My mouth waters just by saying the name of these delicious Portuguese tarts. A flaky puff pastry cup with a rich custard filling creates the perfect balance! You only need a few basic ingredients to make serious impressions.
INGREDIENTS
PASTRY 1 x 400g Puff pastry roll PASTE 2 tbsp cake flour 2 tbsp maizena (corn flour) ¼ tsp salt 2 tbsp milk 1 tbsp vanilla essence 5 egg yolks (Tip 1) CUSTARD MIX 2 cups full cream milk 1 cup castor sugar Rind of 1 lemon (Tip 2)
METHOD
PASTRY 1. Defrost your pastry in the fridge overnight to ensure that it is fully defrosted but still cold. 2. Prepare a 12-cup muffin pan with non-stick spray. 3. On a clean, floured surface, roll out the pastry. Lightly flour the pastry on top and roll with a rolling pin until the pastry is almost double in size. 4. Cut out 12 circles and mould the muffin cups with the pastry. 5. Place the muffin pan back in the fridge to keep the pastry cold. PASTE 1. Preheat the oven to 200⁰C and ensure that the oven rack is in the middle. 2. In a medium glass jug, mix together all the ingredients, except the egg yolks, until a smooth paste forms. 3. Add the egg yolks and mix well until the mixture is lump free. Set the paste aside. CUSTARD MIX 1. In a large mixing bowl, add all the ingredients. 2. Microwave the milk mixture for 5 minutes, mixing halfway through. 3. After 5 minutes, remove the lemon rind. 4. Slowly add the paste to the milk mixture while continuously whisking until smooth. 5. Microwave the mixture again for 3-5 minutes, whisking every minute, until the custard starts to thicken. 6. Spoon the custard into the pastry cups until the cup is ¾ full (Tip 3). 7. Bake the tarts for 20-25 minutes until the custard surface starts to blacken in the middle, still having a shiny gloss. 8. These tarts are enjoyed best when lukewarm and as fresh as possible. Store in an airtight container at room temperature.
TIPS 1. You can use the egg whites for a delicious meringue. You can also freeze the egg whites. 2. When peeling the lemon rind off, try to cut off as little of the white flesh of the lemon with the rind. You just want the flavour of the yellow part. 3. Take into consideration that the puff pastry will rise when baked. If the cup is too full, the filling will cook over.