Make Pastéis de Nata (Portuguese Egg Tarts) at home

heavy cream

🥗Healthier: Greek yogurt

💰Cheaper: milk + cornstarch

Greek yogurt reduces calories while maintaining creaminess

butter

🥗Healthier: coconut oil

💰Cheaper: margarine

Coconut oil offers a dairy-free option with similar texture.

sugar

🥗Healthier: honey

💰Cheaper: brown sugar

Honey provides natural sweetness and moisture.

vanilla extract

🥗Healthier: vanilla bean

💰Cheaper: imitation vanilla

Vanilla bean enhances flavor with natural essence.

In a bowl, combine 150 grams all-purpose flour, 1 tablespoon sugar, 1 teaspoon salt, and 30 grams cubed butter.

Using your fingers, rub the butter into the flour to form a coarse crumble.

Add 60 ml of water and mix to form a dough.

Knead the dough on a kitchen bench until it forms a cohesive ball, then set aside and cover to rest for half an hour.

Prepare the butter for laminating by measuring out 80 grams and placing it on a sheet of parchment paper.

Fold over one side of the parchment paper and use a small rolling pin to beat the butter gently to spread it out, then fold the other sides in to create a square roughly 10 cm (4 inches) on each side.

Roll out the butter block to fill the envelope evenly, ensuring it reaches the corners, then set aside.

After the dough has rested for at least 30 minutes, flatten it into a disc.

Place the dough disc in the middle of another piece of parchment paper and fold the sides over to form a slightly bigger envelope of about 7 inches square.

Flip the envelope over and roll the dough out to fill it.

Check that the butter square fits in the middle of the dough, then unwrap the dough and place the butter square in the center.

Fold the corners of the dough over the butter and pinch to seal.

Gently roll the dough out to about double its length, then fold it in thirds into a rectangle.

Wrap the dough in beeswax fabric and place it on a small tray to keep it flat, then put it in a plastic bag and leave it in the fridge for 30 minutes.

Take the parcel out and roll it out again, first wider then longer, and fold in thirds again, aiming for a more square shape.

Wrap the dough again and rest for another 30 minutes.

For the final roll, take the dough out and roll it out to about 3 mm thick, measuring approximately 24 cm (10 inches) wide and 36 cm (15 inches) long.

From the short edge, tightly roll the dough into a log.

Wrap the log in beeswax cloth and a plastic bag, then rest it for at least an hour or overnight.

To prepare the custard, add 1/3 cup sugar and 1/4 cup water to a pot and swirl to dissolve the sugar.

Add a couple of short cinnamon sticks and place on medium heat without stirring, allowing the sugar to dissolve naturally.

Once the sugar has dissolved, pour the syrup into a small bowl.

In the same pot, add 2 tablespoons flour and about 1/4 cup milk, stirring to mix the flour with the milk.

Continue to stir and add more milk to remove lumps, using a whisk if needed.

Preheat the oven to 250 degrees Celsius and place the rack on the top third.

Beat 3 egg yolks and add 2 tablespoons of hot milk to temper them.

While whisking, add the sugar syrup into the hot milk and then gradually add the tempered egg yolks.

Cook the custard until it slightly thickens, then strain it into a jug with a pouring spout, covering with parchment paper to prevent a skin from forming.

Grease a regular muffin tin lightly with olive oil and brush each cavity evenly.

Take the dough log out of the fridge and cut it into 12 equal portions, ensuring the layers of butter are visible in the cut.

Place a piece of the log cut side down in each muffin tin cavity and press the dough to spread it out to cover the bottom and sides.

Fill each tart case with the custard.

Bake in the preheated oven until the custard starts bubbling, then switch the oven setting to grill to create a charred look on top of the tarts.

Cool the tarts slightly in the tin before transferring them to a wire rack.

Check that the pastry is crispy by turning it over to see the swirls at the bottom.

Cooking Techniques

Equipment Needed

Spice Level:

Dietary

Allergens