The Pastéis of Belém have a curious history. It seems that its preparation was started in the monastery of Santa Maria de Belém, just outside Lisbon. This was the case for a long time until the liberal revolution that rocked Portugal at the beginning of the 19th century closed the convent and left the cook in the street. The guy, in need of resources, sold the recipe to a Lisbon pastry shop that since then (1837) holds the patent and the secret of its preparation. Indeed, the Pastéis de Belém, on Belém Street, is the only one that knows the authentic recipe and everything that the rest of mortals say about is pure approximation. This drawback has not dampened the imitators who sell thousands of Cream cakes or Lisbon cakes all over the World, as others do with the also secret Sacher Torte.
The pastry shop 'Pastéis de Belém' also produces thousands of pastéis a day and as everything that is authentic there is such a demand that it is difficult to get a few units for snack or breakfast. As if that were not enough, it has become a tradition that lovers who eat the cake together will have eternal love, causing tremendous unease among Portuguese divorce lawyers who fly over the Portuguese capital in circles but avoid doing so on Belém Street.
Belém pastéis is also very popular in China where it entered through the former Portuguese colony of Macao and in other parts of the world where it is served, with different names, through food chains such as Vienna (Spain) or KFC.
It's one of those sweets that seem harmless but you eat one and you can't stop. Here I present a recipe that tastes quite similar to the original but, I repeat, is not the same.
INGREDIENTS :
2 sheets of puff pastry
500 ml (2 cups and a half) of whipping cream, minimum 35% fat
200 grams (7 oz) of granulated white sugar
10 egg yolks (yes, indeed, seems too much, but the recipe is like that...)
50 grams (1.7 oz) of cornstarch or starch, to taste (it is used to thicken)
1 lemon
1 cinnamon stick
To make these pastéis I use a silicone cupcake mold that I bought at Amazon but they are easy to find in any store. They are a little smaller than the original cakes but larger than the classic muffin molds.
Using a normal glass of water you cut a circle on the puff pastry and if it fits in the mold then that's the size. You must cover the bottom and climb the walls, well attached to them. If not, use another type of glass of water, larger or smaller until you get the right size.
Once you have the right size, we cover all the molds with the puff pastry sheets. Prick the bottom with a fork so that it does not rise too much and let them rest for a while (half an hour at least) so that it adapts well to the shape. It is best to let them rest in the refrigerator.
Now we mix the yolks with the sugar adding the cornstarch and when these three ingredients are homogeneous, the cream is incorporated.
These liquids are taken to a casserole over low heat by adding the lemon skin without the white part - which would be bitter - and the cinnamon stick. While stirring, keep until the first boil bubble comes out. As it is cream, if it boiled it could be cut, so be careful. It can also be done with whole milk but then it should thicken more with a certain boiling time. In fact if we do it with cream it will have thickened little to the fire but it will already do it in the oven. Doing it with whipping cream gives it a plus of flavor and sumptuousness.
With the casserole mixture, which will be quite liquid and when it has been tempered, we fill the puff pastry in two thirds (when baking it increases a lot).
Preheat the oven to 250 degrees celsius (482 F) and bake 15 minutes or until golden brown. At the beginning they will rise enough to later, to withdraw, go down the center and be a little overflowed by the sides.
They are allowed to cool, unmold and ready to eat. They are fabulous.
If desired, they are served with cinnamon sprinkled on top or glass sugar, to taste.