All Easy Recipes. Cook all that you can cook. Custard Tarts
(Pasteis De Nata)
 
What You Need:            (To Make: 12 three-inch tarts)
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PASTRY
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1/8 teaspoon salt
  • 6 to 8 tablespoons ice water
  • 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
  • 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened

    CUSTARD
  • 5 egg yolks
  • ½ cup sugar
  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • A pinch of salt
  • 2 teaspoons confectioners' sugar combined with ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon

  • How To Cook:
    PASTRY:
    1. Sift the flour and salt together into a large mixing bowl. Sprinkle them with 6 tablespoons of the ice water and the lemon juice and toss together lightly with a fork.

    2. Knead the dough with your hands until it is firm enough to be gathered into a compact ball. If the dough crumbles, add up to 2 table spoons more ice water, 1 teaspoon at a time, until the particles adhere.

    3. On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough into a rectangle about 10 inches long and 8 inches wide. With a metal spatula or your fingers, spread 2 tablespoons of the butter evenly over the pastry.

    FOLD THE PASTRY IN THIRDS IN THE FOLLOWING FASHION:
    1. First fold one 8-inch side about 1½ inch beyond the center, and then fold the opposite side over the top, reducing the 10-inch dimension to about 3 inches.

    2. Turn the pastry around so that an open end faces you and once more roll it out to a 10-inch length and an 8-inch width. Spread the pastry with another 2 tablespoons of butter, and fold it into thirds again.

    3. Turn the pastry so that an open end faces you, roll it out to a 10-inch length as before and spread with the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter. Fold in thirds and wrap the pastry in wax paper.

    4. Refrigerate for at least 30minutes before using. (Tightly wrapped, the pastry may be kept in the refrigerator for 3 or 4 days without harm.)

    CUSTARD:
    1. Preheat the oven to 400°. In the top of a double boiler, beat the egg yolks with a whisk or a rotary or electric beater until they are well combined. Set the pan over water that is barely simmering and gradually stir in the sugar, cream and salt.

    2. Stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, cook over low heat until the mixture thickens enough to coat the spoon lightly. Strain the custard through a fine sieve into a mixing bowl, and cool to room temperature, stirring it now and then to prevent a crust from forming on its surface.

    3. On a lightly floured surface, roll the pastry into an 8- by 10-inch rectangle. With a cookie cutter or the rim of a glass, cut the pastry into 3½-inch rounds.

    4. Gather the pastry scraps into a ball, reroll and cut into similar rounds. One at a time, gently press the rounds into individual tart tins measuring 2½ inches in diameter across the bottom.

    5. Spoon the custard into the pastry shells, filling them to within 1/8 inch of the top, then place the tins on a baking sheet. Bake in the middle of the oven for 20 minutes, or until the tops are a light gold color and a knife inserted in the center of the custard comes out clean.

    6. Let the tarts cool in the tins for 4 to 5 minutes. Then run the blade of a knife around the edges of the tarts to loosen them slightly, lift them out with a narrow spatula, and sprinkle the tops with the confectioners' sugar and cinnamon mixture. Serve when cooled to room temperature.


     
     
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