Pastéis de Belém
March 9th, 2018 | bread & pastries
Admittedly, the original we tried during our shore leave in Lisbon tasted even better. This certainly has atmospheric reasons. Anyhow, I’ve tried many recipes for Portugal enthusiasts – and here’s one that really works, is simple, and comes very close to the original.
The cream patties were invented in the famous Jerónimos Monastery in Belém. They have been manufactured in the no less famous Confeitaria Pastéis de Belém near the monastery since 1837 (!). Unbelievable 20,000 tartlets per day, according to the old secret recipe and everything actually still by hand in a „glass“ bakery.
The monastery has been designated a World Heritage Site. I think UNESCO should urgently consider making Pastéis de Belém a culinary heritage. They taste heavenly good. By the way, in the rest of Portugal these cream cakes are called Pastéis de Nata – Nata for cream.
Pastéis de Belém / Pastéis de Nata
(makes 12 tartlets)
And this is how the wife of the captain does it:
This recipe leaves 8 egg whites. Please do not throw it away! Either you bake Macarons or Amaretti the next day, or you can freeze them in portions. Then you can use the frozen whites for baking or, for example, in a scrambled egg.
I put the leftovers from cutting out the puff pastry on a baking tray, brush them with beaten egg, sprinkle them with light and black sesame seeds and bake them at 200° C for about 15 minutes. This makes a crunchy little snack or a small side dish for soup.
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