Pastéis de Nata (Portuguese Custard Tarts)

It was love at first bite when I tasted the famous Pastéis de Nata in Lisbon a few years ago. The combination of creamy, rich custard and crispy, flaky crust was too good to pass up.   I don't think I let a day go by during my stay in Portugal when I didn't indulge in those delicious pastries.

As a souvenir from my trips I brought back a few dozen pastel de nata tins with every intention of creating them at home.   Who would have known that two years later and I only managed one attempt at making the tarts.  Much to my disappointment the results I got were less than stellar, honestly they were crap, so I basically gave up.   I just couldn't seem to find a recipe that worked for the home kitchen.  That is, until now! 

The authentic recipe I had been looking for came by way of Jeremiah Duartes Bills, a Portuguese-American baker I follow on Instagram.  He was offering an online pastéis de nata class and I signed up immediately.  The format was a three hour virtual Zoom class where the students would bake alongside Jeremiah.  Although there were more than thirty five students the class still felt quite intimate and Jeremiah was a great instructor who answered our questions and proffered baking tips.  Three hours went by in a flash.

 
The recipe he used for the class was based on one he was taught in a pastel de nata workshop.  By the looks of my tarts and those of my fellow students I can happily report that his recipe really worked.  I couldn't believe how well they turned out, almost as if I was transported back to pastelharia Manteigaria in Chiado.  I sent pictures of my pastéis to a Portuguese colleague and even he said they looked like the real thing.  If that's not a seal of approval I don't know what is.   If you love pastéis de nata as much as I do I highly recommend you give this recipe a try and also take Jeremiah's class.  Trust me, you won't be disappointed.

Special obrigada to Jeremiah for the fantastic class and also giving me permission to share his pastéis de nata  recipe on my blog.  I hope he'll be offering more classes on Portuguese baking because I'll be one of the first to sign up.  Also, be on the lookout for his upcoming cookbook, "The Baking of Portugal."

Lisbon Chocolate Cake

How is it that Lisbon is one of my favorite cities in the entire world yet I never managed to try Landeau's chocolate cake on my previous visits?  Your guess is as good as mine but I could literally kick myself for this oversight.  Most likely my attention was more focused on the famous pastel de nata,  but you can't blame me for that.  I really do love them!

Luckily Dorie Greenspan has come to the rescue.  She fell in love with the famed chocolate cake and created a copycat recipe that was published in the New York Times.  One bite of this rich chocolate cake coupled with light and creamy mousse and I was hooked.  Another bonus?  It's gluten-free! Hopefully this homemade version will tide me over until my next visit to Portugal.

p.s. I absolutely loved all the gorgeous tiles in Lisbon so when I recently remodeled my pantry I had to incorporate Portuguese tiles in the design.  These are from Everett and Blue and I think they look fantastic.