Patisserie · Pastries

Pastéis
de Nata

Pastéis de Nata
Time
35'
+ 0h 30' chilling
Diff.
medium
Kcal
245
/ serving
Servings
12
Gather 10 ingredients before cooking
Scale
Units
01 You'll need check when you have it
02 To finish last minute: ~60 min window
Step 01 of 08

Roll the puff pastry

275 g

Unroll the puff pastry (1 sheet) (275 g) sheet on the counter. Roll it tightly into a log along the longer side. Cut the log into 12 equal discs, about 2 cm thick each.

Tip
Rolling instead of cutting circles gives the layered side pattern typical for these tarts.
Step 02 of 08

Line the muffin tin

275 g

Place each puff pastry (1 sheet) (275 g) disc cut-side up in a muffin tin hole. Wet your fingers and press the dough from the centre outward and up, forming a thin cup that rises slightly above the tin's edge.

Tip
Keep the dough thin — it puffs a lot. A thick base will stay raw.
Step 03 of 08

Chill the tin

Put the lined tin in the fridge for 30 minutes. Cold puff pastry rises better in the oven.

Step 04 of 08

Cook the syrup

160 g
60 ml
1 szt
1 szt

In a pot combine sugar (160 g), water (60 ml), lemon peel (thinly pared) (1 szt) and cinnamon stick (1 szt). Heat over medium without stirring until the sugar dissolves and the syrup boils. Boil 3 more minutes and remove from heat.

Tip
Don't stir with a spoon — crystallizing sugar can ruin the syrup.
Step 05 of 08

Boil the milk base

250 ml
100 ml
25 g

In a second pot, whisk wheat flour (25 g) with a little cold whole milk (250 ml) until smooth. Add the rest of the whole milk (250 ml) and heavy cream 30% (100 ml). Heat over medium, whisking constantly, until thickened and just bubbling, about 4 minutes. Remove from heat.

Step 06 of 08

Combine the custard

4 szt
1 łyżeczka

Remove the lemon peel and cinnamon from the syrup. Pour the hot syrup in a thin stream into the milk base, whisking. Let cool 5 minutes, then whisk in egg yolks (4 szt) one by one and vanilla extract (1 łyżeczka). Strain the custard through a sieve into a jug.

Tip
Let the syrup cool a bit before adding yolks, or they will scramble.
Step 07 of 08

Bake on max heat

275 g

Preheat the oven to 250°C°C (top-bottom heat). Take the tin out of the fridge and fill each cup with custard up to 3/4 height. Bake on the middle rack for about 14 minutes, until the custard tops develop dark, almost black spots.

Warning
Those dark spots are the signature look. They won't form without high heat — don't lower the temperature.
Step 08 of 08

Unmold and serve

Wait 5 minutes, then lift the tarts out of the tin with a knife. Best eaten warm, on the same day. Traditionally dusted with cinnamon and powdered sugar just before eating.

Pastéis de Nata
Bon appétit

How did it turn out?

Enjoy — now it's a matter of patience and a good table.

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