This summer my family and I took a trip to Portugal. The one dish that we looked for was Portuguese Egg tarts. I just needed to compare to the egg tarts that I was used to. Unfortunately I wasn’t able to go to the famous Belem Bakery but I was able to find some egg tarts and tried a few. They even had some in Starbucks. I decided to make these for my family. (I was able to bring some home as well.)

The recipe was simpler than I thought and the only difference to Asian egg tarts was that the Portuguese egg tarts were not as eggy and the filling was cooked before pouring into the shells. The Portuguese egg tarts tended to be more creamy while the Asian egg tarts were more solid. The Portuguese tart shells were firmer and crispier while the Asian tarts were flakier and felt lighter. Some Portuguese egg tarts had cinnamon on them and a bit of lemon. Both and delicious and I would gladly eat either one.

When I tried to recreate this tart recipe I had a hard time finding the right tins. The tins are shallow and wider. I was only able to find the mini pie tins which ended up deeper than I liked.

To start this recipe you need to boil water, sugar, cinnamon stick and lemon peel. Bring to a boil and bring it up to 220 degrees. Once heated, remove from heat and allow to cool.

For the next part you need to make the cream by heating up milk (not boiling) and add flour and salt. Then add the egg yolks and vanilla to this mixture.

From the syrup, remove the cinnamon and lemon peel. Pour this mixture into the custard mixture. Mix well. Now your filling is ready.

For the tart shells, defrost puff pastry overnight. Roll out your pastry and cut in half. Stack the two pieces and roll in a tight log.

Next cut the roll into 3/4 inch disks. Place these disks into your tins and use your thumb to press the dough up to the top. This will get you the nice rings and flaky tarts. I am not sure if my tins were too big or I didn’t cut my rolls big enough, but I didn’t have enough dough in each tin.

Pour your filling into each tart about 3/4 full.

Bake them in a preheated oven (525 Degrees) and bake for 14-16 minutes until the tops of your tarts are nice dark brown. It is traditional for these tarts to have a few dark spots.

Remove from the oven. You can enjoy these tarts with some powdered sugar or cinnamon. Enjoy.

Pasteis de Nata – https://www.daringgourmet.com/pasteis-de-nata-portuguese-custard-tarts/

• frozen puff pastry (thawed overnight)
• 2/3 cup water
• 1 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 cinnamon stick
• lemon peel from one lemon
• 1 1/4 cup whole milk
• 1/4 cup flour
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 6 large egg yolks
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Pre-heat your oven to 525 Degrees.

To make the custard, start by boiling the water, sugar, cinnamon stick and lemon peel. Reduce the heat to medium until it reaches 220 degrees. Use a candy thermometer. Do not mix the mixture as this will make it crystalize. Set aside and allow to cool (15 min).

In another pot, heat up milk until just about to boil. Turn off the heat and add the flour and salt whisking to prevent lumps. Add the egg yolks and vanilla to this mixture and mix.

Remove the cinnamon stick and lemon peel. Pour the syrup mixture into the custard mixture and mix well. Set aside.

For the tart shells, defrost the puff pastry overnight. Flour a work surface and roll out the pastry. I cut the pastry in half and stack the two pieces to make a rectangle about 11 by 14 inches. Then roll up the pastry tightly. Cut the pastry into disks about 3/4 inch thick.

Place each disk into each tin. With your thumbs, press the dough up the sides of the tin. Place the tins on a cookie sheet.

Pour the custard mixture into the tins until they are about 3/4 way full. They will expand when baking.

Place the tarts carefully in the center rack and bake for about 14-16 minutes. They might take longer depending on the heat of the oven. You want the tops of the tins to start developing dark spots.

Remove the tarts from the oven and cool for about 10 minutes. You can serve them as they are or dust the with cinnamon and powdered sugar. Enjoy with a nice espresso.

For more recipes:Recipe List