Pastéis de Nata

Name: Pastéis de Nata
Total time: 1 h 15 min
Yield: 12 servings
Ingredients: 250 g Puff pastry, one sheet, thawed but cold; 1 tbsp Unsalted butter, softened, for the tin; 1¼ cups Whole milk, divided; 30 g All-purpose flour; 200 g Granulated sugar; 1 Cinnamon sticks; 1 Lemon, peel only, in wide strips; 6 Eggs (large), yolks only; ½ tsp Ground cinnamon, for dusting (optional); 2 tbsp Powdered sugar, for dusting (optional)

1 hr 15 minServes 12$39.62

Puff pastry is rolled into a tight log, sliced, and pressed into a muffin tin to make thin, flaky cups. They are filled with a custard of egg yolks and milk flavored with lemon peel and cinnamon and thickened with flour and a sugar syrup, then baked in a very hot oven until the tops blister in dark spots. Home ovens do not reach bakery temperatures, so the tops char less.

Ingredients

250 gPuff pastryone sheet, thawed but coldBuy 1 package
1 tbspUnsalted buttersoftened, for the tinBuy 1 package
1¼ cupsWhole milkdividedBuy 1 carton
30 gAll-purpose flourBuy 1 bag
200 gGranulated sugarBuy 1 bag
1Cinnamon sticksBuy 1 jar
1Lemonpeel only, in wide strips
6Eggs (large)yolks onlyBuy 1 carton
½ tspGround cinnamon (optional)for dustingBuy 1 jar
2 tbspPowdered sugar (optional)for dustingBuy 1 bag

Method

Roll the pastry sheet up tightly from a short side into a log, wrap, and chill for 15 minutes; heat the oven to its highest setting, 500 to 550°F (260 to 290°C).
Whisk the flour with 1/4 cup of the milk until smooth. Heat the remaining milk with the lemon peel and cinnamon stick until steaming, then whisk in the flour mixture and cook until thickened, about 2 minutes.
Meanwhile, boil the sugar with 2/3 cup water for 3 minutes to make a syrup.
Remove the peel and cinnamon from the milk, whisk in the hot syrup in a thin stream, let it cool for 10 minutes, then whisk in the egg yolks and strain.
Butter a 12-cup muffin tin. Cut the pastry log into 12 slices, set one in each cup, and with wet thumbs press it up the sides into a thin shell.
Fill each shell about three-quarters full with custard and bake until the pastry is crisp and the tops are blistered with dark spots, 10 to 15 minutes.
Cool for at least 15 minutes and dust with cinnamon and powdered sugar if you like.