At Home With Theresa

I love anything with custard/flan! I remember growing up that everytime we go to our dad’s hometown in Pilar, Bataan in the Philippines our aunts would prepare a glorious spread of food. It seemed like anyone in town was welcome to come over and eat.

These rich, delicious meals always ended with fruits and Leche Flan as dessert. That flan was my favorite out of everything on the table and I sometimes won’t eat much main dishes to save room for dessert. 😊 Note to self: I need to make a Leche Flan post soon!!!

During my college years, Portuguese Egg Tarts became all the rage. I had eaten more than my fair share of the puff pastry clad custard with brown spots all over the top but never really made any myself. I just bought it because it seems like it’s a lot of work to make it. Until now.

This recipe is so easy to make as you probably have all the ingredients on hand. Plus it was so good that I ate 3 pieces while it was still HOT.

Try it and let me know how it turns out!

*This custard is a bit light and I like it that way but if you want it really rich, just replace the 2 eggs with 3-4 egg yolks.*

Ingredients:

• 1 package puff pastry, defrosted
• 250 g sugar
• 200 g water
• 2 strips lemon zest (i used a peeler to peel 2 sides of a lemon)
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 2 eggs
• 4 egg yolks
• 50 g cornstarch
• 300 g whole milk
• 200 g evaporated milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla paste

1. Preheat the oven to 400°F. Prepare 2 12 cup muffin pans.
2. Place the sugar, water, lemon zest and cinnamon stick in the Thermomix bowl. Cook 8 Min/100°C/Reverse Blade on Stir. Strain into a bowl.*
3. Place the eggs, egg yolks, cornstarch, milk, evaporated milk, and vanilla paste in the Thermomix bowl (you don’t need to wash it). Set for 9 Min/90°C/Speed 2, pouring the sugar syrup through the lid slowly.
4. Unfold 1 sheet of puff pastry to a rectangle. Roll it up tightly starting from the long end. Cut into 12 equal sized pieces. Do the same with the remaining sheet, so you’ll have a total of 24 pieces of dough. Roll each piece into a circle, cut side up, and use to line 2 12 cup muffin tins with it. Or you could place the dough in the tin and press from the middle working your way up the sides of the muffin pan.
5. Pour the custard mixture into each hole to about 3/4 way up. Transfer to the oven and bake for 15 to 18 minutes until golden, rotating the pans front to back and switching them from top rack to middle rack half way through baking.
6. Remove and place on a wire rack to cool. Enjoy!

*To prepare without a Thermomix: Place the sugar, water, lemon zest, and cinnamon stick in a saucepan and cook over medium heat until sugar dissolves completely, about 7 to 10 minutes stirring occasionally. Strain into a bowl. Place eggs, egg yolks, cornstarch, milk, evaporated milk, and vanilla paste in the same saucepan and mix well. Set over medium low heat and stir constantly. Pour in the sugar syrup slowly when it begins to simmer. Cook for about 3 – 5 minutes more. Then continue from step #4.

To check out the Thermomix, click on this link: https://shop.thermomix.com