Nata your average pastry class...
It was on October 15, 2018, when the following flakey yet creamy custard pastry first stole my heart in Lisbon during my break out trip while living in Europe. Finally, having returned to Portugal, I had the chance to learn how to make one of the most iconic portuguese treats and my personal favorite, Pastel de Nata. My friends Kim, Cooper, and I, decided that during our trip to Porto we would invest one morning of our time to learning how to perfect these little pastries.
We had booked the class in advance over Airbnb with our ever talented chef and teacher for the morning, Joana. You can find more information about her class though the following link:
As we were the first to arrive to our class, we had extra time to relax and get to know Joana. Having lived in Porto her entire life, Joana said that she loved meeting new people and welcoming them into her home to share her family’s coveted pastel de nata recipe. As we waited for the other guests to arrive we sipped on some much needed coffee and got to know one another. Finally the other guests arrived, a large group from southern France, and we got started! Joana conducted the class teaching us the individual processes of the dough and custard step by step. Everyone got a turn to learn how to make these delicate pastries as we all communicated in a mix of English, Spanish, and French.
Below are some descriptions of how we prepared our many Pastel de Nata treats that are enough to get you to go and buy some Nata tins of your own! However, if you’re looking for specifics you’ll have to head to Portugal and seek out Joana herself or find me in a baking mood — let’s bake!
Pastel de Nata Recipe:
There are two parts to baking these delicate pastries:
the preparation of the dough and of the custard.
The Dough
Join flour, water, and salt, and mix it until it becomes a soft texture and let it rest. Fold butter into the dough in order to create the flakey layers that will come to life later in the baking process. When dough is flattened, roll it onto itself and then cut it into small slices. Using Nata tins (cupcake tins will not cook correctly), shape the dough around the tins to create the “cup”.
The Custard
In a pan combine sugar, water, lemon peel, and cinnamon sticks, and bring to a boil over medium heat. It is important not to stir this mixture as we are creating the flavor of the custard. In a separate bowl combine flour and milk to create the base and heat over the stove until it thickens. When the flour and milk mixture cools join sugar and egg yolks to the bowl.
Finally, when both preparations of the dough and custard are ready, fill the tins with cream and place the natas in the oven on a high temperature. When the natas are cooked through, remove and “Aproveite”!
If you want to learn more about my trip to Lisbon or to Porto follow the links below!
Porto: ______
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