yolks that the monks left after using massive amounts of egg whites to starch religious garments. As a convenient way to use all the egg yolks, they used them in baking these sweet custard tarts. To prevent wastage, they combined the egg yolks with sugar, milk, and flour to make rich pastries.
Pastel de Nata Recipe: Step-By-Step Guide
Ingredients
- 1 sheet store-bought puff pastry
- 1 tbsp softened butter
- 1.25 cups granulated sugar
- 2/3 cup water
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 1.25 cups whole milk
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 6 large egg yolks
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ⅓ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon powdered sugar
Step-By-Step Guide
Step 1:
To follow this recipe, start by combining sugar, water, cinnamon stick, and lemon rind in a small pot. Boil the mixture without stirring, and then remove the cinnamon and lemon.
Step 2:
In a large mixing bowl,
whisk flour and some milk until smooth. Add the remaining milk and whisk until it turns into a paste.
Step 3:
Now, carefully pour in the hot sugar syrup into the flour paste while whisking. Allow it to cool down, beat in the egg yolks and vanilla, and whisk well.
Step 4:
Once the custard is ready, strain it through a fine-mesh sieve.
Step 5:
Now, roll the puff pastry into a log and slice it into equal rounds. Place each of them into a greased muffin tin cup. To make sure the pastry sets well, it is ideal to dip your thumbs in cold water and press them well.
Step 6:
Preheat your oven to 250°C-288°C. Fill 3/4 of each pastry shell with the custard.
Step 7:
Bake them for 15 minutes until the pastry is deeply golden and gets dark, caramelized spots on top.
Tips & Tricks For Perfect Pastel de Nata At Home
Roll pastry dough tightly:
For this recipe, it is essential to
roll the pastry dough tightly into a cylinder log. This ensures distinct, beautiful circular pastry layers.
Chill the dough:
For best results, make sure the dough is chilled well. Rest and chill them for 3 hours or overnight. This helps maintain its shape when sliced.
Use wet thumbs:
This part is essential to make sure the pastry dough sets well in the muffin tin. To do this, simply dip your thumbs in water when pressing the pastry discs into your metal molds.
Use metal molds:
It is always recommended to bake in metal tart tins, as they conduct heat more rapidly and give a crisp, crunchy bottom crust.
Avoid overfilling:
Fill your pastry cups only about three-quarters full. Leave some headspace, as the bubbling custard expands while baking