Pastéis de Nata – How to Make Portuguese Custard Tarts

Directions

• Making the Puff Pastry
• In a bowl, combine the flour, water, and salt. Use your fingers or a mixer with a dough hook to blend everything until the mixture starts pulling away from the sides of the bowl.
• Transfer it to a floured surface. If necessary, use a spatula to scrape it out of the bowl. At this stage, the dough should be a bit sticky. Add an extra dusting of flour on top of it, then wrap it in cling film. Let it rest for 20 minutes.
• Once the time has passed, it is time to start with the laminating process. Add some more flour to your surface and make sure you have plenty of space to work. Use a rolling pin or similar to roll the dough into an approximately 45 cm (18 inches) square.
• Use a light brush to brush excessive flour off the square of dough. With a small spatula spread evenly 1/3 of the butter on 2/3 of the dough. Leave a 2cm border in order to prevent the butter from leaking during the next steps.
• Fold the third of dough left unbuttered over the middle third. At this stage you can use a dough scrapper to help loosen the dough which may stick to the surface. Make sure you brush off any excess of flour from the dough. Fold the remaining third on top of the rest of the dough.
• Turn the folded dough 90 degrees to the left. You should be facing the last fold. Repeat the process where you roll out the dough into an 45cm square and spread another 1/3 of butter over 2/3 of the dough as even as possible. Repeat the folding process as explained before.
• Rotate the folded dough 90 degrees to the left, repeat the rolling process. This time you will make an approximate 45×50 cm rectangle. With the shorter side facing you, spread the rest of your butter over the entire dough.
• The next step is to make a roll with the dough. Use the scrapper to lift the edges before rolling it, and the brush to remove excessive flour that might sit on top of the dough. You should end up with a tightly rolled pastry log. Wrap it in cling film and put it in the fridge for at least 4 hours, or overnight.
• Making the Custard
• Add the flour and 50ml of milk to a large bowl, whisk it together until smooth, set aside.
• In a small pan, add the caster sugar, cinnamon stick, and the water. Place it over medium heat. Cook until it reaches 100°C. In case you don’t have a kitchen thermometer, you can observe the consistency of the syrup. Carefully dip a spoon into the hot mixture, when you lift it and the syrup falls in a large drop leaving a short and thin string behind, it should be ready.
• Meanwhile, in a separate pan, bring the remaining milk to a boil. Remove it from the heat, then add the lemon peel, and the vanilla pod – use a knife to open the pod and release its seeds before you add both the pod and seeds to the milk. Cover the mixture with a lid and let it infuse for about 5 minutes. Add the infused milk into the flour and milk mixture you made at the beginning.
• Pour the sugar syrup into the infused milk mixture while you stir, keep stirring it until it becomes a little cooler. Add in the egg yolks, whisk well, then strain the mixture into a jug. Cover it with a cloth and set aside.
• Making the Pastéis de Nata
• Pre heat the oven to 290 °C or to the hottest temperature your oven can reach
• Remove your pastry from the fridge, cut the edges off, then cut your pasty log in half. Each half should make approximately 12 pastéis, as my cake tin has only 12 slots, I will be making them in 2 batches. Put one of the halves back in the fridge. 
• Slice your half log into 12 equal slices, place each slice cut side down in each slot of your tin, let it rest for 10 minutes to soften.
• Use your thumbs to shape the dough. Press it against the bottom of the tin and then smooth the dough up to the sides, creating a raised lip above the pan. This dough is easier to work with wet fingers so keep a cup with water next to you. Be careful as the bottom should not be too thin.
• Fill each cup ¾ full with the custard. Bake the pastéis until the edges are golden brown, around 15-17 minutes. If your oven has a grill mode, turn it after 10 minutes to achieve the distinctive burnt effect of your typical pasteis de nata.
• Remove them from the oven and let them cool for a few minutes before serving. They should be served while still warm, and they taste even better with a dusting of cinnamon on top.