same_difference | For Elmyra: Pasties de Nata recipe

So at the end of October, when

elmyra and

baloonworld were down in Bath they came over for dinner and I cooked them one of the recipes from the spice boxes (Rachael ordered me a 12 month set for my last birthday, I have 5 waiting to be cooked so more inviting people over for dinner is in order I feel). Anyway the desert of that box was a Spanish custard tart: Pasties de Nata. I promised

elmyra I'd post the recipe here, and know that I've found the recipe card again I'll do just that.

Ingredients:
300ml jersey milk/good quality full cream milk
4 eggs
130g caster suger
15g cornflour
2 sheet ready rolled puff pastry
2 cinnamon quills
1 bourbon vanilla pod
1tsp ground cinnamon

Also need:
A muffin/Yorkshire pudding tray.

Method:
1) Pre-heat the over to 220C/gas mark 9/your ovens highest temp.
2) Cut the pastry into rounds slightly large than the diameter of the moulds and press the pastry in to cover the base and sides (level with the top).
3) Slice the vanilla pod lengthways and scrape the seeds out using the back of knife. Add the scraped pods, vanilla seeds, cinnamon quills (broken into small pieces) and sugar to the milk. Bring the milk to the boil and immediately turn the heat right down until the sugar is dissolved. Remove from the heat and let cool.
4) Put the cornflour in a jug and strain in a splash of the milk to make a smooth paste. Strain in the rest of the milk stirring constantly.
5) Separate the eggs and beat the yolks together.
6) Pour the cornflour and milk mixture into the egg yolks again stirring continuously. There should be no lumps in the mixture. Fill the pastry cases just below the top and bake in the hottest part of the oven for 12-14 minutes until the pastry around the top is crisp and golden brown.*
7) Sprinkle the cinnamon over the top and eat within two days.

*The recipe assumed enough to make 12, but in my muffin tray I had enough to 2/3rds fill 6 muffin moulds, this seemed to work out better as the custard threatened to almost overspill the top when cooking.