It would be an understatement to say we ate well on our trip to Portugal this summer. We had all types of meals, from high-end modernist cuisine to homestyle Portuguese classics. We ate amazing seafood every single day, and at every meal one person always ordered octopus. But one of the best things we ate, in my opinion, was also one of the simplest: pastéis de nata.
I’d heard all about these confections before we took the trip- sweet, eggy custard inside a buttery, crunchy shell and sprinkled with cinnamon and sugar. As a lover of custard, there is literally nothing that sounds better than this. And so, on one of our days in Lisbon we found ourselves in the suburb of Belém where we’d planned to visit the Torre de Belém (it was so crowded that we decided against going in) and the breathtaking Mosteiro dos Jerónimos (which was worth waiting on line for). Afterwards, our legs tired and our necks strained from examining cathedral ceilings – tough life, right? – my mom and I planted ourselves on the end of a line that looped over several blocks while the rest of the family went and explored a flea market, of all things, across the street. We were determined to get into Pastéis de Belem, the famous pastry shop.
Let me just say that 40 minutes on that line was the least I could do in return for the pastries we acquired that afternoon. Still warm and a little blackened in spots from baking under high heat, they came neatly stacked in two long boxes, their buttery crusts seeping through the cardboard. At the Starbucks next door (not so romantic, I know), we crowded around a little table, passed them out and savored each bite. Then we saved a few which we excitedly re-discovered days later in our luggage, old and room temperature but still delicious.
This is a recipe that I will in no way claim to be completely authentic. The crust of the original pastry tastes like a cross between what we know as puff pastry and a flaky filo dough, and though this version comes pretty close, it’s not spot-on. It’s not cooked on super high heat so it lacks a charred layer on the top. But that doesn’t really matter, because I made these for a small party I hosted a few weeks ago, and I watched people bite into them for the first time after dinner. And they all had the same reaction- mouths full, eyes wide, heads nodding. A flashback to me doing the very same thing, one summer day in Lisbon.
Note: These tarts are made in individual 1/3-cup forms which I was not able to source in NYC, but if you are lucky enough to have access it will make these easier to shape. If you can't find them, you can use a muffin tin (which typically has a 1/2-cup capacity), simply press the dough as far up the wells as possible.
Ingredients
- 17 1/4-oz. package frozen puff pastry (preferably Pepperidge Farms brand), thawed
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- Grated zest of 1/2 lemon
- 1 3/4 cups heavy cream
- 1 large egg
- 8 large egg yolks
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- Confectioners' sugar, for sprinkling
- Ground cinnamon, for sprinkling
Instructions
- Place one still-folded sheet of pastry on a work surface so that a short end is facing you and the thicker fold is to your left. Open the two panels of dough, lightly brush the right panel on both sides with water, and then fold it back into position. Cover with the left panel and press down to seal. Lightly brush the top of the pastry with water, then curl up the short edge and roll up the pastry away from you, as if making a jelly roll. Make sure to keep the spiral very tight. You should have a 3-inch-wide log. Roll it back and forth on the work surface to extend it to 3 1/2 inches. Repeat with the second sheet of pastry. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate.
- Whisk the flour, salt, zest and 1/ 2 cups of the cream in a medium bowl until all the lumps are dissolved. Set aside.
- Beat the egg and yolk together in a bowl, and set aside.
- Bring the granulated sugar and 2/3 cup of water to a boil in a small saucepan over high heat - don't stir - and let it bubble until an instant-read thermometer registers just under 230°F.
- Meanwhile, heat the remaining 1 1/4 cups of cream in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat until wisps of steam curl up and bubbles appear around the edges, about 5 minutes (it's very important that this mixture is sufficiently hot for the next step).
- Whisk the hot cream into the flour mixture until smooth, then pour in the hot sugar syrup (It may seize. Do not worry. Keep mixing and it should fully dissolve. In fact, some of mine remained in a clump and I just removed it and kept on going.). Slowly add the egg mixture, whisking continually, then pour the custard back into the medium saucepan and cook over low heat, whisking lazily, until the mixture lightly coats the back of a spoon and registers 170°F on an instant-read thermometer, about 4 minutes. Pour into a bowl, add the vanilla and let cool completely.
- Have two muffin tins nearby. Using a serrated knife, trim off the uneven ends of one dough log, sawing in a back-and-forth motion, and discard. Cut twelve 1/4-inch slices from the log. Repeat with the remaining log, and refrigerate the slices. Work with only 1 slice at a time. Turn it on its side on a very lightly floured surface. Flatten it into a 3-inch circle with your fingers, and fit it into a well in a muffin tin. Press the dough against the bottom and up the sides, creating a raised lip about 1/8-inch above the pan, if using a tin with a one-third cup capacity. Repeat with the rest of the slices. Prick the shells very well with a fork, and refrigerate the tins for 20 minutes.
- Position a rack in the middle of the oven, place a baking sheet on the rack, and crank up the heat to 400°F.
- Fill the tart shells to the top with rice, dried beans or pie weights. Slip the tins onto the hot baking sheet in the oven (depending on how large your muffin tins are, you may have to bake the pastries in two batches) and bake until the edges of the dough are puffed and brown, about 16 minutes. If the pastry starts to color too much, tent the tins loosely with foil. Transfer to a wire rack to cool, leaving the oven on.
- Empty the rice from the cooled tart shells. Some will stick - no big deal. Use a spoon to gently scrape them out. Fill each shell three-quarters full (2 1/2 tablespoons) with the cooled custard. Bake until the custards barely jiggle in the middle, about 12 minutes.
- Transfer the tins to the rack to cool for a few minutes, then pop out the pastries and let cool until warm. Dust with confectioners' sugar and cinnamon.
Notes
Adapted from The New Portuguese Table
January 31, 2015 at 9:05 pm
These look great can’t wait to try to make them.