Pastéis de Nata ~ Portuguese custard tarts

5 from 4 votes

Pastéis de Nata ~ Portuguese custard tarts

These tarts are the signature pâtisserie (confeitaria) of Portugal. Turn a corner in any Portuguese town and before long you will find these beautiful shiny custard tarts, slightly caramelised on top and encased in light crispy puff pastry, calling you invitingly from a baker’s window. Despite the many contrasting delights to be found in that magical country, Pastéis de Nata are the treats not to miss. But you don’t have to travel to Portugal to try one - here Bakabee shows you exactly how to make them in your own kitchen in a simple, step by step guide.

Prep Time1

Cook Time12

Chilling time4 20

Total Time5 32

Course: afternoon tea, breakfast, desserts

Cuisine: European

Keyword: egg tarts, pastry, Portugal, Porutugese custard tarts, puff pastry

Servings:

Calories: 247kcal

Author: Bakabee

Ingredients

Chinese puff pastry - butter block

227 g unsalted butter chilled
150 g all purpose flour

Chinese puff pastry - flour dough

210 g all purpose flour
1 large egg
½ tsp sea salt
75 ml ice water

Egg custard

250 ml milk
165 ml water
240 g caster sugar
40 g all purpose flour
½ tsp vanilla extract
60 ml milk
6 egg yolks
1 cinnamon stick 6" long

Instructions

Prepare the butter block

Place the chilled butter and the flour in a food processor. Pulse it for a few times until they turn into a wet dough-like texture.
Prepare a sheet of cling film on the surface. Transfer the mixture from the food processor using a spatula and place it on the cling film. Wrap it well but not too tight.
Roughly roll it out into a 5" square, using a rolling pin.
Store it in the fridge until it becomes firmed.

Prepare the flour dough

Place the flour, egg, sea salt and ice water in the food processor.
Pulse a few times until the ingredients turn into a dough.
Prepare a sheet of cling film on the surface. Transfer the dough from the food processor onto the cling film. Wrap it on both sides first and squeeze all the air.
Wrap well to prevent it drying out and chill in the fridge for about 30 - 60 minutes until it becomes firmed.

Make the Chinese puff pastry

Slightly dust the surface with flour. Unwrap the flour dough and place it onto the surface. Roll out the flour dough to a rectangle (which needs to be big enough to encase the butter block in completely.
Unwrap the butter block and place it in the centre of the rolled out flour dough. Fold the edges of the dough over the butter block.
Firmly press down the dough using a rolling pin (press don't roll) to prevent it from tearing. When finished from one direction, rotate the dough 90° and continue to press it down until the dough becomes a roughly 9 x 14" rectangle. Feel free to dust the dough or the work surface if it starts to stick.
Fold the dough in thirds, like a letter, and repeat to press down the dough with a rolling pin until it is flattened and becomes the size approximately 9 x 14" again.
Repeat, folding the dough in thirds, pressing the dough one more time to finish this lamination process.
Place the rolling pin on the long side of the dough and use it as a tool to transfer the dough onto a lined baking tray. Wrap it tightly to avoid it from drying out. Refrigerate the dough for at least 60 minutes before working it again.
Slightly dust the work surface and place the dough onto it. Start from the long side and roll it into a log. Roll it out again to get an even log.
Trim off both ends and cut the log in half using a shape knife. Wrap each log well in cling film and place it in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours or even overnight. At this point, you can also freeze the dough for future use.

Make the egg custard

Place the all purpose flour and 60 ml milk in a large mixing bowl. Whisk them well until you can't see any flour. Set it aside.
Add the caster sugar and water into a heavy duty saucepan. Turn on the medium heat. You may shake the pan to make sure the sugar is fully covered by the water but do not stir.
Add the cinnamon stick into the pan and let it simmer until it reaches 100°C. You can place a thermometer to check it. DO NOT stir the sugar syrup.
Remove the cinnamon stick using a clip.
Boil 250 ml milk in another saucepan at medium low heat until you see some bubbles on the sides. Turn it off and set it aside.
Pour the warm milk into the flour mixture (step 1) while whisking it at the same time.
Add vanilla extract and mix them well gently.
Add the sugar syrup. Keep stirring it until it cools to a point where it is warm to touch.
Add the egg yolks into the warm syrup mixture. Using a whisk to break the egg yolks first, continue to whisk them well until all the ingredients are well incorporated.
Sieve the egg mixture once in a jug. Cover it with cling film and place it in the refrigerator until needed.

Mould the tart shells

Preheat the oven to 240°C.
Prepare the aluminium tart shell moulds. You do not need to grease them before placing the dough into it.
Take the chilled log out from the fridge and unwrap it. Cut 24 g of pastry for each tart and place it in the centre of each mould.
Dip both thumbs in water. Start by pressing down the pastry against the bottom of the mould. Once the bottom of it is covered, keep turning the mould and gradually push and stretch the pastry up along the sides of the mould. The bottom of the pastry should be thinner than the sides.
Try to push and stretch the pastry against the mould as evenly as you can to achieve an even bake.
When the pastry reaches to the top of the mould, try to stretch it above the rim of the mould. Continue to make as many as you need. Arrange the pastry moulds on a baking tray and cover them with cling film.
Place the pastry moulds in the refrigerator for at least 20 minutes or until they become firm again.

Assemble and bake the tarts

Arrange the pastry moulds on a baking tray and space them 2 inches apart.
Take the chilled custard out from the fridge and whisk it thoroughly before pouring it into the tart shells.
Fill each tart shell 3/4 full with custard. Do not overfill the shells.
Place the tarts into top ⅓ of the oven and bake them for about 12 to 14 minutes until the pastry turns deeply golden brown and the custard has the caramelisation on top. Keep a very close eye on them to avoid burning.
Let the tarts cool down for about 5 minutes in the moulds. Un-mould them on a wire rack to avoid any steam softening the crispy pastry.
Place the tarts on a serving plate. Dust some icing sugar and a touch of ground cinnamon before serving.
Enjoy it with a cup of coffee! Yum!

Video

Notes

watch my video tutorial to see how I exactly made it
Return the dough to the fridge at any point of the lamination if you find the dough starts to go soft.
It is better to serve the tarts on the same day. However, the tarts can be stored in an air-tight container for up to 2 days.
The well wrapped pastry log can be kept in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Alternatively, mould the pastry in the tart shell moulds. Stack them and wrap them tightly using cling film. Store them in the freezer for any instant treats.

Nutrition