The secret recipe of Pasteis de Nata

You will find the best Pasteis de Nata Rua de Belém in Lisbon where you can buy them and eat them on the spot, still warm.

You can also find these Pasteis de Nata in pastries, in the supermarket, of course at the airport and sometimes in France. Never buy them! What you will buy will have absolutely nothing to do with the ones you can taste at "Pasteis de Belem".

If you have loved them and if you miss your little Pasteis de Nata, all you have to do now is to try to make them yourself. Not easy? Come on, I'll give you a hand and I have translated the best Portuguese recipe for you.

★ Ingredients (10 to 12 Pasteis)

1. 250 g puff pastry
2. 1/2 litre of milk
3. 6 egg yolks
4. 40 g flour
5. 180 g sugar
6. 1 piece of butter
7. 1 cinnamon stick
8. 12 Nata pasteis moulds

It is best to make your own puff pastry, however, to save time, you can use an already repared pastry. In this case, choose an artisanal quality paste.

★ Preparation of the dough

1. Flour your work surface and spread the dough to obtain a large rectangle.
2. Brush this rectangle with butter
3. Roll the rectangle on itself to obtain a strand of dough.
4. Cut 12 sections about 1.5cm high and flatten them between your fingers
5. Place the circles of dough thus obtained in the previously buttered moulds.

If you have tasted Pasteis de Nata from Bélem, you have noticed the crispness of the dough. To obtain it at home, do not spread the rectangle of dough directly in the moulds but roll the dough on itself so that you will be able to cut it into sections that will give a much crisper pastry after baking.

★ Preparation of the filling

1. Pour the milk into a saucepan, add the sugar and dilute the flour cold.
2. Add a cinnamon stick.
3. Heat the mixture and stir until it is thick and smooth.
4. Let the mixture cool a little before adding the egg yolks with a whisk.

★ Assembly and baking

1. Fill each of the moulds with the cream mixture
2. Bake at 200° and cook for 15 to 20 minutes
3. Take the Pasteis out of the oven, remove them from the mould, let them cool for 10 minutes
4. Serve warm, sprinkled with cinnamon

Of course, finding Nata Pasteis moulds outside Portugal is quite impossible. You can decide to use Cupcake moulds, but in this case you will have difficulty getting the crunchiness of the puff pastry. Don't panic, for a few euros, you will find on my website the original Pasteis de Nata molds made in Northern Portugal