This custard tart recipe was created under a dome of secrecy in the seafaring town called Belém, on the outskirts of Lisbon, and sold at public markets.
Ingredients
- Puff Pastry 600 g
- All-Purpose Flour 60 g
- Whole Milk 500 ml
- Cinnamon Stick 1
- Zest of 1 Lemon
- Sugar 500 g
- Water 250 ml
- Egg Yolks 7
- Powdered Sugar for dusting
- Ground Cinnamon for sprinkling
Cook It
- With a rolling pin, extend the dough into a rectangle. Roll the dough into a tight spiral, to make a long cylinder. Cut the dough into round slices with a thickness of 1.5 cm.
- Place the slices in the bottom of metal cupcake moulds, greased with butter.
- With your thumbs, dipped in water, begin to press into the centre of the dough, spreading it out to the edges. The edges should be thicker, leaving the dough thinner in the bottom. Place the moulds on a baking sheet.
- Dissolve the flour in 100 ml of milk. In a heavy bottomed pot, bring remaining milk, cinnamon stick and the lemon zest to a boil. Reduce the heat, add the flour and stir continuously until it begins to boil again. Remove from the heat and set aside.
- In a second heavy bottomed pot, combine the sugar and water, and stir over medium-high heat to boiling point. Boil for 3 minutes. Add the sugar syrup to the milk and mix well. Strain and set aside to cool.
- Add the egg yolks to the milk mixture and stir well. Fill the moulds with the cream. Bake in a preheated 500°F oven until golden (around 12 minutes).
- Serve hot or cold, sprinkled with powdered sugar or cinnamon powder.
