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Portuguese Custard Tarts
🍰 Desserts

Portuguese Custard Tarts

🍰 Desserts

Pastel de nata — scorched custard in shattering shells, the Lisbon bakery icon. Flaky, buttery pastry around a filling that actually tastes of the season. A slice of sharp cheese alongside is old-school and excellent.

Prep 30 min Cook 36 min Serves 6 Hard

Ingredients

  • Butter1/2 cup, cold
  • Heavy Cream1/4 cup
  • Salt1/2 tsp
  • All-Purpose Flour2 cups
  • Sugar1 tsp
  • Egg Yolk2 cups, chopped

Instructions

  1. 1

    Work quickly with chilled butter so it stays in visible flakes through the dough.

  2. 2

    Rub the butter into the flour until you have pea-sized crumbs, then bring it together with ice water.

  3. 3

    Rest the dough, wrapped, in the fridge for at least thirty minutes — relaxed dough will not shrink.

  4. 4

    Fold the egg yolk and heavy cream through the dough until evenly distributed.

  5. 5

    Bake until the crust is browned and the filling bubbles at the vents, 35-50 minutes, then rest twenty minutes.

Chef's tip

Resting a custard or pudding overnight deepens the flavour and sets a cleaner slice.

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Watch how it's made

Video: Portuguese Custard Tarts (Pasteis de Nata) - Food Wishes · on YouTube