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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  • Binder photo cook me

    09 June 2012

    cook me rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    Made these this morning - really nice. Wasn't sure whether to just bring the lemon/sugar/cinnamon mixture to a boil then take it off, or whether to leave it boiling while I made the milk mixture. I let it boil for less than a minute and then took it off the heat. Work fine.

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  • Binder photo may

    22 July 2012

    may commented on this recipe

    Made these tarts this morning and very disappointed with the filling. Very sweet and nothing like the lovely custard filling in pasteis de nata as I know.

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  • Binder photo MissMatilda91

    29 November 2012

    MissMatilda91 commented on this recipe

    WHERE IS THE SUGAR IN THIS RECIPE...good job my boyfriends a chef or this would have been a total waste of time, disastrous recipe!

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  • Binder photo sllyst

    02 December 2012

    sllyst rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    I really couldn't imagine how the mix of lemon, cinamon and vanilla was going to work but it really did! These were absolutely gorgeous and came out perfectly. The pastry was light and crispy, the filling was perfectly balanced, just heaven!

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  • Binder photo Katev1987

    12 February 2013

    Katev1987 rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    I really enjoyed making these, I have also had them tested out by my Portuguese boyfriend and his family who say they are good - phew! I found that they were sweet and easy to make. They made lovely little gifts wrapped up in boxes. I was concerned that the day after they wouldn't taste as nice, but they were fine. Just making batch number 3 and starting to tweak it e.g. with coconut.

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  • Binder photo psk95

    17 February 2013

    psk95 rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    These are great custard tarts, very easy to make. I have also tried filo pastry and you do get a much crispier base but with puff pastry just make sure you coat between sheets with melt butter or use ready made and roll out thinly.

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  • Binder photo BiddyG

    13 March 2013

    BiddyG commented on this recipe

    Sorry am I being very dense but 2 lemon slices? Does it mean two lemons sliced or what?

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  • Binder photo Smartchrissy

    04 May 2013

    Smartchrissy rated and commented on this recipe

    3 stars

    The pastry part was not as crisp as it could have been and rather 'floury' and a little chewy too. I've read with interest PSK95's comment about brushing pastry layers with melted butter in order to crisp them up - shall try this next time. I also think that the custard might turn out better with full cream milk - after all 'nata' means cream. Custard texture was fine.

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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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