The Pastéis de nata, or pastéis de Belém, are puff pastry tarts filled with custard (hence the Portuguese name “nata”) made with milk – or cream – and eggs, originating in Portugal and now famous across Portuguese-speaking countries and in Portugal’s former colonies.
At the beginning of the 19th century, in Belém, near the Monastery of Jerónimos, there was a sugar cane refinery. Following the liberal revolution of 1820, in 1834 all convents and monasteries in Portugal were closed, expelling both clergy and workers.
In an attempt to survive, the monastery sold sweets called “Pastéis de Belém”.
At that time Belém was far from the city of Lisbon and the route was ensured only by steamships.
However, the grandeur of the Monastery of Jerónimos and the Belém Tower attracted millions of visitors who quickly became accustomed to tasting the sweets coming from the monastery.
Today, Pastéis de nata can be found in every Portuguese café and it is customary to enjoy them together with a bica (espresso coffee), but the original recipe, which comes from the Monastery of Jerónimos, is secret and kept by the Oficina do Segredo, located in the Fábrica dos Pastéis de Belém.
For this reason, although homemade production is allowed, commercial sale is permitted only by naming the product pastel de nata, while the denomination Pastel de Belém may be used only for products from the Fábrica.
The puff pastry recipe arrived at the monastery from monks who had spent long years in France before returning home, while the custard used to be made with only the yolks, because the egg whites were used to starch shirts.
The Pastel de nata you see in the photo is the one we ate in a bistro-bar in Lisbon called “Fábrica”.
- Difficulty: Medium
- Cost: Budget-friendly
- Rest time: 10 Minutes
- Preparation time: 10 Minutes
- Cooking time: 20 Minutes
- Portions: 12 pieces
- Cooking methods: Oven
- Cuisine: Portuguese
- Seasonality: All seasons
Ingredients
- 2 rolls puff pastry
- 7 egg yolks
- 2 1/8 cups milk (or cream)
- 1 cup sugar
- 1/2 lemon (zest)
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch (maize starch) (or flour)
- 1 cinnamon stick
- to taste ground cinnamon
Tools
- 12 Molds aluminum
Steps
If you do not want to buy ready-made puff pastry, you can follow the French puff pastry recipe here.
Prepare the custard by mixing the cream with the eggs, the cornstarch and the sugar.
Bring to medium-low heat together with strips of lemon zest and the cinnamon stick and continue stirring until it boils.
Turn off the heat and remove the lemon zest and the cinnamon stick.
Cover the custard with plastic wrap touching it directly to prevent a hard skin from forming.
Preheat the oven to 392°F and using a rolling pin cut the puff pastry into discs about 2 in (5 cm) in diameter.
Place the discs in the buttered molds and, with wet hands, line the bottom and the sides.
When the custard is lukewarm or at room temperature, divide it among the tarts leaving a little space up to the top so that the filling does not overflow during baking.
Bake in the oven at 392°F for 15–20 minutes. The custard should be slightly ‘scorched’ on top.
Remove from the oven and let cool slightly. Serve the pastéis de nata hot or cold, sprinkled with ground cinnamon.
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You can buy ready puff pastry or proceed with the French puff pastry recipe shown above. Here are other recipes using puff pastry:
