Pastel De Nata Recipe

Prepare pastry

Preheat the oven to 250°C (480°F) or as high as your oven will reliably go. Lightly flour your work surface with the all-purpose flour. Unfold one puff pastry sheet and roll it briefly into a rough rectangle about 1/8 inch (3 mm) thick to even out seams. Brush the surface lightly with 1 tablespoon of the melted butter. Place the second sheet on top, aligning edges, and brush the top with the remaining 1 tablespoon of butter.

Tightly roll the layered pastry sheet lengthwise into a log (like a swiss roll). Chill the log in the refrigerator for 15–20 minutes to firm it up; this helps with even slicing. After chilling, slice the log into 12 equal rounds (for standard muffin cups) about 1 inch thick.

Grease a 12-cup muffin tin lightly or use a nonstick spray. Take each round and press it into the muffin cup, then using your fingers, press and rotate each disc so the spiral opens and forms thin, layered walls and a hollow center for the custard. If pastry springs back, chill the tin for 10 minutes and repeat pressing.

Return the prepared tin to the refrigerator while you make the custard. Keeping the oven very hot is important to get the characteristic blistered tops.

Make sugar-cornstarch syrup

In a small saucepan, combine the granulated sugar and cold water. Stir to combine and bring to a gentle boil over medium heat. In a small bowl, whisk the cornstarch with about 2–3 tablespoons of the milk from the measured milk to form a slurry with no lumps.

Once the sugar syrup reaches a gentle boil and the sugar is dissolved, lower the heat slightly and whisk in the cornstarch slurry. Cook for 1–2 minutes, whisking constantly, until the mixture thickens and becomes glossy. Remove from heat.

Temper eggs and finish custard

In a separate bowl, whisk the egg yolks until smooth. Slowly pour about 3–4 tablespoons of the hot sugar-cornstarch mixture into the yolks while whisking constantly to temper them. Then pour the tempered yolks back into the saucepan, whisking to combine.

Place the saucepan over low heat. Add the remaining milk, heavy cream, vanilla extract, and lemon zest. Stir constantly and cook gently until the mixture is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon (do not boil vigorously or the eggs will scramble). This should take 3–5 minutes. Once thickened, remove from heat and strain the custard through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl to ensure it is smooth and free of any cooked egg bits. Let the custard cool for 8–10 minutes; it should be warm but not hot when pouring into pastry shells.

Fill and bake

Preheat the oven again to 250°C (480°F) if it cooled while you made the custard. Fill each prepared pastry shell about three-quarters full with the warm custard. Place the muffin tin on the top rack of the oven (closer to the heat source) to encourage blistering on the custard surface. Bake for 10–14 minutes, rotating the tin halfway through if your oven has hot spots, until the pastry is deeply golden and the custard has blistered to dark brown spots in places. If the pastry edges are browning too quickly, reduce oven temperature slightly after the first 6–8 minutes.

Remove the tartes from the oven and allow them to cool in the tin for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool slightly. The custard will set more as they cool.

Once slightly cooled, dust the tops lightly with powdered sugar and a pinch of ground cinnamon if desired. Serve warm or at room temperature. Pastéis de Nata are best eaten the same day but can be reheated briefly in a hot oven (200°C / 400°F) for 3–5 minutes to refresh the crispness of the pastry.