Pastéis de Nata

Can you resist a warm pastry? Neither can I… What about if it was filled with a smooth, vanilla-infused custard…I know! Impossible to resist. Well, his is the decadence that is the Portuguese Custard Pastry, the incredibly dreamy Pastéis de Nata!

I thought it would be intimidatingly difficult to create but nope, not when you have ready-made puff pastry and this is so easily available these days, introducing Woolworths and our wonderful smaller businesses like Farmstyle Pastry.

To create the custard, there are a few steps but they are easy enough to create, just prepare to create a few dishes. Trust me, for this delicious pastry, it’s totally worth it!

Try it out and let me know what you think! Enjoy 🙂

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons flour
2 tablespoons icing sugar
375g all butter puff pastry (I used the ready made puff pastry from Woolworths)
250g golden caster sugar (I use the Natura Sugars brand)
200ml water
1 cinnamon stick
2 eggs
4 egg yolks
50g cornflour (Maizena)
500ml milk
Seeds from 1 vanilla pod (try the vanilla seed tub from Cab Foods)

Method:

Mix the flour and icing sugar, and use this to dust the work surface. Roll the puff pastry out to make a 45 x 30cm rectangle. Roll up lengthways to create a long sausage shape.
Cut the pastry into 24 wheels, approximately 1-2cm thick. Roll each wheel with a rolling pin to fit 2 x 12-hole cupcake tins. Lightly grease the cupcake pans and press the pastry circles into the tins, moulding it into the tins to make thin pastry cases. Pop into the fridge to chill until needed.
Preheat the oven to 220C.
Make a sugar syrup by bringing the sugar, water and cinnamon stick to the boil. Reduce until syrupy, then allow to cool. Once cooled, remove the cinnamon stick. Whisk the eggs, egg yolks, and cornflour until smooth in another saucepan.
Heat the milk and vanilla pod seeds in a separate saucepan until just before it begins to boil. Gradually pour the hot milk over the eggs and cornflour, then cook on a low heat, continually whisking.
Add the cooled sugar syrup to the eggs and milk mixture and whisk until slightly thickened.
Pour the custard through a sieve to achieve a smooth texture. Pour into the pastry cases and bake for 15 minutes until the pastry is a lovely golden colour and the custard has darkened.
Cool completely in the tins then remove and serve. You could serve with a sprinkle of icing sugar and cinnamon.
Best to eat when it has been heated! Yum!