Pasteis de Nata ( Custard Tarts)

Once again I am borrowing a recipe from our Portuguese past to complete my Goan Kitchen collection.  These tarts have been a part of my family since childhood.  Pasteis de Nata is a rich custard nestled in a pastry to make a tart that is unique and delicious.

This has always been my daughter's favorite treat and I have never tried to make it before.  However, recently I came across a recipe that I thought I could handle and I am glad I tried it.  It was easy to follow and such a success that I had to share this recipe with all Pasteis de Nata lovers!!  The recipe is simplified by using store-bought puff pastry for the crust which worked out perfectly, and muffin pans as the molds since I do not have the conventional forms.  I especially loved the glossy finish of the custard when the tarts were fully baked.

My daughter Emmy had such a love for this pastry that when she was young we had to stop at a Portuguese Bakery on Sundays where she happily feasted on not one, but two pastries at a time.  In 2007 my husband and myself made our first trip to Lisbon-Portugal (to attend a Goan Convention), and there was a bakery right across from the Hotel we were staying at.  The Bakery had a massive supply of fresh breads and pastries every day.  Needless to say I could not stop thinking of Emmy and how she would have just loved the tarts.  When we were ready to come home my husband suggested we carry a few tarts back with us.  Without a second thought I purchased the Pasteis de Nata  and carried them back safely for my daughter and my son.

Long story short, you can only imagine how many tarts my son got to sample....

Emmy is now all grown up but her love for Pasteis de Nata has not wavered.   My son was visiting with his family when I made the tarts and he helped in forming the pastries shells. Of course I saved a few tarts for Emmy and her Portuguese boyfriend Tim.  In the picture below I have shown a Portuguese Tea pot which Tim gave me for my collection that he brought all the way from Portugal for my Christmas present.  This particular teapot depicts the Lisbon and Portugal traditional fish seller "Varina".  Here the Varina looks upon another traditional food - the Pasteis de Nata.

There is a lovely article on the Varinas at this link
https://culinarybackstreets.com/cities-category/lisbon/2017/varinas/

Ingredients

Ready- made frozen puff pastry sheet ( approx 15 inches by 10 inches) - defrosted in the fridge overnight
2 tablespoons Corn starch
6 egg yolks separated and kept individually ( I used ramekins)
1 cup granulated sugar
2 cups milk ( I used 2 % milk)
Peel of 1 lemon
1 cinnamon stick ( I used a 4 inch roll )

Method

Grease the  muffin pans (for 12 regular muffins). I used a kitchen spray. Set this aside

For the pastry shells
Remove the pastry from the fridge only when you are ready to use it.  Dust a counter or board with flour.  Lay out your puff pastry sheet.   Do not worry if it does not look like a perfect rectangle.

Starting with the long side of the rectangle, gently roll the sheet as shown below to become a long log.

Using a sharp knife cut the log into 12 equal pieces.  Don't worry if the ends are not perfect.

Lay each piece in a muffin tray with the cut side down.  Using the flat part of your finger gently press down the middle of the roll and keep pressing and spreading so that the pastry forms a tart shell in each muffin form. If it tears in the bottom just pull the pastry together and heal the tear.
Note: the shells do not come up to the top of the muffin pan but remain a little over half an inch up the sides of the muffin pan.

When you have finished the shells put the trays in the fridge so the pastry can remain cool.

For the custard
Using a potato peeler gently peel the skin of a washed whole lemon trying to avoid as much pith ( the white  under-layer)  as possible and trying to get as big a piece as possible from the top of the lemon to the bottom.  This will make it easier to remove from the custard later.
Tip: Count how many pieces of lemon rind you have so you can make sure you have removed the total count later.

In a small bowl mix 1/4 cup of the milk with the corn starch and stir well to mix.  All the corn starch should be dissolved and there should be no lumps.  Use a small whisk if you have one.

Keep the corn starch mix and all the other ingredients for the custard close to your cooking area, before you begin the custard.

Put the remaining milk, cinnamon stick, lemon peel, corn starch mixture and sugar into a pan you use for boiling. Do not use the egg yolks at this stage.
Using a whisk stir to mix.  Turn the stove on low heat and slowly bring the milk to a boil, stirring occasionally.  Keep an eye on the milk mixture and as soon as it begins to boil, remove from the stove.

Remove the lemon peel and the cinnamon stick and keep on a saucer to the side.  Do not throw it out you will use it again.

At this stage preheat your oven to 350F , and then continue with the custard

Add the egg yolks one at a time to the hot milk mixture.  Keep stirring all the while with a whisk as the yolks meet the milk.  When you have mixed in all the yolks, put the lemon peel and cinnamon back into the pot.

Put the pot back on the stove on low heat and stir occasionally until it reaches a thick, creamy custard like state. Remove from the stove.  Remove all the lemon rind (count to make sure you have removed all the rind), and the cinnamon stick.

Take your pastry shells out of the fridge and pour the custard evenly into the shells until it reaches the edge of the shell.

Bake for 30 minutes until the tops are gently browned and set.

I left the pans on a wire rack for 10 minutes before I gently removed each shell from the pan. They came out perfect

Recipe adapted from https://www.foodfromportugal.com/

Approximate nutritional value per tart (based on 12 tarts per recipe)

• Calories 251.4
• Total Fat 11.6 g
• Saturated Fat 3.6 g
• Polyunsaturated Fat 0.4 g
• Monounsaturated Fat 1.0 g
• Cholesterol 109.3 mg
• Sodium 183.8 mg
• Potassium 83.6 mg
• Total Carbohydrate 31.3 g
• Dietary Fiber 0.2 g
• Sugars 19.5 g
• Protein 5.4 g