Less than 45 minutes (+chilling time)
Makes 16
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Ingredients:
- 2 rolls (400g each) puff pastry, defrosted
- Flour, for dusting
- ⅓ cup (80g) butter, melted
- ¼ cup (60ml) demerara or brown sugar
Custard:
- ¾ cups (185ml) milk
- ¼ cup (30g) cornflour
- ⅔ cups (160ml) water
- 1 cup (200g) sugar
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 3 cardamom pods
- 1 star anise
- 1 tsp (5ml) vanilla essence or extract
- ½ cup (125ml) cream
- 6 egg yolks
Method
- Prepare two 12-hole muffin tins by greasing with non-stick spray.
- Roll out each sheet of pastry on a floured surface to about 5mm thick.
- Brush with butter and sprinkle with sugar.
- Roll each sheet of pastry up into a log (starting at the short end).
- Cut each log into 8 equal portions.
- Place pastry portions cut side up into muffin tins and flatten so that it fills the muffin holes (make sure it goes up the sides to form a tart case). You will have 16 filled muffin holes.
- Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
- Combine ¼ cup (60ml) milk and cornflour in a bowl.
- Add water, sugar and spices to a pot and simmer for 5-8 minutes to make a syrup.
- Remove from heat and infuse for another 10 minutes.
- Slowly whisk syrup into cornflour-milk mixture.
- Bring vanilla, cream and ½ cup (125ml) milk to a simmer over medium heat.
- Place egg yolks in a bowl and add warm cream mixture in a thin stream while whisking.
- Whisk in syrup-milk-cornflour mixture, then leave to cool.
- Strain custard to remove spices and pour into prepared pastry cases.
- Preheat oven to 280°C and place two flat baking trays (which the muffin tins will fit onto) into oven to warm up.
- Place filled muffin tins on the preheated trays and bake for 10 minutes on the middle rack until pastry is puffed and starting to turn golden.
- Move oven rack to top shelf and bake for 4-6 minutes, until custard is starting to char.
- Remove from oven and cool slightly before turning pastéis out onto a wire rack.
- Serve warm.