Pasteis de Nata (Portuguese Custard Tarts)

All-butter puff pastry filled with deliciously rich egg custard flavoured with vanilla is my idea of heaven – I love these Pasteis de Nata!

What are Pasteis de Nata?

Pasteis de Nata are incredibly delicious Portuguese egg custard tarts. They soft and rich egg custard encased in crisp buttery pastry. Pure heaven.

Although Pasteis de Nata or Portuguese Custard Tarts can be found all over Portugal, they originate in the Belem region of Lisbon. One particular café is so popular that Pasteis de Nata are sometimes referred to as Pasteis de Belem after the café.

On a trip to Lisbon a few years ago with my friend, we sampled as many Pasteis de Nata as we could. They are so delicious and definitely something I think people should replicate at home.

Finding the right recipe

Mr Curly’s Aunt found this Pasteis de Nata recipe and it is so tasty it is the one I have always used. It isn’t my recipe, it is from the Guardian website.

The original write up of the recipe is quite brief, so hopefully the additional tips I provide will be of use to some people!

Is it cheating using ready made pastry?

Definitely not; more often than not use ready made pastry because it is super convenient and easy.

I also take it a step further and use ready rolled pastry because this makes my life so much easier. I am not blessed with the skills of rolling pastry into a perfect rectangle. So ready rolled pastry is a huge timesaver for me.

You can of course make your own puff pastry for these Pasteis de Nata if you would like.

Do you have to use all-butter puff pastry?

I think Pasties de Nata are the perfect time to go all out and use all-butter puff pastry. Due to the higher level of butter it makes these extra indulgent.

All-butter puff pastry doesn’t seem to be as readily available here in the UK. It isn’t available in all supermarkets but I do know you can buy it in Sainsburys and Waitrose.

If you can’t find all-butter puff pastry, or don’t want to go searching for it; you can use standard puff pastry.

Tips for working with pastry

Pastry can be a little daunting to some people, but there is nothing to be scared of!

The main piece of advice to remember for this recipe is to chill your pastry. All-butter puff pastry tends to be a bit stickier to work with. If it starts to stick or look like it is melting slightly just put it in the fridge for a couple of minutes to firm up again.

Chilling the muffin tin helps to keep the pastry cold, but before you get to this stage you can take a break and chill your pastry.

I wouldn’t recommend putting the pastry in the freezer to chill. This is likely to chill it too much and may alter the texture of the pastry.

Don’t worry about making sure you roll the pastry to exactly 11cm in diameter. It is just a rough estimate of the size you need.

Also don’t worry if you get folds in the pastry when you drape it into the muffin tins. Folds are normal and will add to the look of the finished pastries.

Which vanilla is best to use?

Vanilla pods are traditionally used in Pasteis de Nata. They add an unbeatable flavour to the custard.

They are a little bit more expensive than other types of vanilla, but I think it is worth pushing the boat out for something like these tarts. You can find vanilla pods in most large supermarkets in the baking aisle.

If you don’t have vanilla pods, you can use vanilla bean paste. I would use ½ tsp if you are using this instead.

I wouldn’t recommend using vanilla extract for these tarts. There are instances when it is best to splash out a little and this is definitely one of those occasions.

How to eat pasteis de nata

These Portuguese custard tarts are best eaten when they are warm. The pastry is crisp and brittle and the custard is warm and silky.

It is quite common in Lisbon to sprinkle cinnamon and sometimes icing sugar on top. Although my friend’s Portuguese husband has recommended I try cinnamon, I am still yet to try this! How do you eat yours?

If you aren’t eating them on the day they are baked, I would recommend reheating them. The easiest way to do this is for 30 seconds or so in the microwave. However this does make the pastry less crisp.

You can also reheat them in the oven for around 5 minutes until they are warmed through.

What to do with the leftover egg whites?

This recipe requires three egg yolks for the rich egg custard so you will have egg whites leftover.

Here are some suggestions of what you could make with the egg whites:

• Meringue Kisses
• Eton Mess with Meringue Kisses
• Raspberry & Lemon Curd Meringue Nests
• Classic Strawberry Pavlova

Making these tarts gluten free

It is very simple to make these Pasteis de Nata gluten free.

You will need to swap the pastry to gluten free puff pastry. I don’t think you can buy all-butter gluten free puff pastry so the standard version will work absolutely fine.

This recipe includes cornflour, but that is suitable for gluten free diets as are the rest of the ingredients.

How long will these pasties de nata keep for?

Although I don’t recommend eating these cold, I do recommend keeping them in the fridge.

As they are custard, it really is best to keep these tarts in the fridge in an airtight container. They will keep for 2-3 days.

Other recipes you might like

• Blueberry & Lemon American Pancakes
• Egg & Bacon Puff Pastries
• Thick & Fluffy American Pancakes
• Gluten Free Nutella Choux Buns

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