Portuguese Cream Tarts or Pasteis de Nata

There are times when a sweet dish is the only thing that will hit the spot. Creating a sweet and delicious dish often requires a lot of time and effort on the part of the cook. These yummy little tarts are easy to make, use ingredients that many people in Portugal typically have around their home. The recipe for these delicious tarts are typically passed down from generation to generation, but I’m going to share this tasty recipe with you because this is a sweet dish that everyone should be able to enjoy regardless of where they are in the world.

Ingredients:
4 egg yolks
140ml single cream
75g caster sugar
500g filo dough
75g butter

The first thing you need to do is to carefully separate the egg yolks from the whites. You can save the whites to make a meringue later on if you want. Once you have separated the yolks, you will want to place them into a large bowl. Slowly add the caster sugar into the bowl while vigorously whisking. The mixture should start to thicken a bit and become paler in color.

Next you want to pour the cream into the bowl while still mixing the ingredients. It is important to continuously mix the ingredients so they meld together well.

Next, you need to place a heavy pan onto the stove. Carefully add the ingredients from the bowl into the pan. Stir the mixture continuously over medium heat. The mixture should begin to simmer. You need to continue to simmer the mixture until it becomes thick. Once it thickens, you want to move the pan off of the heating element and set it to the side so that it can cool.

While the mixture is cooling, you want to heat the oven to 240°C. While the oven is heating, you want to place the filo dough into a greased muffin tin. Layer the filo dough while lightly covering each layer with some butter.

Once your shells are made, you will be ready to carefully place the cooled mixture into each shell. You will then place the pan into the oven and cook the arts for 10 to 15 minutes. When they are done, the shells will turn a golden brown and the mixture inside will have a brown top. At this point, you will want to take them out of the oven and allow them to cool.

These tarts can be covered with brown sugar and placed back into the oven to caramelize or you can serve them with a whipped topping, by themselves or with meringue. These sweet tarts are perfect for eating on a long afternoon or after a great meal. They are simple to make when you have guests at the last minute and will surely dazzle anyone that tries them. They taste wonderful and it will be hard to eat just one after you try them for the first time. Be sure to make plenty of these wonderful tarts so everyone can have as many as they would like.