Pastel de Nata (Portuguese Egg Tart)
Portuguese egg tart (pastel de nata) — a crisp puff-pastry shell filled with sweet custard and baked in a screaming-hot oven until the top blisters and caramelizes. Crisp outside, creamy inside, best warm.
Ingredients
- Frozen puff pastry · thawed1 sheet
- Custard
- Milk1 cup
- Heavy cream0.5 cup
- Sugar80 g
- Egg yolks3
- Cornstarch1.5 tbsp
- Vanilla extract1 tsp
- Lemon peel & cinnamon stick · to infuse, optional1
Steps
- ⏲ 5 min
Roll the thawed pastry into a log, slice 1.5cm thick, and press each piece into a muffin tin to form a cup-shaped shell.
- ⏲ 4 min
Warm the milk, cream, lemon peel, and cinnamon (don't boil). Once infused, remove the lemon and cinnamon.
- ⏲ 2 min
Whisk the yolks, sugar, and cornstarch, then slowly pour in the warm milk while whisking so the yolks don't cook.
- ⏲ 5 min
Return to low heat, stirring into a thick custard, then add vanilla and let it cool.
- ⏲ 2 min
Fill each shell about 80% with custard.
- ⏲ 20 min
Bake in an oven preheated as hot as it goes (230-250C) until the tops blister with brown spots. Cool slightly and eat warm.
Tips & Variations
Variations
- Macau/Hong Kong egg tart: Pastry or cookie-dough shell with a smoother yellow custard.
- Cinnamon sugar: Dust with cinnamon and sugar after baking.
- From-scratch pastry: Laminate your own dough instead of store-bought.
- Mini size: Make bite-size tarts.
Tips
- An oven as hot as possible is the key — the top should char like caramel. At home, max heat plus top element.
- Stir the custard over low heat for a smooth set; high heat curdles it.
- Infusing the milk with lemon peel and cinnamon lifts the aroma.
- Fill the shells only 80% so they don't overflow as they puff.
- Eat warm, fresh from the oven — crisp shell, soft center; they soften over time.
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