PortugueseMedium · Warm
Golden tarts with a tender olive-oil crust and a silken custard fragrant with cinnamon, baked until the tops blush amber. A gentle whisper of spice against the richness, finished with a crack of black pepper and a squeeze of lemon.
45 min
35 min
10 min
1h 30m
Method
Stir together the all-purpose-flour and salt in a large bowl. Pour in the olive-oil and mix with a fork until the flour looks like wet sand. Add the egg and cold water, mixing until the dough comes together into a shaggy mass.
Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead gently 8 to 10 times until it holds together without cracking. Flatten into a disc, wrap in plastic, and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C). On a lightly floured surface, roll the chilled pastry to about 1/4-inch thickness. Using a 4-inch round cutter, cut 6 circles and press each into a standard muffin tin, letting the edges drape over the sides. Prick the bottoms generously with a fork.
Line each shell with a small square of parchment and fill with pie weights or dried beans. Blind-bake for 12 minutes, then remove the weights and parchment and bake for another 5 minutes until the shells are set and pale gold. Remove from the oven and reduce temperature to 325°F (160°C).
In a saucepan over medium heat, combine the whole-milk, heavy-cream, white-sugar, and cinnamon. Stir constantly until the sugar dissolves and the mixture reaches a gentle steam — do not let it boil.
Remove from heat. Slowly pour the hot milk mixture into the eggs in a thin stream, whisking continuously to temper without scrambling. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve into a pitcher or measuring cup with a spout. Skim any foam from the surface.
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Nutri-Score
Estimated nutrition
Grade pending · 100% ingredient coverage
Calories
434
per serving
Protein
11g
Carbs
49g
Fat
22g
Sat. fat
6g
Fiber
2g
Sugar
25g
Sodium
284mg
Nutri-Score is a general nutritional-balance guide, not medical or dietary advice.
Environmental impact
Estimated footprint
Grade pending · 100% ingredient coverage
kg CO2e
0.6
per serving
Water
0.3m³
Land
24Pt
Runoff
0.05g P
egg drives 27% of this recipe’s estimated footprint.
Carbon from Poore & Nemecek 2018; water, land & runoff from Agribalyse — modelled averages for comparing recipes, not a measurement of your groceries.
Flavor Profile
Umami
Sweet
Salty
Sour
Bitter
Spicy
Textures
Aromas
Kitchen Equipment
Primary Tool
Muffin TinTechniques
Safety & Storage
Cooking Temperature
Custard must be baked to 325°F (160°C) until set at edges with slight wobble in center. Undercooked custard with raw egg poses salmonella risk.
Handling
When tempering eggs with hot milk mixture, pour in thin stream while whisking continuously. Rapid addition will scramble eggs.
High Risk Population
Custard contains raw eggs before baking. Pregnant women, elderly, and immunocompromised individuals should ensure custard is fully set before consuming.
Cross Contamination
Raw egg contact surfaces, bowls, and whisks used for tempering must be thoroughly cleaned. Do not use equipment for both raw egg handling and ready-to-eat items without sanitization.
Storage
Refrigerate leftover tarts within 2 hours of serving. Custard and dairy content make these prone to rapid bacterial growth at room temperature.
Shelf Life
Consume refrigerated tarts within 3 days for optimal food safety. Freezing not recommended as custard texture will degrade significantly.
Equipment Safety
Tarts are fragile when hot. Use caution when removing from muffin tin and transferring to cooling rack to prevent burns and structural damage.
Pro Tips
Technique
When tempering your eggs with the hot milk, pour in a thin steady stream while whisking constantly—this is not the moment to rush, or you will have scrambled bits and nobody wants that mess in their custard.
Substitution
If you cannot find good-quality olive oil, use a mild extra-virgin and skip the strong grassy ones; the custard needs a gentle backdrop, not a punch in the face.
Equipment
A standard muffin tin works fine, but a popover pan with its deeper cups will give you taller shells that feel more generous when you plate them.
Presentation
Serve these just at room temperature with a crack of black pepper and a small squeeze of lemon—the acid cuts through the richness and makes the cinnamon sing.
From the chef
My avó never owned a stick of butter in her life, and her pastries were always better for it—olive oil made everything tender and kept that coastal simplicity we lived by. These little tarts came to me on a quiet morning in the tasca when I wanted something sweet but not heavy, so I let the custard be loose and let the cinnamon whisper instead of shout, and when they came out of the oven with their amber tops trembling, I knew I had something worth keeping.
Source: generated · June 10, 2026