Darina Allen: How to make authentic Portuguese custard tarts and coconut rolls

Such a lovely surprise to get a spontaneous invitation to join my two sisters for a relaxing week on the Algarve, a quick flight from drizzly Cork to Faro and seemingly eternal sunshine. 

A week ago, the summer crowds had not yet descended so the restaurants and cafés were still eager and enthusiastic to welcome customers for the new season. We ate in several lovely cafés overlooking the white sandy beaches watching spectacular sunsets. As the light faded, little local fishing boats appeared along the horizon, close to the shore ‘lamping’ for squid and cuttlefish. Every menu features the beautiful fresh fish of the Algarve.

Giggi’s, close to the beach in Quinta de Lago, served memorable spider crabs in the shell and delicious canilhas, the little sea snails that I love. And then there was wild sea bass, simply grilled on the bone with a butter sauce and a drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil, exquisitely simple. This is the signature dish on so many restaurant menus; Antonio’s, Izzy’s, Edwardo’s on the beach at Almancil...

Highlights on this trip included Irish chef Johnny Pratt at Trimoulet who introduced me to a board of delectable local cheeses and tempted me with wafer-thin slices of cured tuna called Muxama, a new discovery for me. I also linked up with several Ballymaloe Cookery School alumni. Zé Canine and his mum, legendary restaurateur Jackie Price, showed us around their farm, which supplies the Casa do Campo restaurant with fresh organic vegetables, fruit, herbs and chillies. Later we enjoyed the fruits of their gardener Fatima’s labours under the ancient fig tree in the outdoor dining room. Maria Flaminga’s organic farm and farm shop in Tavira was another exciting discovery.

I loved the Saturday Market along the water’s edge in Olhão and the Loulé Market which meanders into numerous cobbled side streets. Check out the scene at O Postigo, a local taberna traditional Portuguesa or 8100 in the market, for an espresso and a pastel de nata or some of the much talked about artisan homemade ice cream. Look out for the huge squishy, juicy, red Portuguese tomatoes, local Tavira fleur de sel and a tantalising selection of salami made from the pork and blood of the long-legged black Iberian pig, studded with juicy chunks of tender fat.

For Sunday lunch, we travelled up into the hills to a busy traditional local village restaurant called A Tia Bia, where three-generational families had come to tuck into fine helpings of hearty, home-cooked food. Meltingly tender, slow roast goat or pork cheeks with cabbage, wild boar stew, migos with deer, pheasant, partridge, and wild boar served in a scooped-out bread loaf.

Pastéis de Nata (Portuguese Custard Tarts)

recipe by:Darina Allen

Portugal's famous custard tarts

Servings

24

Preparation Time

 20 mins

Cooking Time

 25 mins

Total Time

 45 mins

Course

 Baking

Cuisine

 Portugese

Ingredients

• 1 large egg

• 2 egg yolks

• 115g golden caster sugar

• 2 tablespoons cornflour

• 400ml whole milk

• 2 teaspoon vanilla extract

• a sprinkling of ground cinnamon (optional)

• 900g puff pastry

• Lightly grease 2 x 12 muffin tins

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 230°C/450°F/Gas Mark 8.

2. Put the egg, yolk, sugar and cornflour in a saucepan and whisk, gradually add the milk and whisk until smooth.

3. Cook on a medium heat and stir constantly with a whisk until the mixture thickens and comes to the boil, continue to cook for 2 minutes. Remove the saucepan from the heat, stir in the vanilla extract and cinnamon if using.

4. Transfer to a Pyrex bowl, allow to cool. Cover with parchment paper to prevent a skin from forming – prick here and there to allow steam to escape.

5. Roll the chilled puff pastry into a 3mm thick sheet, stamp out 7.5cm discs. Press into the muffin tins.

6. Spoon a generous dessertspoon of the cool custard into each pastry case. Bake in the preheated oven for 16 – 20 minutes or golden on top and slightly charred. Allow to cool in the tins for 5 minutes then remove to a wire rack. Eat warm or at room temperature.

Portuguese Coconut Roll

recipe by:Darina Allen

The Portuguese make several riffs on this egg roll, orange, praline, caramel. Careful not to overcook or it will be dry.

Servings

24

Preparation Time

 25 mins

Cooking Time

 15 mins

Total Time

 40 mins

Course

 Baking

Cuisine

 Portugese

Ingredients

• 4 eggs, separated

• 100g caster sugar

• 50g softened butter

• 100ml milk

• 50g grated coconut

• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

• 1 tablespoon honey

• 1 teaspoon baking powder

• 75g plain white flour, sieved

• caster sugar for dusting

• 2-3 tablespoons coconut

• softly whipped cream to serve

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/Gas Mark 4

2. 1 baking tray – 32.5 x 23cm (13 x 9 inch) lined with parchment paper and brushed with melted butter

3. Separate the egg yolks from the whites - save the whites until later. Whisk the egg yolks and 100g caster sugar in a food mixer at medium speed until the mixture is light and creamy.

4. Add the soft butter, milk, grated coconut, vanilla extract and honey. Mix for 2-3 or until evenly incorporated (it may curdle a little but don’t worry). Mix the baking powder with the sieved flour, stir into the wet ingredients and beat on a low speed until creamy. Whisk the egg whites until light and fluffy, fold gently into the mixture. Spread the dough evenly into the prepared tin. Bake in the preheated oven for 15 minutes approximately or until slightly golden.

5. Meanwhile, lay a tea towel on the worktop, cover with a sheet of parchment paper, sprinkle with a mixture of caster sugar and coconut. When the cake is cooked, remove from the oven and flip the tin onto the parchment paper. Remove the tin and carefully peel the parchment paper off the sides and base of the roll. Slather with lemon curd (optional). Then using the towel and parchment, start to roll gently from either the long or short end depending on how chunky you would like the roll. Transfer to a serving plate, sprinkle with a little more grated coconut and serve with softly whipped cream.

Hot Tips 

Taste of Dublin (June 15 – 18, 2023) 

Taste of Dublin returns to the Iveagh Gardens from June 15 – 18. Over four days, visitors can enjoy Ireland’s hottest restaurants, mingle with homegrown chefs, indulge in gourmet produce, or simply relax and enjoy being outdoors in the city with friends.

• For more information, see tasteofdublin.ie

Introduction to Natural Cheesemaking with David Asher at Ballymaloe Cookery School (July 10 – 14, 2023) 

Join us and cheesemaker David Asher of The Black Sheep School of Cheesemaking for this comprehensive, five-day introduction to natural cheesemaking. David, a former farmer and goatherd from the west coast of Canada, is a natural cheesemaker and a leading advocate for raw milk cheesemaking. During this five-day course, he will cover many aspects of natural farmhouse cheesemaking, from culture propagation to rennet coagulation and affinage, the art of aging cheese.

Students can expect to learn how simple traditional methods can lead to safe, effective, and delicious cheesemaking, using raw or pasteurised milk. David will explore how the philosophies of fermentation of natural wine, beer, sourdough and dairy are all interrelated. The class explores five main categories of cheese and concepts of traditional starters, ripening ecologies, and natural rennet, offering a new understanding of cheesemaking even to those with many years of experience.

• For more information, see cookingisfun.ie