Pastel de nata

There is a particular pastry that has become an important part of our daily nutritional routine.  It is called pastel de nata.

Ironically, the pastry was the first "authentic to Portugal" treat that we experienced in Lisbon. Remember the picture of  Zelle and Bishop eating these on the sidewalk?  I'll remind you.

Among other things that we are having a hard time imagining life without, this pastry holds a place high on the list.  I think Bishop and Alex both eat them for breakfast every day.  On the days that Alex teaches, I'm pretty sure he has two or three.  So, in an effort to try and bring at least a version of this pastry home with us, I talked the owners of our favorite pastelaria into allowing me a peek into the pastel de nata process.   I left the kids in bed and snuck down one morning last week to check it all out.

 

Let me just say that the behind the scenes action was more than impressive.  

 

It is safe to say that I am used to feeling a bit like Lucille Ball in my own kitchen, so I was careful to remain in the background.  Pretty soon, though, I found myself pressing pastry into tin cups,

and stirring a large pot of pastel de nata concoction.  Unfortunately, I found out quickly that there really isn't a specific recipe.  Go figure.  I kept watching the owner add a bit of this and a bit of that, spooning some mixture out, tasting, and adjusting.  I was suddenly back in my grandmother's kitchen. Every now and then he'd ask me to identify an ingredient by smell and say, "You know, I don't know if you can get this just anywhere.  Have you ever seen this in the states? "  As I tried to take a few pictures, re-wash my hands, write directions down, and then cross a few things off to account for all the additions and adjustments, I  began to feel oddly irritated at the whole thing and a bit like Ethel instead of Lucy. Sensing my despair (and lack of practice with early morning rising), the owner's wife brought me my usual coffee preference, um garroto, and gave me the job of watching the ovens.

 

As I watched and smelled the pastries become glorious within tremendous convection ovens, my high hopes of ever recreating such a delicacy were dashed.  Still, I humored the owners with a proud photo of the morning's work,

and added pastel de nata to the long list of reasons to come back one day.