Portuguese Pastéis de Nata

Ingredients:

• 1 quantity ready-made puff pastry.

For the custard:

• 250ml whole milk
• ¼ tsp cinnamon
• 3 strips of lemon
• 20g butter
• 2 tbsp plain flour
• 1 tsp cornflour
• 6 egg yolks

For the sugar syrup:

• 225g caster sugar
• ¼ tsp cinnamon
• 3 strips of lemon zest

Method:

1. Roll puff pastry into a thin rectangle and then roll into a tight saugage roll.
2. Cut into 12 pieces
3. Roll each piece into a round.
4. Using wet thumb, press pastry round into pastry case, pushing pastry up the sides.
5. Chill.
6. Heat half of milk, cinnamon, lemon zest in pan add 10g butter – leave to infuse- remove lemon.
7. Mix flour, cornflour & rest of milk to a paste.
8. Pour warmed milk over flour/ milk mixture and return to pan.
9. Heat gently until it resembles thickened cream.

Make syrup:

1. Put ingredients in a pan and add 75ml water.
2. Gently heat and dissolve any sugar, until light brown carmel is achieved.
3. add remaining water – strain into heatprooof bowl.
4. Pour half of syrup into custard and mix well
5. Stir in egg yolks.
6. Pour custard into tart cases and bake 9 mins until tops are dark – 230`c.
7. Brush tarts with remaining sugar syrup.