Pastéis de Nata Artesanais!!!!!

Calling pastel de nata a Portuguese custard tart is a bit like calling a pasty a "knish" – similar in principle, but a very different beast in reality. Not a crumbly pastry, but a crisp, slightly salty, layered crust; and rather than the firm, egg-rich fillings of the classic British or French custard tart, the filling is almost molten, and spiced with cinnamon and lemon zest, as opposed to our peppery nutmeg or sweet vanilla.

As chef Nuno Mendes explains in his love letter to the city of his birth, Lisboeta, they were originally sold at the Mosteiro dos Jerónimos in Belém. When the monastery was briefly closed in the early 19th century, the recipe found its way into the hands of an enterprising local businessman, and his shop now sells about 20,000 a day. I won’t claim that my recipe below is as good as a visit there, but I like to think these tarts are a pretty delicious homage.

Perfect pastel de nata

Prep 1 hr, plus resting and infusing
Bake 10 min
Makes About 24

For the pastry
230g plain flour
¼-½ tsp fine salt, depending on taste
120g cold water
150g cold unsalted butter

For the custard
210g white sugar
1 cinnamon stick, or 2 if short
Peel of 1 unwaxed lemon, in strips
500ml whole milk
20g unsalted butter, cubed
35g plain flour
2 tsp cornflour
5 egg yolks

You will need jam tart/fairy cake tins or, better still, pastel de nata tins, plus oil to grease them.

Start with the syrup for the custard. Put the sugar in a small pan with 150ml water, half the cinnamon stick and half the lemon strips. Bring to a boil and cook until slightly thickened – it’s ready when it hits about 107C.Read more