Portuguese custard tarts (Pasteis de nata)

Portuguese custard tarts (Pasteis de nata)

Try this Portuguese classic at home. The recipe from London's Portal restaurant is a little tricky but worth the effort

Difficulty and servings

For the keen cook

Makes 12

Preparation and cooking times

Preparation time

Prep 15 mins

Cook time

Cook 30 mins

plus cooling

Method

  1. Tip the sugar, lemon and cinnamon into a pan with 125ml water and bring to a boil. Mix the flour, cornflour and vanilla with a small amount of milk until you have a smooth paste. Bring the rest of the milk to a boil, then pour it onto the flour mixture, whisking continuously. Pour back into a clean pan and bring to a simmer, whisking until the mixture thickens. Remove the cinnamon and lemon then stir both mixtures together and add the eggs, bring back to a simmer and whisk until smooth. Pour into a jug, cover the surface with clingfilm and allow to cool.
  2. Heat the oven to 220C/fan 200C/gas 7 and put a baking sheet in the oven for bottom heat. Roll out the puff pastry on a clean work surface lightly dusted with flour and icing sugar. Cut the pastry in half and lay one sheet on top of the other. Roll the pastry sheets up like a Swiss roll and cut the roll into twelve slices about 1 cm - 2cm thick.
  3. Lay each of the pastry slices flat on the work surface and roll them out into 10cm discs. Press a pastry disc into each of the wells of a buttered muffin tray. Divide the custard between the pastry cases.
  4. Bake the tarts for 18-20 minutes on the preheated baking sheet, or until the custard has puffed up and is pale golden-brown, and the pastry is crisp and golden-brown. Allow to cool in the tin. Before serving dust with some cinnamon and icing sugar.

PER SERVING

278 kcalories, protein 4.3g, carbohydrate 37.3g, fat 13.5 g, saturated fat 6.2g, fibre 0.5g, salt 0.41 g

Recipe from olive magazine, June 2011.

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Latest comments and suggestions

  • Binder photo Kate's Food

    13 May 2011

    Kate's Food commented on this recipe

    Having scoffed these in Brazil until I couldn't do up my jeans I've been looking everywhere for a recipe for years. Can't wait!

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  • Binder photo mikey

    14 May 2011

    mikey commented on this recipe

    just made these and followed the receipe a complete disaster

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  • Binder photo Jemima

    31 May 2011

    Jemima rated and commented on this recipe

    4 stars

    Delicious! But they came out a bit fluffier than the custard tarts I get from the Portuguese deli. Any ideas on how to get the edges of the pastry crispy?

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  • Binder photo sylv

    11 December 2011

    sylv commented on this recipe

    I think you should use layers of filo pastry instead brushed with clarified butter in between each sheet. Puff pastry is rather heavy and on the floury side: pasteis are not stodgy at all but light and crispy. hope this helps. I will try and let u know

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  • Binder photo foodie

    14 February 2012

    foodie rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    Followed recipe to the letter, brilliant. Divided 'swiss roll' in half, half again, then each quarter into 3. Sounds obvious, but '1-2' cm is too vague. You need 12 to exactly fill up all the cases with the custard mix.

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  • Binder photo madsmess

    07 April 2012

    madsmess commented on this recipe

    followed the recipe but just added a little more vanilla and a squeeze of lemon juice to the custard. I also brushed the edges of the pastry with a little melted butter before putting the custard in to help the edges brown an crisp up... The outcome was AMAZING very pleased can't wait to give one to my mother in law who lived in Portugal for years.... that'll be the true test..... great recipe.

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  • Binder photo madsmess

    07 April 2012

    madsmess rated this recipe

    5 stars

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Difficulty and servings

For the keen cook

Makes 12

Preparation and cooking times

Preparation time

Prep 15 mins

Cook time

Cook 30 mins

plus cooling

Ingredients

  • 250g golden caster sugar
  • 2 lemon slices
  • 2 cinnamon sticks
  • 250ml semi-skimmed milk
  • 30g plain flour
  • 20g cornflour
  • few drops vanilla extract
  • 3 egg yolks , plus 1 whole egg
  • 375g puff pastry
  • flour , icing sugar and ground cinnamon, for dusting
  • butter , for the muffin tray
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PER SERVING

278 kcalories, protein 4.3g, carbohydrate 37.3g, fat 13.5 g, saturated fat 6.2g, fibre 0.5g, salt 0.41 g

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