Portuguese · Dessert · Hard
Pastel de Nata
Lisbon's famous custard tarts: shattering puff pastry cups filled with vanilla-bean custard, blistered on top, dusted with cinnamon.
The whole recipe in 60 seconds
Pastel de Nata, in 5 ideas
- Maximum oven heat is the secret to the blistered, caramelized tops
- Press the pastry very thin; thick shells turn doughy
- Strain the custard for the silkiest texture
- They are at their peak warm from the oven
- Cinnamon on top is traditional in Lisbon
What you need
Ingredients
- 1 sheet puff pastry, thawed
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 3/4 cup whole milk
- 1 vanilla bean, split, or 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 6 egg yolks
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 3 tablespoons cornstarch
- Pinch of salt
- Cinnamon and powdered sugar for dusting
How to make it
Directions
- Roll the puff pastry into a tight log, slice into 12 rounds, and press each into a muffin cup, pushing the dough thin up the sides. Chill.
- Heat the cream, milk, and vanilla bean until steaming. Remove from heat and steep 15 minutes.
- Whisk the yolks, sugar, cornstarch, and salt. Temper with the warm cream, then cook gently, stirring, until thickened to a custard.
- Strain into a pitcher and fill each pastry shell three-quarters full.
- Bake at 500 F, or as hot as your oven goes, for 10 to 14 minutes until the tops are deeply blistered and browned in spots.
- Cool 10 minutes, dust with cinnamon, and serve warm.
Money saver. Store-bought puff pastry is completely acceptable here; even Lisbon bakeries debate the dough more than the custard.