Remove from the muffin tin, leave to cool down.Įnjoy with a dusting of icing sugar and cinnamon alongside a black coffee.

Pour the custard mix into the pastry cases and bake for 10 – 12 minutes until the surface of the custard has slightly burned and the sides of the pastry look golden brown.The pastry should cover the whole surface of the muffin mould. You want the bottom to be as thin as possible and the sides to be nice and even. Gently press the pastry down and out sideways using your thumbs. Trim the edges of the pastry log and cut the pastry into 12 equal pieces. A thick base will ensure that the bottom bakes properly. If you have a baking stone or steel, then I would suggest using it. Make sure it is well pre-heated for at least 30 minutes. Once you are ready to bake pre-heat the oven to 250C (482F) fan off.You can refrigerate it for a few days just like the pastry. Let’s get started Make the Custard: Place the water, sugar, cinnamon and lemon rind in a medium saucepan and bring it to a boil. Pastry Combine the flour, water and salt and knead until smooth Cover and rest for 30 minutes Roll out into a large thin rectangle and spread. Cover the custard mix and leave it on the side.

Spread half the butter over the pastry evenly. Leave the mix to cool down to below 60C (140F). How to: Start firstly by making the pastry by mixing the flour, water and salt in a bowl.Remove the cinnamon stick and pour the syrup into the bowl with the milk/flour mix. Combine the water, sugar, and cinnamon stick in a pan and bring up to a boil.Pour the hot milk over the flour/milk paste and whisk until smooth.Combine the 120g milk with the vanilla paste in a pan and bring up to a boil.

In a small bowl whisk the 20g plain flour with the 30g milk to a smooth paste. You can leave it in the fridge for a few days even.

Wrap in clingfilm and refrigerate until it has set.

Temper the eggs by slowly whisking half of the hot milk into the eggs. Place 5 large egg yolks in the now-empty milk-flour bowl and whisk to combine. Trim the very top and bottom of the pastry and then roll it up into a tight log. Add the measured syrup and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until thickened and smooth, 3 to 5 minutes. This time brush the whole surface with butter.

Wrap the pastry in clingfilm and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Fold the 1/3 of plain pastry over and then cover it with the remaining 1/3 of buttered pastry.

Brush 2/3 of the pastry with the softened butter.

It will resist at this point and if you are struggling, then you can leave it to rest for a few minutes before continuing. Editor’s Tip: Portuguese egg tarts can be finicky to make for first-timers. Add the cold water, a tablespoon at a time, and mix until a soft dough forms. Work in the chilled butter using clean fingers or a pastry blender until the mixture resembles coarse, wet sand.

Roll the pastry out again as much as you can. In a large bowl, combine the flour and salt.

We have the first three layers of our pastry. Fold the 1/3 of plain dough over and then cover it with the remaining 1/3 of buttered pastry.

Brush 2/3 of the dough with the softened butter.

Heavily dust the table and the dough with flour.

This resting stage replaces the kneading process.

Cool in the tin for 5 minutes, then gently lever out the tarts with a spoon and cool on a wire rack.

Pour the custard into the pastry cases to 1cm below the top, then bake in the upper third of the oven for 15 minutes or until the pastry is golden and crisp.

To just use cornstarch will result in the wrong texture. Carefully press the pastry up the sides with your fingers, working from the centre out, until the pastry just pokes over the top. Also the custard filling requires being made with cake flour and perhaps a little cornstarch. Cut each roll into 11 discs, then put one disc into each greased muffin hole swirl-side up. Unroll the pastry, remove the plastic lining sheet, then roll it back up. Set aside with cling film touching the surface.

Put the egg yolks in a large bowl and strain over the milk mixture, stirring all the time with the balloon whisk until combined.

Gradually whisk it into the milk mixture to give a white liquid with a similar thickness to double cream. Heat gently to melt the sugar, then turn up the heat and boil for 4-5 minutes until the syrup reaches the short thread stage.

Put the sugar in a pan with 200ml water.

Heat the remaining milk until boiling, then stir in the flour paste and cook, stirring constantly with a balloon whisk, for 2-3 minutes until thick. Whisk a third of the milk into the flour in a small bowl to form a thin paste. Heat to just simmering, let it cool a little, then remove the zest and cinnamon. Put the milk in a pan with the strips of lemon zest and cinnamon. Grease 22 holes of 2 standard 12-hole muffin tins generously with butter, then chill in the fridge.

Pastel de nata recipe