After a long travel day on Thursday, I made it back to Maine. After almost 6 weeks in Porto, Portugal. To say that I feel lucky to spend so much time there is an understatement. We lived in Porto in a small 2-story apartment on a side street. We spent more time than most people ever do in the city, walking by the river, trekking up steep cobblestone, getting to know clothing store owners and bar keepers. The biggest highlight for me was of course the food. And perhaps the most beloved dish is the Porto pastel de nata.

Trying Porto Pastel de Nata

Before becoming regulars in Porto, we perused quaint souvenir shops and kitchen stores and found a shelf covered in pastel molds. Small tin cups that hold puff pastry disks and custard. We marveled at the army of small 2-bite pastry cups sprawled over counters at Manteigaria. One person cut discs from a pastry log. The next pressed each into the cups. Finally another person uses a funnel to portion egg yolk custard into each cup. Every 10 minutes or so they bring a tray of dozens of pastel de nata out of the oven and they waft with steam. Fresh buttery pastry and vanilla wafts over the counter.

A 2-pack of pastéis at Manteigaria costs 2.60 euros. So, on many days, we would wander by the store on our way home and search for spare change in our pockets. It’s imperative to eat them warm at the store and cover them in powdered sugar and cinnamon. The first time we tried them we were astounded by the smooth, delectable flavor of the custard paired with crispy, flaky puff pastry. The Porto pastel de nata cracks in your mouth as you bite, then the almost-set custard melts into a warm vanilla cream. I expected it to taste eggy or to have a squeaky texture. But it is truly so smooth and creamy. Like a warm creme brûlée inside a crisp pastry cup.

Painting Pastéis on Halloween

We went to another Pastéis place, Castro, on a particularly rainy day. The workers were warm and friendly. The small shop was packed with locals and tourists escaping the weather. The smartest amongst them dipped the pastéis into thick hot chocolate. On Halloween, I decided to paint a Porto pastel de nata. So, we picked up another 2-pack from Mantegaria and brought them back to our apartment. We set up at the kitchen table with water glasses for our brushes and used plates as palates.

We went through the process, calmly tuning out the world and focusing on the yellows, browns, and ambers of our pastel de nata, each poised on a platform in the center of the table. Before painting we sketched and then painted shadows and mid-tones. We left the highlights white. Then, before we knew it, our watercolors were complete. It was a great day, which ended with baking chocolate and peanut butter cup cookies. We visited Manteigaria a few more times during our trip, and I bought 12 pastel tins to bring home. After a long, long, travel day, we made it back to Boston and said our goodbyes.

Coming Home from Portugal

I’m back in my home in Maine and have been catching up on sleep. Getting my appetite back. I’ve been excited to try many familiar American foods again and indulge in milkshakes and fries, American cheese, and potato chips. Today I got up early to finish my Porto pastel de nata recipe. In hopes that I can replicate the flavor and texture of the special Portuguese pastry for my family to try. I considered buying a pack and bringing them home in my suitcase, but I wanted their first experience to be warm and fresh, like mine was. I spent Saturday getting a haircut, taking a walk in the chilly Maine late fall, and napping after lunch. Then, I excitedly threw together a rough puff pastry recipe. I put a little cinnamon in the dough.

After it chilled and I folded and turned the dough several times to create the signature layers of puff pastry, I rolled the dough into a log. Much like you would roll cinnamon buns. The dough chills and then is cut into discs, which you mold into pastel cups. Then, you fill them with an egg yolk and milk custard, which bakes on a very high heat. The crust crisps and the custard caramelizes deeply, which gives the Porto pastel de nata their signature dark spots. The custard started with a cinnamon sugar syrup. I added the syrup to a hot milk and flour mixture, whisking vigorously, then added the rest of my hot cream, vanilla, salt, and egg yolks. I strained the custard and finally chilled it overnight in the fridge, covered with plastic wrap.

Baking My Own Pastéis at Home

Bright and early after a good night’s sleep, I spent the morning watching the news and cooking breakfast with my parents. I cut discs of my puff pastry log and pressed them into my Porto pastel de nata tins. I smiled thinking about all the memories I’ll treasure from our trip. So many afternoons wandering around the cobblestone streets and sitting on benches near the river. Eating bifanas and French fries and playing darts at the bar. Once the dough was pressed into the cups, I chilled them quickly and mixed my custard. Then, I placed each cup onto a baking sheet and poured custard into each, about 2/3 of the way full.

The oven was ripping hot, and I kept an eye on them as they cooked, squatting in front of the glass door like I was on The Great British Baking Show. The kitchen immediately filled with the perfume of vanilla custard, sugary, buttery pastry, and cinnamon. It reminded me so much of the stores in Porto, and I knew I was on the right track. The custards began to bubble and caramelize and when I saw dark spots I finally I popped the tray of pasteis de nata out of the oven. They looked perfect. Familiar bright-yellow custards in caramelized amber pastry cups, spotted with dark brown. I waited for them to cool a little and popped them out of their cups.

Memories of Porto

We sprinkled on cinnamon and powdered sugar and enjoyed each pastel de nata with the curiosity and excitement of a kid on Christmas. I love traveling and fall in love with discovering new flavors each time. It’s hard to replicate the magic of foods you eat in other countries, and sometimes is futile. But these tasted exactly like my favorite pastel de nata in Porto. Crispy, flaky pastry. Deeply caramelized in the metal cup. The custard is smooth, not too eggy, and filled with vanilla and cinnamon flavor. The powdered sugar and cinnamon on top melts beautifully into the custard and puff pastry. The pastel de nata is so beautiful fresh out of the oven.

Besides nearly choking to death on cinnamon when I forgot to hold my breath at Castro, our Porto pastel de nata adventures were one of the highlights of our time in Porto. It’s a beautiful sea-side city. Smaller than Lisbon, and much friendlier and tight-knit. It’s close to the Douro Valley, a scenic collection of vineyards in the hills. The buildings are colorful and covered in tiles and from a distance you could mistake the view from the river as a postcard of Copenhagen. Metal gondolas fly over the river. You can walk on the pedestrian bridge hundreds of feet over the water and gaze down at break dancers performing next to hoards of tourists. Tuk tuk tours. Street singers with old men dancing next to them.

Porto Vignettes

The river is lined with white tents of local vendors selling knick knacks and jewelry and belts, bags, and totems. You can hear popular American radio songs playing from restaurants over the chirps of fake plastic bird toys. You can smell fish pretty much everywhere, and every few steps is a sandwich board of traditional local menu items. Menu in Portuguese is “ementa”.

We traversed the bridge to the river nearly every day, and found comfort in a river-facing bench. There are old wooden pirate-looking boats with barrels of wine. We made jokes about “Cockburns” and found one of the ships completely sunken one day. I sat there for hours on the day after the election, which was the only thing that made me feel better. We sat there on our last night with a dark sky and the twinkling lights of the city over us. I miss it already.

So, pastel de nata tastes like those days stopping in bakeries for almond tarts and bready pizza pockets. It tastes like walking to the grocery store on Sunday to cook eggs and potatoes when all the restaurants are closed. It tastes like singing our made up songs through the streets and making fun of oblivious tourists. Pastel de nata tastes like sunny days near the river, watching teens jump off the bridge for money. It tastes like “Yellow” by Coldplay and “What a Feeling” played on a computer. It reminds me of sleeping in and walking to our favorite bakery for focaccia. A long walk to the train station and finding fallen tiles on the ground. It tastes like the world slowing down and life being simple and sweet for a little while.

Settling In

I’m so excited to have a recipe for pastel de nata now and to share the magic of them with my family and friends. Sure, they won’t be able to experience Porto, or to know the long days of walking around the streets, but they’ll be able to form their own memories. Lazy Sundays and fresh pastel from the oven. But as I continue to settle back into my home and long for the home we found in Portugal, I’ll have plenty of pastéis to snack on. And I’ll be right back there in Manteigaria with nothing to do but eat. Wander. Relax. I love Portugal. I can’t wait to go back.

If you get a chance to make these, let me know! They are one of the most special and delicious things we tried in Portugal, and I wish for everyone to be able to try them. Cinnamon and powdered sugar is mandatory.

If you enjoy my recipes and paintings, be sure to check out my Etsy for 100’s of art prints and recipe cards! Use code THEFORKEDRING for 25% off. Thanks for reading!

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Pastéis de Nata

A flaky puff pastry cup filled with vanilla egg custard. Served warm with cinnamon.

Course Dessert

Cuisine Portuguese

Keyword custard, custard tart, pastel de nata

Prep Time 4 hours hours

Cook Time 20 minutes minutes

Servings 12

Author theforkedring

Ingredients

• 2 cups AP flour
• 1/2 tbsp Ground cinnamon
• 2 tbsp White sugar
• 1/2 tbsp Salt
• 2 1/4 sticks Unsalted butter
• 2/3 cup Ice Water
• 3/4 cup Warm water
• 1 1/4 cup White sugar
• 1 1/2 tsp Salt
• 2 tsp Ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp Vanilla extract
• 1 1/3 cups Whole milk
• 5 tbsp AP flour
• 3 Egg yolks

Instructions

• Start by mixing flour, salt, sugar, and cinnamon in a large bowl.
• Grate your cold butter into your flour mixture and gently coat the butter pieces in flour.
• Start to bring the dough together with a fork. Then, add your cold water and bring together just until combined but still shaggy.
• Bring your dough together into a thick square and wrap in plastic wrap. Transfer to the fridge to chill for 2-3 hours.
• Once your dough has chilled, remove from fridge and let warm for 5-10 minutes. On a lightly floured surface, roll into a large rectangle, about 16″ x 24″.
• With your long side facing you, fold your dough into thirds like a letter and press into a brick. Turn the dough 90 degrees and roll back into a large rectangle, folding again and repeating this process 4 times total.
• On the last turn, roll your dough back out into a large rectangle and roll with the short side facing you into a tight log. Wrap in plastic wrap and place in fridge to chill until ready to bake.
• To make custard, boil water, sugar, salt, cinnamon, and vanilla over high heat until bubbling. Remove from heat and add your milk and flour. Then, add your 3 egg yolks one at a time, whisking vigorously to avoid scrambling.
• Strain custard into a large cup and cover with plastic wrap. Transfer to fridge to chill for at least 1 hour, or until cold.
• When ready to bake, preheat oven to 500°F. In the meantime, remove your puff pastry log from the fridge and let warm for 5 minutes. Cut in half.
• Roll one half on a lightly-floured surface until long, about 16″. Cut the dough into 12 even discs and place each in a pastel mold, or a small muffin tin.
• Press each dough disk into the metal cup, ensuring the edges of the pastry rise out of the cup slightly. If using pastel molds, place them on a large baking sheet.
• Pour custard into each pastry cup, filling about 2/3 of the way. Bake for 15-20 minutes until the crust is crisp and brown and the tops of the custards are bubbling and have caramelized amber-brown spots.
• Remove pastéis from the oven and let cool for 10 minutes. Then, remove each pastel from their metal cups with the handle of a spoon or a toothpick. You made need to take a small knife and loosen the edges, but most will pop out easily.
• Serve warm with a dusting of powdered sugar and cinnamon.

Notes

• You can use store-bought puff pastry for the recipe to save time, just thaw and roll your pastry into a tight log, then place back in the fridge to chill before using. 
• If you have cinnamon sticks on hand, you can use 1-2 cinnamon sticks in the custard instead of ground cinnamon. 
• You can add your own flavorings, like lemon zest. The traditional recipe just uses vanilla and cinnamon.