Pasteis de Nata (Portuguese Custard Tarts)

I have another Portuguese recipe to share with you today.  Pasteis de Nata, or Portuguese custard tarts.  If you've never had one of these tarts before, you're missing out on a real treat!  I thought they would make a wonderful dessert to go with the Portuguese Canja I posted the other day.

These little gems can be found in the many Portuguese bakeries all over Toronto (and, in fact, are popular all over the world).  And yes, they're supposed to be a little burnt.  Actually, the custard should be a little burnt too, but I didn't have my oven rack high enough so failed to get the traditional burnt spots on the custard.

I remember my first custard tart 30 years ago. Joe pointed them out to me at a local bakery and said I just had to try one. He went on and on about how good they are.  Honestly, I was pretty unimpressed by their appearance. I told him they were burnt and he said they're supposed to be, just try one. So I tried one.......and thus began my love affair with pasteis de nata.

I personally think they taste far better than they look. I remember being so surprised when I took my first bite. I didn't expect it to be that good. The filling is made with heavy cream, sugar and egg yolks and is insanely creamy and delicious. 

These crusts are made easy by using store-bought puff pastry.  My Portuguese mother-in-law loved these tarts, and she was especially impressed with the crust, saying she always had a hard time making the traditional crust.  She was in awe over my crust making skills until Joe told her it was puff pastry I bought at the store.  Thanks Joe.

The filling will puff up while baking, but don't worry, it will drop back down once you remove the tarts from the oven.

These are best eaten the day they're made or even the next day is okay, but after that the crust may start to get soggy.  That's never a problem in our house as they never last beyond a day.

I urge you to try these wonderful Portuguese treats.

Enjoy!

Pasteis de Nata (Portuguese Custard Tarts)
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For pastry

1 (17 1/4-ounce) package frozen puff pastry (2 sheets)

1 tablespoon melted butter

For custard filling

1 cup granulated sugar

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

2 1/2 cups heavy cream

Finely grated zest of 1 small lemon (1 1/4 teaspoons) (I used about half - I didn't want them too lemony)

8 large egg yolks

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon vanilla

For topping

1 tablespoon confectioners/icing sugar

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon 

Partially thaw pastry just until sheets can be unfolded but dough is still quite stiff. Gently unfold 1 sheet and cut along folds, forming 3 equal strips (each about 9 1/2 by 3 inches). Stack pieces and cut stack lengthwise into 12 (1/4-inch-wide) strips, each strip 3 layers thick. Repeat with remaining pastry sheet.

Turn each triple strip on its side (cut side up) and coil tightly to form a flat 2- to 2 1/2-inch-wide spiral. On a lightly floured surface, press spiral with heel of your hand to flatten into a 3-inch round.

NOTE:  Instead of the above, I simply defrosted my puff pastry for a couple of hours, rolled it out and cut out rounds using the mouth of a Guinness beer glass (just happened to be the perfect size).  You can do the same using whatever you want to cut out your rounds, depending on the size you want.  Pastry should not come all the way up sides of muffin tins though.  They're not supposed to be as big as a muffin or cupcake.

Lightly grease muffin cups with melted butter. Place each round in a muffin cup and press into bottom and side. (Dough will not reach all the way up side).

Preheat oven to 450°F.

Whisk together sugar and flour in a 3-quart heavy saucepan, then whisk in remaining filling ingredients and cook over moderate heat, stirring constantly, until first bubble appears on surface, about 10 minutes. (Custard will be thick.) Transfer custard to a bowl and cool, whisking occasionally, until just warm, about 15 minutes, then fill pastry cups with custard, about 2 tablespoons each. (I filled mine right up to the very top of the pastry cup, as much as I could fit without spilling over).

Bake tarts in upper third of oven until pastry is deep golden, 10 to 12 minutes. (Filling may brown).

Cool tarts slightly in pans on a rack, about 10 minutes, then lift from pans using a small offset spatula or dull knife. Sift confectioners sugar, then cinnamon, over tarts and serve warm or at room temperature.

Makes 24 tarts.

Source:  adapted from Gourmet - June 2003

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