Comments on: Portuguese custard tarts (pasteis de nata)

By: Maria

Maria — Thu, 24 Jun 2010 21:43:33 +0000

Hello i’m 100percent portuguese and I’ve eaten one thousand times the best pasteis de nata in portugal. I realised that your pasteis de nata weren’t the same. So here is a recipie, also the pastery puff pastery and it’’s bassicly many extra thin pieces of pastery whch are stuck to gether with butter. So here is a recipie. So this is the recipie for the creme.
250 ml “butter milk”
100g caster sugar
4 egg yolks
1 teaspoon of all porpose flour
lemon zest
cinnamon sugar for sprinkling on pasteis de natar for serving
Cream
1. Mix all ingredients except the lemon zest.
2. Bring the mixture to simmer until thickened. Once you start to boil, remove from heat.
3. Add lemon zest.
4. Expect cool.
5. Fill the pastry bases. Place some stuffing to prevent leaking during cooking (like mine … lol … because my greed made me prepare two recipes cream !!!!)
June. Bake preheated (250 C to 300 C) until firm and golden.
7. Remove from pans and just before serving sprinkle sugar and cinnamon.

By: Sebastian from Berlin

Sebastian from Berlin — Mon, 29 Mar 2010 17:11:08 +0000

Dear Waz,

Florian and I (see “florian from berlin” above) just returned from an extended weekend in Lisbon, and already on the flight back Florian went on about how he HAD to try this recipe. Of course we went to Belem and queued at Pasteis de Belem and they were delicious. Now, not having ventured too deep into the characteristics of different types of pasteis, Rich’s suggestion to use Greek or Turkish filo/yufka pastry sounds like a good idea because the frozen German “Blaetterteig” just is too fluffy. Also we wondered whether it would be smart to use cream instead of milk to get a richer custard and maybe leave out the orange zest because it’s quite predominant in the overall taste. But nontheless, they taste great the way the turned out, and bring back all the nice memories of spring time in Lisbon!

- Sebastian

By: Ben Hughes

Ben Hughes — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 13:13:24 +0000

I’ve just found this blog, it’s fantastic! It’s just like me and the missus trying to recreate recipes. Love your work guys brilliant!

By: Rich

Rich — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 17:44:22 +0000

Hi,

Great recipe. I recently went to Lisbon and loved these tarts. So I tried your recipe and not only is it fairly easy it’s perfect. However, I experimented with teh pastry. Lisbon ones don’t generally use puff pastry. They are a thin flaky pastry similar to filo pastry. So I bought a packet of filo pastry and used 2 thin layers with melted better between them to line the tin. This came out with a cripy flaky case. I’d recommend it but it always comes down to how you personally like them.

By: Shabana

Shabana — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 15:15:31 +0000

Hi Waz

Thank you so much for this recipe. My husband is portuguese and whenever we go to Mozambique,we land at the bakeries just to buy this and I love them. Thanks to you, I have just tried making them and they seem to be fantastic….I haven’t tasted them, waiting for my hubby…..will be a surprise to him…..loved making them too!!!!

By: Christine

Christine — Wed, 13 May 2009 09:27:56 +0000

This looks extremely good. Except, we can’t find puff pastry here in this country. Sigh.

By: Dominic from Devon

Dominic from Devon — Tue, 10 Mar 2009 17:56:48 +0000

I made these this afternoon after watching the video yesterday. They were delicious and very easy to make. I think next time I will add a little less sugar as they were a bit too sweet, but tasty non the less. Thanks.

By: Waz

Waz — Tue, 16 Sep 2008 12:19:37 +0000

noodooo, follow the link in the last paragraph of the blog post and you will be rewarded.

- Waz

By: noodooo

noodooo — Mon, 15 Sep 2008 20:39:02 +0000

Where is the recipe?

By: angie

angie — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 10:19:37 +0000

yumbo
just catching up on the last few episodes! i will make these next week when i host mother’s group at my house- also a good way to get some egg into my non-egg eating toddler (albeit laced with sugar!)
great episode guys

By: Pauline

Pauline — Mon, 28 Jul 2008 15:21:58 +0000

Hey folks - after doing a bit of research on these delicious tarts I have noticed that many recipes call for the pastry to be rolled up like a swiss roll, chilled, and then cut into discs which are flattened and pressed into the ‘muffin’ tins. This might achieve the ‘flaky’ dense texture that you were talking about in your vlog? Thanks for bring the ‘real’ back into cooking! The end result looks great! Cheers, Pauline.

By: /anne...

/anne... — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 00:28:39 +0000

Natalie, Australia changed to dollars and cents on 14th February 1966

And since we’re nearly at parity with the US$, $1 is _cheap_! I usually pay about $2.50 for Portugese tarts in Melbourne. Which, for my waistline, is probably a good thing…

By: suz

suz — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 18:52:48 +0000

yum too bad i’m on a diet

very smart to use puff pastry dough. i have never known what to do with it but now i will give it a try

By: astrocristy

astrocristy — Sun, 22 Jun 2008 12:15:23 +0000

awesome episode guys. i have to say that i was excited to see a non-slow-cooker episode like some of the other posters.

these tarts are one of the finer things in life, and i’m glad to know that i could make them if i wanted to. i just choose to go to my favourite cafe on a saturday morning and have them there, because he makes his fresh every weekend. yumbo. i’ll have to take you there next time you’re in vegas.

By: Waz

Waz — Wed, 18 Jun 2008 18:07:53 +0000

Rupert, you’re right, I remember now that it was a Leon we met in. Here’s me thinking I’d never been to one. Didn’t try the food, as I recall - we just had a beer (I think I still owe you one …)

By: Rupert

Rupert — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 19:28:47 +0000

They look fantastic. And achievable even by me… Perhaps I’ll vlog my own attempt…
And I know Allegra - that time we met, Waz, was in her restaurant - but didn’t know about the MBE - wow

By: florian from berlin

florian from berlin — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 17:47:06 +0000

those things looked absolutely lovely and perfect. i never had this, apparently not many portuguese in germany and i’ve never been there, but i’m seriously contemplating a visit now, since i now what they serve with coffee.

are you gonna do the chinese ones for us?

many greetings from the continent!

By: deborah

deborah — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 15:23:09 +0000

the tarts look really good! speaking of pastry:

from what i know there are two kinds - the ‘portuguese’ egg tarts have a huge flaky rim of pastry around them. we eat them with beancurd and syrup (tow huay) here in singapore. they sell them in chinese restaurants and shops - i was always under the impression that they were adopted into chinese cuisine! (the same way you have “western” hawker stalls selling chicken chops with rice.)

the second kind - just egg tarts, ‘dan ta’ in cantonese â€“ has a thin, sweet, crumbly, almost shortcrust-ish sort of pastry crust. you see stuff like that in dimsum restaurants, without all the burn marks on the custard. they’re a lot tamer, but still not too bad.

by the way, hello from singapore! my twelve-year-old sister is a huge fan of you - we tried your creme brulee and she makes teacake with your recipe regularly.

do drop by singapore sometime. i’m sure you’ll like the food.

cheers

By: Niamh

Niamh — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 11:17:37 +0000

Great video! I really enjoyed watching it. I haven’t made these before but you’ve inspired me now. I’ll have to give them a go.

By: james

james — Sun, 15 Jun 2008 18:31:29 +0000

did i say dutch? durrrrrrrr. I have no idea why i said dutch! It was a late night last night………..

By: Waz

Waz — Sun, 15 Jun 2008 15:02:06 +0000

James, that’s tremendous. I think I have actually seen more complicated recipes for dun ta pastry - yours sounds manageable. But where do the Dutch come into it ???

By: james

james — Sun, 15 Jun 2008 13:03:23 +0000

nice recipe and sounds authentic too but I’m wondering if it originated in china and the dutch brought it back. Some of their sausages taste just like lap chong chinese ones too. Anyway, you wanted I think to know about chinese flaky/shattery pastry and so here is the recipe.

You need to make 2 lots of dough. Oil dough and water dough.

Oil dough:
120g flour
50ml mild flavoured oil

sift flour and add cooking oil. fold oil into flour with a spoon. If dough is dry add a little more oil but go easy. Add more flour if dough is too oily/wet. Wrap in film and put in fridge for 20 mins.
water dough:
120g flour
50ml mild flavoured oil
30ml water

sift flour into bowl and add oil. fold oil into flour. Add water a little at a time and folding it in with the spoon. If too wet sprinkle a little flour on it. Wrap dough in film and refrigerate 20 mins to relax it.

Assemble pastry. roll out the water dough and then place the oil dough in the centre. Wrap the water dough around it and press to seal. The oil dough is now in the water dough. Now roll the assembled dough flatish. Fold bottom third up towards the centre. Fold the top third over on top. Turn the complete thing 90 degrees quarter turn.Again bring bottom third up to centre and then top third down and over the top. Roll out again and turn 90 degrees. Do it another couple of times and then you can roll it right out to required thickness for cutting out for tarts etc. sounds exhausting doesn’t it? No wonder those chinese pastrys in London are so expensive.

By: Waz

Waz — Sat, 14 Jun 2008 07:22:14 +0000

Hi AndrÃ©. It turns out the recipe we used is basically the PastÃ©is de BelÃ©m mixture, according to our recipe source, Allegra McEvedy (who was awarded a royal honour, the MBE, today in the UK, by the way). Never been to Portugal but the time will come and we’ll definitely go to PastÃ©is de BelÃ©m.

Natalie, our love affair with nata was actually sealed in Montreal, visiting one of the very same bakeries you’re talking about. I couldn’t say exactly where it was but somewhere near the hip part of downtown.

Sophia, we’ll have to check out your site. Kudos for experimenting but I’m not sure coconut-flavoured nata would be quite to our tastes …

By: AndrÃ©

I’m portuguese and I never met anyone that would bake pastÃ©is de nata at home, now that I think of it. I think I’ll give it a try! Yours looked delicious, but you’ll have to visit PastÃ©is de BelÃ©m in Lisbon to get a taste of the very best portuguese custard tarts. They are indeed great with espresso, sunshine and a terrace overlooking the river Tagus.

By: Sophia from Kitchen Caravan

Sophia from Kitchen Caravan — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 22:19:55 +0000

Hi Len and Waz,
I was excited to see you cooking pasteis de nata! We have an online cooking show called Kitchen Caravan, and did an episode on the History of the Black Pepper Trade. Our pasteis were a blend of Portuguese and Goan flavors. I know that it would upset a lot of people in Portugal, but I did not use puff pastry. Instead, I opted for a simple pastry dough made with coconut oil instead of butter. Although it is not traditional, the coconut oil gives it a nice, light hint of coconut, as well as a nice crunch. Yours looked delicious and like they were the perfect size!

By: Natalie

Natalie — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 14:56:04 +0000

Hello Len and Waz!

These portugese tarts are one of my favourite desserts! Here in montreal we have some wonderful portugese bakeries that each have their special touch to make it unique. We get them for about 1 dollar canadian each (what is that, 50p?) I never thought of making them, but I am definitely tempted now. Have to get the pastry right tho, as puff pastry might be too greasy.

Take care!

Nat