Pastel De Nata
Rating
Pastel De Nata fans, prepare to FREAK over this simplified version
Ingredients
- 1 250g pack ready rolled puff pastry
- 3 tbsp. plain flour
- 275 ml whole milk
- 250 g caster sugar
- ¼ tsp. ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- 6 egg yolks
Instructions
- Lay out a sheet of pastry on the baking paper provided in the roll. Cut pastry from short side to short side of the rectangle. Place one half on top of the other to create a double-thickness rectangle.
- Carefully remove the baking paper from the pastry, but don't discard. From one of the shorter ends, roll the pastry into a tight Swiss roll. Wrap the pastry roll in baking paper or cling film and refrigerate until needed.
- Next make the sugar syrup. In a heavy-bottomed saucepan add sugar, cinnamon, vanilla and 150ml water and place over a medium heat. Swirl the saucepan over the heat to dissolve the sugar. Do not stir. Bring it to a low boil then remove from the heat immediately. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk flour with 75ml milk until smooth. Set aside.
- In a new saucepan, heat remaining milk until almost boiling. Remove from the heat and pour into the flour mixture, whisking quickly. Then gradually add hot sugar syrup, whisking continuously. Allow to cool slightly.
- Next, whisk in egg yolks one at a time, making sure each one is fully incorporated before adding the next. You can use a spoon to remove the bubbles at the top of the custard to create a smoother surface to your tarts, if you like – it’s totally personal preference. Set custard aside.
- When ready to bake, preheat oven to 250°C (230°C Fan).
- Remove pastry log from fridge and unroll from its paper. Cut log into 4 pieces, then cut each quarter into 5 discs. You should have 20 equal discs.
- Place 8 discs onto a baking tray and return to the fridge until needed. With the 12 remaining pastry discs, place one into each well of a non-stick small muffin tin or jam tart tray. Dip your thumb into cold water then press the pastry disc into the tin, creating a pastry case. The top of each pastry case should be slightly thicker than the bottom – the pastry case should rise about 1cm out of the top of the tin.
- Pour custard into a jug, then fill each pastry case to roughly ¾ full. Bake on the top shelf of the oven for 10-15 minutes until the pastry is golden brown and the top of the custard is starting to blister and blacken.
- Once the first tray is finished cooking, do the same with the remaining pastry in a second muffin tin.
- Allow the tarts to cool in their tins for 10 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack. Serve warm or cold.
