Portugese Custard Tart

In April 2018, we traveled to Lisbon, a city neither of us had been to before. We had an amazing time, staying with close friends in Alfama, the oldest neighborhood in the city. We enjoyed trekking all over the city, sampling the delicious cuisine of the area, seeing all the sights and getting a taste of the culture.

While we were there, we indulged in one of the more famous, local treats – the Pasteis de Nata, or Portugese Custard Tart. These pastries are made with a light, flaky dough, filled with an egg custard that is then baked to give it the crisp, warm texture it’s famous for.

This past Christmas, Ellen gave Ryan a gift of an online class that taught participants how to make this tart at home. It was quite the ordeal! Three hours of work to make these treats, with most of it spent getting the dough just right. Lots of mixing, rolling, coating with butter, folding, and repeating. It’s a good thing we had a large counter to work with! But in the end, we were able to make it through the recipe, and they turned out wonderfully. We could not have been happier with the result.

Although we aren’t in a rush to repeat that adventure right away, we might just have to break out the recipe in a few years and give it another go!