Portuguese Custard Tarts

Little Portuguese Tarts, crispy on the outside with an unctuous custard interior. They fall somewhere on the spectrum between creme brulee and buttermilk pie. I make the pastry crust with the best butter I can find, and it pays off. The dough handles well and combines with the flour easily.

The flour, milk and eggs were all from local suppliers. With two thumbs up by my chief taster, C. and two more thumbs up from me, it makes me wonder if we could have lasted through the Local Lent experiment, had I been making lots of these. A honey sweetened version, although not the same, is probably pretty good.

Portugese Custard Tarts
(makes 3)

Pastry (1 cup flour, 2 Tbsp. butter, ice water)
3 yolks
1/2 cup caster sugar
2 Tbsp. flour
1 cup of heavy cream and milk (a 2:1 ratio is good)

Heat some water in a saucepan. In a medium mixing bowl, whisk the yolks with the sugar and cornflour. Gradually whisk in the cream and milk until smooth. Place the bowl over the warm water and cook, stirring until the custard thickens and coats the back of a spoon. Cool custard.

Preheat oven to 400 F (200 C).

Grease your ramekins/tins/etc. Roll out the pastry to 1/8" thickness and cut pieces to fit the shape of your ramekins and arrange pastry accordingly. Spoon the cooled custard into the pastry cases and bake for 20-25 minutes. You want a deep golden appearance on the puffed up sections of custard.

Serve with a minuscule dusting of cinnamon.