Lemon Custard Pastry Cups (Pastel de Nada)
Pastel de nada is the Portuguese custard tart, and this version gives it a lemon edge. The filling is cooked in the microwave and whisked every minute, which skips the stovetop watching and still gives a smooth pudding once strained. Blind-baking the puff pastry in a muffin tin keeps the shells crisp under the custard, and a short turn under the broiler browns the tops. Chill them for four hours before serving.
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 425°F (220°C). Roll half of the thawed dough into a rectangle about 14 by 10 inches, then cut out circles with a 4 ½-inch round cutter.
Press each circle into a muffin cup, making 12 in all. Line each one with foil, fill with pie weights, and freeze for about 15 minutes.
Bake the shells in the bottom third of the oven for 10 minutes. Lift out the foil and weights, then let the shells cool for 10 minutes.
While the shells cool, whisk the cream, flour, egg yolks, sugar and lemon zest together in a microwaveable bowl. Microwave at medium for about 8 minutes, whisking every minute or so, until the mixture is as thick as pudding.
Strain the pudding into a clean bowl and let it cool for 5 minutes. Pour it into the pastry shells.
Broil the filled shells 6 inches from the heat for 3 minutes, then set the pan on a rack to cool for 15 minutes.
Take the pastries out of the pan and refrigerate them for about 4 hours. Dust with icing sugar just before serving.
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