Learn to make Pastel de Nata in a private online class!

5.0 (4 Reviews)

Approximately 1.5 hours

English or Portuguese

Your host João

Learn to make traditional pastel de nata, Portuguese egg custard tarts from João, a fifth generation baker and owner of an authentic Lisbon bakery. Born and raised in the countryside outside of Lisbon, João grew up inside the restaurant and then bakery that his parents ran. He first started baking seriously at the age of 13 with his family, and then went on to study hospitality and hotel management. Following in the footsteps of his parents, who are about to open their third bakery and have won awards for their Pão de Mafra, a traditional Portuguese bread, João recently opened his own bakery that specializes in pastel de nata. Pastel de nata is an iconic Portuguese egg tart dessert famous in Lisbon and beyond. Join João in his bakery where he will share the secrets of how to make incredible pastel de nata from scratch. Learn to make from João (or a family member when he is not available) the puff pastry that is the base of this rich and delectable dessert. Then make the pastel de nata custard, at the heart of this traditional dessert. You will learn to shape the dough and fill the molds with your custard before they are baked. You will also be taught what to look for while the tarts are baking in the oven as you learn more about the history of this iconic dessert.

Highlights

Learn to make Pastel de Nata, the iconic Portuguese dessert!
Private, one-on-one online instruction with a Portuguese native and fifth generation baker
Scheduled mutually at your convenience (host lives in Lisbon, Portugal (GMT)
Customization available for dietary restrictions or preferences
Recipes and ingredients list will be emailed in advance of class
Travel from your own home and learn Portuguese cultural and culinary traditions!
12 individual molds (Pastel de Nata molds preferred) - If not, muffin tins or a muffin tray will do for a first experience, as long as they are metallic. Silicone molds will not work for Pastel de Nata. Link to buy here.
You will also need parchment paper (or aluminum foil), rolling pin, baking tray and a bread kneader (bread kneader is optional, you can also knead the dough by hand)

What will you cook together

Pastel de Nata, Portuguese egg custard tarts

Ingredients

See Full Ingredient List

1.2 cups (175g) all-purpose flour + some additional flour to sprinkle
1/2 cup (100 ml) water
1 tsp (3.5g) fine salt (that's a teaspoon not too stacked)
1/2 cup (125g) margarine specific for making puff pastry, kept at room temperature (or 90g (0.4 cups) of COLD unsalted butter)
1 cup (250g) regular sugar (also known as granulated sugar)
1/4 cup (50g) all-purpose flour
2 1/4 cups (1/2 liter) semi-skimmed milk (not full fat, not skimmed, medium fat. This is
called semi-skimmed in Portugal / 2% in the USA)
1 lemon peel
1 cinnamon stick
85ml egg yolk (that's about 5 to 6 eggs, depending on size)

Gallery

Online Class Reviews

5.0 (4 Reviews)

Keyana 18 August 2021

"Our class was great! Chef was very helpful and patient with us! Answered all our questions! Great covid-friendly experience!!!"

Heidi 4 July 2021

"This was a wonderful class. The instructor was very personable and a seasoned baker who was able to break down a complex recipe into smaller more manageable components. We took the class on 3 screens and everyone agreed that the Pastel de Natas that they made came out beautifully. Thank you for an excellent and engaging class!"

Barbara 4 May 2021

"Chef Joao is a very gracious man. He explained everything so well including tips of the process. I was in awe of his expertise, patiently moving through the recipe. I enjoyed my experience and of course the results. I will recommend this to my friends and colleagues. Thank you, thank you Joao!"

Christine 21 July 2020

"My kids and I participated in Joao's pastel de nata class. He was in his professional baking kitchen and it was so fun and educational to learn from a pro on how to create these lovely desserts. Joao has a delicious recipe and while ours were a bit more rustic looking, they tasted incredible. I would definitely recommend booking a session with him. Wonderful experience. "