Portuguese custard tarts (pastéis de nata)
-
Easy - August 2018
-
Makes 22 -
Hands-on time 40 min, oven time 15 min, plus cooling
Our foolproof Portuguese custard tart recipe will give you a crisp, flaky shell and wobbly custard filling every time.
We also have a giant pastel de nata recipe.
- Calories
- 241kcals
- Fat
- 9.6g (4.6g saturated)
- Protein
- 3.6g
- Carbohydrates
- 34.9g (23.4g sugars)
- Fibre
- 0.7g
- Salt
- 0.3g
delicious. tips
Each batch of tarts will behave differently. Don’t worry if the tops don’t scorch, or if the custard puffs up in the oven – it will sink down again as it cools.
Keep the whites from this recipe for other uses, such as making meringues. Lightly whisk, then freeze in freezer bags, clearly marked with the date and number of whites. Use within 3 months.The tarts will keep in an airtight box for up to 2 days. If they soften, crisp them up in a medium oven for 5 minutes.
These tarts use a thick custard made with a hot syrup, with flour added to stabilise the mixture. To test the syrup for the short thread stage in step 2, take off the heat, scoop up a teaspoonful and cool for a minute. Put some between index finger and thumb, then quickly move them apart and together. The syrup should form tiny threads. Alternatively, use a digital probe thermometer: the syrup should be 108°C.