Vanille

Pastéis de nata with vanilla

Pastéis de nata, a Portuguese custard tart made with puff pastry. Our version, infused with Madagascar Bourbon vanilla, step-by-step recipe.

  • Prep 30 min
  • Cooking 20 min
  • Total 50 min
  • Difficulty Medium

Pastéis de nata are a Portuguese custard pastry, baked in a puff pastry case until the top is flecked with golden brown. Our version infuses the custard with the seeds of a whole Bourbon vanilla pod, for a round aroma that pairs with the pastry's caramelisation.

Our family grows and prepares this vanilla in the SAVA region, in north-eastern Madagascar. The success of this pastry depends on a very hot oven and a custard cooked just enough to thicken, without turning lumpy.

Method

Preparation

  1. Preheat the oven to 250°C, or the highest setting on your oven. Butter a 12-hole muffin tin.
  2. Roll out the puff pastry, cut out 12 circles a little larger than the holes and line the tin with them, bringing the pastry up slightly at the edges.
  3. Split the vanilla pod lengthways and scrape out the seeds. Heat the milk and cream with the split pod and seeds until they just start to simmer, then turn off the heat, cover and leave to infuse for 15 minutes.
  4. Remove the pod. In a bowl, whisk the egg yolks with the sugar, then fold in the flour. Pour in the hot milk gradually while whisking, then pour it all back into the saucepan.
  5. Heat over low heat, stirring constantly, until the custard thickens slightly, without letting it boil. Pass it through a fine sieve so it is perfectly smooth.
  6. Divide the custard between the pastry cases, filling them three-quarters of the way up.
  7. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, keeping an eye on them from 15 minutes, until the top of the custard is blotched with golden brown in places and the pastry is nicely golden.
  8. Leave to cool for 10 minutes before gently removing from the tin.
Chef's tip

The little extra that changes everything

Do not open the oven during baking: the very high heat is what makes the top of the custard blotch and puff up slightly, like a light surface caramelisation. To scrape out a pod properly, see how to use a vanilla pod. Our products for this recipe: Madagascar Bourbon vanilla pods

Frequently asked questions

About this recipe

Can shortcrust pastry be used instead of puff pastry?
A genuine all-butter puff pastry gives the crisp texture and characteristic layers of pastéis de nata; shortcrust bakes differently and brings the result closer to a classic tart.
Why does the oven need to be very hot?
A high temperature lets the custard cook quickly while blotching with brown in places on the surface, without the puff pastry becoming too dry.
Can the custard be made ahead?
Yes, the custard can be made a few hours ahead and kept in the fridge with cling film pressed onto its surface, then poured into the pastry cases just before baking.
In the kitchen

Four moves with one bean

What to do with a whole bean, from the first cut to the sugar jar.

01 Split 30 s

Knife tip halfway through, one single pass along the whole length.

02 Scrape 1 min

Scrape both halves with a spoon. That black is the flavour.

03 Infuse 20 min

Seeds and bean into the hot milk, off the heat, covered.

Vanilla beans laid on a white plate
04 Reuse 1 week

Rinse the emptied bean, let it dry, then slip it into the sugar.

One bean serves twice
Exceptional ingredients

Our products for this recipe

Other recipes

Also worth discovering