PORTUGUESE CREAM TARTS

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Portuguese Cream Tarts image

Categories     Milk/Cream     Dairy     Egg     Dessert     Bake     Lemon     Summer     Cinnamon     Phyllo/Puff Pastry Dough     Gourmet     Kidney Friendly     Vegetarian     Pescatarian     Peanut Free     Tree Nut Free     Soy Free     Kosher

Yield Makes 24 small individual tarts

Number Of Ingredients 15

For pastry
1 (17 1/4-ounce) package frozen puff pastry (2 sheets)
1 tablespoon melted butter
For custard filling
1 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 1/2 cups heavy cream
Finely grated zest of 1 small lemon (1 1/4 teaspoons)
8 large egg yolks
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla
For topping
1 tablespoon confectioners sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
Special equipment: 2 muffin pans with 12 (1/3-cup) muffin cups, each 2 5/8 inches wide by 1 inch deep*

Steps:

  • Partially thaw pastry just until sheets can be unfolded but dough is still quite stiff. Gently unfold 1 sheet and cut along folds, forming 3 equal strips (each about 9 1/2 by 3 inches). Stack pieces and cut stack lengthwise into 12 (1/4-inch-wide) strips, each strip 3 layers thick. Repeat with remaining pastry sheet.
  • Turn each triple strip on its side (cut side up) and coil tightly to form a flat 2- to 2 1/2-inch-wide spiral. On a lightly floured surface, press spiral with heel of your hand to flatten into a 3-inch round.
  • Lightly grease muffin cups with melted butter. Place each round in a muffin cup and press into bottom and side, lining cup to within 1/8 inch of top. (If using larger muffin cups, dough will not reach all the way up side.)
  • Preheat oven to 450°F.
  • Whisk together sugar and flour in a 3-quart heavy saucepan, then whisk in remaining filling ingredients and cook over moderate heat, stirring constantly, until first bubble appears on surface, about 10 minutes. (Custard will be thick.) Transfer custard to a bowl and cool, whisking occasionally, until just warm, about 15 minutes, then fill pastry cups with custard, about 2 tablespoons each.
  • Bake tarts in upper third of oven until pastry is deep golden, 10 to 12 minutes. (Filling may brown.)
  • Cool tarts slightly in pans on a rack, about 10 minutes, then lift from pans using a small offset spatula or dull knife. Sift confectioners sugar, then cinnamon, over tarts and serve warm or at room temperature.
  • *Available at Cooks Corner (cookscorner.com; made by Mirro).

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