Poor Things: Pastel de Nata recipe | Bella's favourite bite! 🥧

In a bowl, combine 150 g of plain flour with 0.5 teaspoon of kosher salt.

Add 100 ml of iced cold water and mix until it forms a dough.

Let the dough rest for half an hour to make it easier to handle.

Roll the dough into a rectangle shape and prepare for lamination.

Take 120 g of very soft unsalted butter and spread a third of it in a thin, even layer across the dough, leaving about 1 cm around the edge.

Fold the bottom third of the dough into the middle, then fold down the top third over it.

Add a couple of extra folds if necessary to make the dough more manageable.

Roll the dough tightly into a sausage shape and trim off the rough edges.

Wrap the dough and chill it in the fridge for a minimum of 1 hour, ideally overnight.

Prepare the sugar syrup by combining 100 g of sugar with 100 ml of water, adding the zest of a lemon and a cinnamon stick.

Bring the mixture to a boil and remove from heat when it reaches 100°C, ensuring all sugar is dissolved.

In a bowl, mix 2 tablespoons of plain flour with a little milk to create a slurry.

Slowly whisk in 150 ml of warm milk and add 1 teaspoon of vanilla paste.

Strain the sugar syrup into the mixture to remove the lemon peel and cinnamon stick.

Once cooled to under 55°C, whisk in 4 large egg yolks and a pinch of salt.

Strain the custard mixture to remove any lumps using a measuring jug.

Slice the pastry into even rounds to fit into the tart tins, making 16 tarts.

Press and stretch the pastry rounds into the tins, ensuring they fill the base and sides.

Fill each tart shell with the chilled custard until about 3/4 full.

Preheat the oven to 250°C fan and bake the tarts for 15 to 20 minutes.

The tarts are ready when the edges of the pastry are browned and the custard has a mottled black top.

Equipment Needed

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