Love at first bite

The Portuguese pasteis de nata is a small pastry — a perfect mouthful of buttery crispy layers of puff pastry surrounding a pool of velvety mouthwatering baked custard with dark patches of burnished caramelised topping. Yum.

Move over muffins, the pasteis de nata is fast becoming THE accompaniment to a good coffee and is finding its way to gracing many a South African table as the sweet ending to a meal.

Apart from the deliciousness of the custard tartlet, it is a confection that comes with a rich history that can be traced back to the Jerónimos Monastry in Lisbon, Portugal. It was here where the nuns perfected the recipe for pasteis de nata three centuries ago as they discovered a delectable method for using up the leftover egg yolks- the whites were used to starch their robes — which they baked into a custard filling lined with pastry and so the pasteis de nata was born.

Interesting then that over hundreds of years, the recipe has not strayed much from the beloved original.

No surprise that the LifeStyle team too have a passion for pasteis de nata and shared their favourite bakeries for the some of best in Joburg — a trio of Portuguese bakeries in Troyeville, Kensington and Bedfordview, and Fournos bakery in Dunkeld.

Together with another big fan, Jo Dick, co-owner of Cheese Gourmet, we headed out for a morning of tasting and rating of the confection. Yes, a tough job, but someone had to do it. 

Why we love it

Dr Anna Trapido, food anthropologist and chef, comments on South Africans' love for pasteis de nata:

I think all South Africans have a natural predilection for custard tarts. We like to play, compare and contrast with the local milk tart. It is similar, but different in a way that is both accessible and exciting. We recognise core taste similarities, but the texture experience is unique. While milk tarts tend to have a sweet, shortcrust case, the massa folhada, laminated pastry is slightly salty and cracklingly crisp. Where milk tarts are creamy, smooth and pale buttercup coloured, the burnished custard filling of a perfect pasteis de nata stands still soft, but slightly firmer. And fabulous.

First

Casa Das Natas, The Troyeville

R12.50 each

casadasnatas.co.za

Looked and tasted like the perfect pasteis de nata — crispy layers of pastry which cut beautifully, it offered a lovely crunch. Freshly baked, it had those distinctive caramelised patches on the top of a good pasteis de nata. Good texture of the filling, it was smooth and perfectly baked, we picked up a flavour in the custard — added vanilla?

Second

Pastelaria Princesa, Kensington

@pastelaria_princesa_bakery

R21.00 each

Well filled pastries that were glossy looking with a good colour of caramelisation. The let down was the pastry, tough, and the filling was slightly grainy in texture, but offered good flavour with just the right amount of sweetness.

Third

Fournos, Dunkeld

fournos.co.za

R19.90 each 

Though a little sunken in the centre, there was good colour on the top with the characteristic dark patches of caramelisation. Pastry was hard and chewy, and underbaked. The filling was slightly grainy. 

Fourth

Bembom, Bedfordview

bembom.co.za

R15.00 each 

Underbaked, so lacked the look of a typical pasteis de nata. There weren't many traditional dark patches of caramelisation on top. Pastry was crunchy and flaky, but the bottom was undercooked. Filling had good texture, it was smooth and slightly sweeter than the other pasteis de nata we tasted.

A sweet treat for V-Day

Fancy making your own for the love of your life this Valentine's Day? Try this easy recipe using shop bought puff pastry that comes from Mimi Jardim, doyenne of Portuguese South African cooking. This is from her My Portuguese Feast cookbook (Quivertree).

Pasteis de Nata

Makes about 12-14

1 x 400g packet ready-to-use puff pastry

Butter for greasing

500g sugar

250ml (1 cup) water

50g (100ml) cake flour

25g cornflour

250ml (1 cup) full cream milk

250ml (1 cup) cream

6 jumbo egg yolks

1. Grease individual baking cups. 

2. Roll out pastry thinly and cut into strips about 12cm wide. Roll up the strips like a cigar to about 2.5cm, then cut into wheels of 1.5cm wide. Place each pastry wheel cut side down into a single prepared tin.

3. Dip your thumbs into cold water and press the pastry wheels so they line the tins — the rim must be thicker than the sides. Refrigerate and prepare the filling.

4. Dissolve the sugar in the water, bring to the boil and simmer for 2 minutes. Set aside. Mix the flour and cornflour with a little milk to form a paste. Add the remaining milk and cream, and place in pan and bring to the boil. Cook for 1 minute.

5. Preheat oven to 230-250°C.

6. Add the sugar syrup to the milk mixture, mix well and cool slightly then add the egg yolks. Mix well and strain mixture through a fine sieve and pour into jug. Fill each tart case almost to the brim. 

7. Bake for 15-18 minutes, depending on your oven, as you want a nice caramelised top on the tarts.