Portuguese Custard Tarts (Pastéis de Nata)

Ingredients

• 2 tbspall-purpose flour, mixed with icing sugar for dusting work surface when rolling pastry
• 2 tbsppowdered sugar, mixed with flour for dusting; plus extra for serving
• 375 gpuff pastry, ready-rolled; rolled to 45 × 30cm, rolled into a log and sliced
• 250 gsuperfine sugar, for sugar syrup
• 200 mlwater, for sugar syrup
• 2 striplemon zest, for sugar syrup; removed after cooling
• 1cinnamon, 1 cinnamon stick; for sugar syrup; removed after cooling
• 2eggs, whole; for custard
• 4egg yolks, for custard
• 50 gcornstarch, for custard
• 500 mlwhole milk, for custard
• 1vanilla pod, seeds scraped into milk
• cinnamon, ground; for dusting to serve

Method

1. 1

   Mix the flour and icing sugar together and use to dust the work surface. Roll the puff pastry to a 45 × 30cm rectangle. Roll up lengthways to create a long log. Cut into 24 slices about 1–2cm thick.

2. 2

   Flatten each slice with a rolling pin and press into the holes of two 12-hole fairy cake tins, moulding into thin cases. Chill until needed.

3. 3

   Heat oven to 220°C / 200°C fan / Gas 7. Make the syrup: bring the sugar, 200ml water, lemon zest and cinnamon stick to a boil. Reduce until slightly syrupy. Cool, then remove the cinnamon and lemon.

4. 4

   In a large pan, whisk the eggs, egg yolks and cornstarch until smooth.

5. 5

   Heat the milk with the vanilla pod seeds until just below the boil. Gradually pour the hot milk over the egg mixture, then cook over low heat, whisking constantly, until thickened.

6. 6

   Stir the cooled sugar syrup into the custard and whisk to combine.

7. 7

   Pass the custard through a sieve and pour into the chilled pastry cases. Bake for 15 minutes until the pastry is golden and the custard has dark blistered spots.

8. 8

   Cool completely in the tins. Sift icing sugar and ground cinnamon over the tarts to serve.