Pastéis de Nata - Portuguese Egg Tarts

Pastéis de Nata  

Portuguese Egg Tarts

These Portuguese creamy tarts are very well known worldwide, it might have its origins in Lisbon at the Jerónimos Monastery, a creation from the nuns in the 18^th century. The Monastery is located in Belém and it was the Casa dos Pastéis de Belém the first place outside the convent to sell them. The monastery was closed during early 19 century and this famous bakery has been baking and selling them since then.

The recipe is a secret very well locked and every baker who is recruited has to sign a confidentiality agreement in which he/she agrees do not disclose the recipe under no circumstances. Just them can sell the egg tars under the name of “Pastéis de Belém”, otherwise they are called PASTÉIS DE NATA.

Here you have my version of these Yummy tarts, I hope you like them:

Pastéis de Nata

"Portuguese Egg Tarts"

Ingredients: Pastry

-       2 Sheets     Frozen Puff Pastry
-    Butter, melted as needed for molds

Ingredients: Custard (Filling)

-          250g           granulated sugar

-          10               egg yolks

-          500ml         cream

-          ¼   tbsp      salt

-          ¼    tbsp     vanilla extract (optional)

-          1    TBSP    flour

-          ½  tsp         lemon zest

Optional: Powder sugar and cinnamon

Preparation:

1.       Defrost the sheets until they can just be unfolded.

2.       Cut the sheets in 3 pieces, stack them and cut longitudinally into 1 cm wide. Roll then each strip to form a spiral. In a floured surface, press the spiral with a rolling pin or your hand to make a flat round.

3.       Grease de molds with melted butter and place a round of pastry pressing down with your fingers. It should almost fill the mold leaving just a rim of about 4mm without pastry.

4.       Put the molds in a tray and keep them in the refrigerator or keep in a cold place.

5.       Mix the sugar, egg yolks, flour, lemon zest, salt, vanilla (if using) and cream in a sauce pan and bring to a boil over medium high heat, stirring continuously until boiling.

6.       Let the mixture cool down a little bit whisking it from time to time.

7.       Fill then the pastry molds with about 2 TBSP of custard.

8.       Bake in a very hot pre-heated oven until cooked (10 to15 minutes).

9.       Let them cool down a bit inside de molds and then transfer to a wire rack.

10. Can be served at room temperature or warm and dusted with sugar and/or cinnamon.