The Story
The story goes that these tarts began with the monks of Belém, just outside Lisbon. They used egg whites to starch their robes, which left a lot of yolks with nothing to do. Custard tarts solved that problem nicely.
In Lisbon they come warm from the oven with a shaker of cinnamon on the counter. Those dark spots on top are on purpose, so don't pull them out early. Your oven has to run as hot as it will go, and that is half the fun.
Ingredients
- 1 sheet all-butter puff pastry (about 250 g), thawed but still cold
- 1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup (120 ml) water
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 1 wide strip of lemon peel, no white pith
- 1 1/4 cups (300 ml) whole milk
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 6 large egg yolks
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Butter, for the tin
- Ground cinnamon and powdered sugar, for dusting
Steps
- Heat the oven to 500°F (260°C), or as hot as yours will go, with a rack near the top. Butter a 12-cup muffin tin.
- Roll the pastry up tightly from a short side into a log, then cut it into 12 even rounds.
- Set each round cut side up in a muffin cup. With a wet thumb, press from the center out and up the sides until the pastry is thin and just peeks over the rim. Chill the tin while you make the custard.
- Put the sugar, water, cinnamon stick and lemon peel in a small pot. Boil without stirring for about 3 minutes, until it reads 220°F (104°C) on a thermometer. Take it off the heat.
- Whisk the flour into 1/4 cup of the milk until smooth. Bring the rest of the milk to a simmer in another pot, whisk in the flour mixture and cook, whisking, for about 1 minute until it thickens a little. Take it off the heat.
- Fish the cinnamon stick and lemon peel out of the syrup. Pour the hot syrup into the milk in a thin stream, whisking as you go.
- Let the mixture cool for 5 minutes, until warm but not hot. Whisk in the egg yolks and vanilla, then strain it into a measuring cup with a spout.
- Fill each pastry cup about three quarters full. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, until the pastry is deep golden and the custard has dark blistered spots.
- Cool in the tin for 5 minutes, then lift them out. Dust with cinnamon and powdered sugar and eat them warm, ideally the same day.
FAQs
Why are the tops supposed to be burned?
They are scorched, not burned. The very hot oven caramelizes the sugar in the custard in spots, and that slightly bitter edge is the whole point.
Can I make them ahead?
They are best the day they are baked. To revive one the next day, warm it in a 350°F (175°C) oven for about 5 minutes so the pastry crisps up again.
