Portuguese Custard Tarts

Portuguese Custard Tarts
  • Author: Simon Rimmer

This delightful recipe combines a buttery puff pastry crust with a rich and velvety vanilla custard filling, resulting in beautifully golden-brown and flavorful custard tarts. The creamy custard is made by infusing vanilla seeds into a mixture of egg yolks, sugar, cornflour, milk, and cream, creating a luscious filling that complements the flaky pastry perfectly. Baked to perfection in a muffin tray, these custard tarts are a delicious treat that is sure to please your taste buds with every bite.

— Constant Cookbook

Ingredients

  • , for greasing butter
  • 3 free-range egg yolks
  • 125g/4½ oz caster sugar
  • 30g/1oz cornflour
  • 1 vanilla pod
  • 175ml/6fl oz full-fat milk
  • 225ml/8fl oz double cream
  • 300g/10½ oz ready-rolled puff pastry
  • , for dusting plain flour
  • , for dusting icing sugar

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas 4. Grease the wells of a 12-hole muffin tray with butter.
  • In a pan, heat the egg yolks, sugar and cornflour over a low to medium heat, whisking continuously until thickened and well combined.
  • Add the vanilla seeds, then add the milk and cream in a thin stream, whisking continuously, until the mixture is thick, smooth and well combined.
  • Continue to stir the custard mixture until it comes to the boil, then remove from the heat and cover the surface with cling film. (This prevents a skin from forming on the custard.)
  • Roll out the puff pastry onto a clean work surface lightly dusted with flour and icing sugar. Cut the pastry in half and place one sheet on top of the other. Roll the pastry sheets up like a Swiss roll and cut the roll into twelve slices.
  • Lay each of the rolled pastry slices flat onto the work surface and roll out into 10cm/4in discs using a rolling pin.
  • Press a pastry disc into each of the wells of the prepared muffin tray. Divide the cooled custard equally among the pastry cases.
  • Transfer the muffin tray to the oven and bake the tarts for 18-20 minutes, or until the custard has set and is pale golden-brown and the pastry is crisp and golden-brown. Allow to cool in the tin.

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Cook Time

30M

Prep Time

PT30M

Yield

Makes 12