Pasteis de Nata

Ingredients

• 250g strong white flour
• 150ml cold water
• 5g fine salt
• 180g unsalted butter, very soft
• 250ml whole milk
• 30g plain flour
• 200g caster sugar
• 100ml water
• 1 cinnamon stick
• Pared peel of 1 lemon
• 6 large egg yolks
• Ground cinnamon and icing sugar to serve

Before you cook

• Leave the butter out until it is spreadable but not melting, roughly the texture of thick paint.
• Pare the lemon peel in wide strips without any pith.
• Separate the eggs and keep the six yolks in a bowl.
• Grease a 12-hole muffin tin lightly.

Steps

1. Mix the strong flour and salt in a bowl, then pour in the cold water.
2. Bring it together into a rough dough and knead it for 3 minutes until smooth.
3. Wrap the dough and rest it at room temperature for 20 minutes.
4. Roll the dough on a floured surface into a rectangle about 40cm by 30cm and 3mm thick.
5. Spread a third of the soft butter across the middle two thirds of the rectangle.
6. Fold the bare third over the butter, then fold the opposite side on top, making three layers.
7. Turn the block 90 degrees and roll it out to 40cm by 30cm again.
8. Spread another third of the butter over the surface and fold it in thirds once more.
9. Turn, roll and spread with the last of the butter, then roll the whole sheet up into a tight log from the long side.
10. Wrap the log and chill it in the fridge for 2 hours until firm.
11. Put the sugar, 100ml water, cinnamon stick and lemon peel in a small pan.
12. Boil the syrup for 3 minutes without stirring until it reaches 100C, then take it off the heat.
13. Whisk the plain flour into 60ml of the cold milk in a bowl until smooth.
14. Heat the rest of the milk in a saucepan until it steams, then whisk in the flour paste.
15. Cook the milk for 2 minutes, whisking hard, until it thickens into a loose paste.
16. Pour the hot syrup into the hot milk paste in a thin stream, whisking constantly, and remove the peel and cinnamon.
17. Let the mixture cool for 10 minutes until it is warm rather than hot.
18. Whisk in the egg yolks one at a time until the custard is smooth and glossy.
19. Strain the custard through a fine sieve into a jug and set it aside.
20. Heat the oven as high as it will go, ideally 260C, with a baking tray on the bottom shelf.
21. Cut the chilled pastry log into 12 discs about 2cm thick.
22. Stand one disc cut side up in a muffin hole and dip your thumb in cold water.
23. Press your wet thumb into the centre and work the pastry up the sides until it stands 2mm above the rim.
24. Shape the remaining 11 discs the same way.
25. Fill each pastry case three quarters full with custard, leaving room for it to rise.
26. Bake on the bottom shelf for 12 to 15 minutes until the pastry is deep golden and the custard tops are scorched with black blisters.
27. Lift the tarts out of the tin within 2 minutes so the bases do not steam.
28. Cool them on a rack for 10 minutes, then dust with ground cinnamon and icing sugar and eat while still warm.