DAY 6

PASTEIS DE NATA

by Frank Berghaus, Traxit (Klüber Lubrication)

Discover the rich history of Pastéis de Nata, the delicious Portuguese custard tarts that originated in the 19^th century at the Hieronymites Monastery in Belém. These tarts were created by monks using leftover egg yolks, and after the monastery's closure, the recipe was sold to a nearby sugar refinery, which later became the famous Pastelaria de Belém. Today, these tarts are enjoyed worldwide, with the original recipe still a closely guarded secret.

Ingredients:

1 large egg
2 large egg yolks
120g of sugar
2 tbsp. of cornstarch
400ml of whole milk
1 package of store-bought puff pastry or 300g of homemade puff pastry
butter or oil to grease the muffin tin
optional: powdered sugar and/or cinnamon to garnis

Instructions:

First step: make the custard mixture. To do this, mix the egg, egg yolks, sugar and starch thoroughly in a pot using a whisk. Gradually add the milk and stir until smooth and no lumps remain.

Place the pot on the stove over a medium heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture thickens and reaches a pudding-like consistency. As soon as it bubbles slightly, remove the pot from the heat and immediately pour the pudding into a bowl. Cover with cling film and leave the pudding to cool.

Next up: remove the puff pastry from the fridge and leave to rest for about 10 minutes until it has reached room temperature, but don't roll it out yet - otherwise it will break easily. Preheat the oven to 200°C (top/bottom heat). Meanwhile, lightly grease a muffin tin with oil or butter.

Roll out the puff pastry and cut once lengthwise down the middle to create two equal halves. Stack the two halves and roll them tightly from the short side. Cut the resulting roll into 12 equal slices. Place each slice so that the spiral side is facing upwards and press flat with the palm of your hand or the bottom of a glass until it is slightly larger than the cavities in the muffin tin. Place the pastry discs in the muffin tin and press the edges down firmly.

Fill each pastry cavity with the prepared pudding mixture, making sure that the filling does not exceed the edge of the pastry. Place the muffin tray in the oven for around 22-25 minutes until the pastéis de nata are lightly browned.

Sprinkle the warm custard tarts with cinnamon and powdered sugar to taste and enjoy preferably with a good coffee or a glass of milk.

Download the recipe