Pastel de nata

Pastel de nata (the singular term for pastéis de nata) is a Portuguese version of a milk tart with dark-brown caramelisation on top. A cast-iron pot over the coals is just the thing to make this delicacy.

Serves 8

Preparation time 30 minutes Cooking time 15–20 minutes

YOU NEED

FOR THE SYRUP

• 1½ cups (375 ml) sugar

• ½ teaspoon (2,5 ml) ground cinnamon or 1 large cinnamon stick

• 4 cardamom seeds

• grated zest of 2 lemons

• ½ cup (125 ml) water

FOR THE CUSTARD FILLING

• 1½ cups (375 ml) full-cream milk

• ¼ cup (60 ml) cake wheat flour

• ½ teaspoon (2,5 ml) salt

• 6 extra-large egg yolks

• 2 tablespoons (30 ml) vanilla essence

• 1 cup (250 ml) cream

FOR THE CRUST

• butter, for greasing

• 1 x 400 g packet puff pastry

THIS IS HOW

Make the syrup Place the sugar, cinnamon, cardamom, lemon zest and water in a pot and simmer until all the sugar has dissolved. Simmer – but do not stir – for another 5 minutes.

Make the custard filling Beat the milk, flour and salt in a pan and let it simmer until the mixture starts to thicken. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool.

Beat the egg yolks and vanilla essence together. Stir the egg mixture into the milkand-flour mixture, along with three-quarters of the syrup mixture. (Retain the rest of the syrup to pour over the cooked tart.) Add the cream and stir through.

Make the crust Grease a flat-bottomed castiron pan with a diameter of 25 cm with butter and line it with puff pastry. Lightly roll out the pastry and cut it so that the edge of the crust will reaches 4 cm–5 cm high inside the pot. Lightly press the pastry into the base of the pot and against the sides. Use a knife to remove the excess pastry.

Pour the filling through a sieve into the crust – it should fill the crust to a height of about 2 cm but no more, as the filling will rise.

Cover the pot with the lid and place it over moderate coals. Place hot coals and a few small burning logs on top. Pastel de nata is know for its dark-brown spots of caramelisation on top, which happens during the baking process. Bake the tart for 15 minutes, then check whether it has reached the desired colour. If not, continue baking it for a few minutes, covered with the lid and a few burning logs.

Once the tart is done, pour over the remaining syrup. You can slice the tart inside the pot and serve it directly, or allow it to cool slightly before attempting to slide it out of the pot. Make sure the edges come away from the sides of the pot easily. Use a spatula to lift the tart from the bottom, and tilt the pot as you slide the tart out. Serve with ice cream.