Butter-Spiral Pastéis de Nata (Belém Style)

Method

1. Dust the worktop with flour, unroll the pastry and roll it about 30% thinner (roughly 2 mm). Spread the soft butter thinly all over, then roll it up tightly from a short side, pressing out any air, into a firm log. Wrap and refrigerate for 30 min; firm butter makes the layers separate cleanly.

   Add in this stepFlour for dusting 1 tbspAll-butter puff pastry (ready-rolled sheet) 160 gButter, very soft (for spreading) 15 g

2. Now turn the oven to its highest setting with a heavy baking tray or pizza stone on the top shelf (it needs at least 45 minutes to heat through). Put three-quarters of the milk, the lemon peel and the cinnamon stick in a small pan and heat on medium-low heat for 3 min, until steam rises from the edges, then turn off the heat, cover and infuse for 15 min.

   Add in this stepWhole milk 98 mlStrips of lemon peel (no white pith) 1Cinnamon stick 1

   medium-low heat

3. Boil the sugar and water in a small 14 cm pan on medium-high heat for 3 min without stirring, until a thermometer reads 103–105 °C, then take it off the heat. Without a thermometer: a drop pressed between two spoons and pulled apart forms a fine thread. Never touch hot syrup with your fingers; it causes serious burns.

   Add in this stepSugar 100 gWater 60 ml

   medium-high heat

4. In another pan, whisk the flour and salt with the remaining cold milk until smooth. Strain in the infused milk, discarding the lemon and cinnamon, and cook on medium heat for 2 min, whisking constantly and scraping the bottom, until it thickens like a thin custard.

   Add in this stepWhole milk 33 mlPlain flour 13 gSalt 1 pinch

   medium heat

5. Pour in the syrup in a thin stream, whisking all the time, then cool for 15 min until below 50 °C (just warm on the back of your hand). Stir in the egg yolks gently, so you don't whisk in bubbles, until smooth, then strain through a fine sieve into a jug.

   Add in this stepEgg yolks 3

6. Trim the ends of the chilled log and cut it into 6 slices about 2 cm thick. Put them spiral side up in a nonstick muffin tin, dip your thumbs in cold water and press from the centre outwards: very thin at the base, slightly thicker as you go up the walls, rising 2 mm above the rim. Chill the tin for 15 min so the pastry is cold again.

7. Stir the custard once and fill the cases three-quarters full. Set the tin on the preheated tray and bake in the oven at 290 °C for 11 min; the hot tray cooks the base straight away so it crisps right through. Take them out when the pastry is dark golden and crisp and the custard has puffed with scattered black blisters. The door and tray are extremely hot, so use thick oven gloves.

   oven

8. Leave in the tin for 5 minutes, then lift out with a small knife and cool on a rack for at least 15 minutes so the custard sets. Serve warm and let everyone dust their own with cinnamon and icing sugar, as they do in Lisbon.

   Add in this stepGround cinnamon to tasteIcing sugar to taste