Pastéis de Nata (Portuguese Custard Tarts)

Makes 10

Preparation time: 30 minutes

Cooking time: 45 minutes

Cost per recipe: Under R10 each

Ingredients:

• 400 g roll puff pastry, defrosted
• 30 ml (2 tbsp) icing sugar, sifted + extra
• 125 ml (½ cup) sugar
• 80 ml (⅓ cup) water
• 1 strip lemon peel
• 5 ml (½ tsp) ground cinnamon + extra
• 1 egg + 2 yolks
• 45 ml (3 tbsp)cornflour
• 250 ml (1 cup) milk
• 5 ml (1 tsp) vanilla essence
• Pinch salt

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 220°C. Grease 10 holes of a standard cupcake tray with cooking spray.
2. Roll the pastry open and dust all over with icing sugar. Cut the pastry into 10 x 11 cm circles. Reroll off cuts and repeat.
3. Press the pastry, icing sugar side down, into the greased holes to make cases. Refrigerate until needed.
4. Heat the sugar, water, lemon peel and cinnamon on medium, stirring until the sugar has dissolved. Bring to a boil and cook for about 5 minutes or until a light golden syrup forms. Cool. Remove the lemon.
5. Whisk together the egg, egg yolks and cornflour until smooth in a heatproof bowl.
6. Heat the milk in a medium saucepan to just before boiling point. Stir through the vanilla and salt. Gradually pour the hot milk over the egg mixture while stirring.
7. Return the egg custard to the saucepan and cook, while stirring with a wooden spoon, on low heat for about 5 minutes or until the custard coats the back of a spoon. Take care not to let the mixture boil or you’ll end up with scrambled eggs.
8. Add the cooled sugar syrup to the custard and whisk until thickened slightly. Pour through a sieve.
9. Pour into the pastry cases until almost filled to the rim and bake for about 25 minutes or until the pastry is golden and the custard has darkened in spots.
10. Remove from the tray, with a knife, while still hot. Sift over extra icing sugar and ground cinnamon, if you like.