Who doesn’t love pastries? Well, we’re all agreed on that front then. So when The Big London Bake sent us the recipe for  Portugese tarts, Pastel De Nata, we absolutely had to share it with you. 

So grab your rolling pin, throw on your pinny and let’s get baking. 

Ingredients

• 1 whole egg (large)
• 2 egg yolks (large)
• 115g golden caster sugar
• 2 tbsp cornflour
• 400ml full fat (creamy) milk
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 sheet ready rolled puff pastry
• Optional - tsp cinnamon/nutmeg

Equipment

• 12 hole muffin tin
• Rolling pin
• Saucepan
• Bowl
• Wooden Spoon/Spatula
• Whisk
• Pastry brush
• Tablespoon
• Teaspoon 

Method

To prepare for your bake, start by greasing a muffin tin and preheat your oven to 180C

You will make your custard first by putting the egg, yolks, sugar & cornflour into a saucepan. Combine these together by mixing with a wooden spoon and then gradually add the milk until mixture is fully incorporated and smooth in consistency.

Now it is time to heat the custard - heat the saucepan on a medium heat and continuously stir until the mixture thickens and comes to the boil. Take off the heat and stir in vanilla extract - you could also add extra flavouring here such as nutmeg or cinnamon.

Now you need to put your custard to one side and leave to cool. Place this in a medium sized bowl and cover with cling film (this will stop a skin from forming on top).

Take your ready rolled pastry sheet and divide into two even pieces by cutting it with a knife down the middle. Place the sheets on top of one another.

Now you need to roll the pastry tightly into a cylinder shape, starting with the short side and then cut into 12 evenly sized round pieces.

Now dust your work surface or a board with flour and roll each round piece into a disc (approx. 10cm). Press the pastry discs into the greased muffin tin.

Make sure your custard is cool to touch and then spoon the custard evenly into each pastry case.

Bake for 20-25mins until golden on top. Make sure you leave to cool in the tin for a few minutes before removing them from the tin. Then leave these to cool a bit longer until you are ready to eat them! 

Picture: The Big Bake/UnSplash