Pastel De Nata

Directions

1. Custard
2. Combine the milk, heavy cream, sugar, and flour in a pot and set over medium-low heat. Whisking constantly, cook until the mixture starts to simmer and thickens slightly, about 5 minutes.
3. Turn off the heat and continue to whisk for 2 minutes more to make sure it's lump-free, then set aside.
4. In an easy-to-pour container, whisk together the egg yolks, sweetened condensed milk, and vanilla. *Slowly* pour the hot milk mixture into the yolk mixture (so you don't scramble the yolks), whisking constantly, until evenly combined.
5. Cover and let chill in the fridge for at least 2 to 3 hours, until cooled. This can be made a day ahead.

1. No-folding tart shell
2. It's important that the butter be completely softened to room temperature. Placing cold butter (cut into chunks) in the oven with the lights on for about 1 hour does the trick for me.
3. Knead together the flour, salt, water, and 1/2 tablespoon of the butter for 3 to 5 minutes, until a smooth dough forms. The dough should be soft and very supple but not sticky. If you feel the dough is too dry/hard, wet your hands and knead the extra moisture into the dough. Wrap it with plastic wrap and let rest in the fridge for 1 hour.
4. After resting, dust the dough and the working surface well with flour, then cut the dough in half. Roll the first portion out so it fits the entire width of your pasta machine, then pass it through the machine on the thickest setting. Dust it well again with flour, then feed it back through the machine again. Repeat until you've reached the thinnest setting on your pasta machine. Fold and cover the sheet with plastic wrap and repeat with the second portion.
5. Lay the sheets flat on a well-dusted countertop, then use a butter knife to spread the room-temperature butter evenly across the entire surface of both sheets.
6. Start rolling the dough from the short end. You'll notice that in the beginning, it forms long tapered tips on both sides (see photo). Once they get too long, simply tuck in both tips and keep rolling (see photo). Once you finish rolling the first sheet, place it over the second sheet and keep rolling. While rolling, gently pull the log toward you to get a tighter roll. Heat the oven to 500°F.
7. There's no need to chill the roll. Rub the little bit of butter that's left inside the bowl on the exterior of the roll, cut into 14 disks about 1/3 inch (8 millimeters) thick, then place in the center of a 2 ⅞-inch tart mold.
8. Dip your thumbs in water, then start by smoothing the cut side of the dough outwards to fit the mold, then push it from the center outwards, until the dough is pushed up slightly higher than the rim of the mold. Aim for a thinner bottom with a thicker rim. Dip your thumbs with water whenever it sticks and repeat with the rest.
9. Place the mold on a large sheet pan that allows them to fit without crowding. Right before baking, pour the custard into the shells to fill them all the way to the top, then bake on the middle rack of the oven for 10 minutes. Then switch to top heat/broiler (if available) and bake for another 5 to 7 minutes, until golden brown and caramelized.
10. Let cool inside the mold for 5 minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack. They're fantastic while hot and still fantastic once cooled. Dust with cocoa powder or ground cinnamon, if desired.
11. I divided the rolling/buttering of the dough into two steps because I have limited counter space. If you have a large counter space, you can roll out both portions of the dough at once, butter them in one go, then make the log.