Name: Portuguese Egg Tarts
Yield: Makes 12
Ingredients: ½ teaspoon kosher salt; 1 cup all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting; ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened; 1 lemon; 1 3–4-inch cinnamon stick; ¾ cup sugar; ⅓ cup all-purpose flour; ⅛ teaspoon kosher salt; 1½ cups whole milk, divided; 6 large egg yolks; 1 teaspoon vanilla extract; A candy thermometer

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Alex Lau

Part of the joy of eating these tarts comes from the contrast of the crunchy crust with the soft custardy filling. Making the custard is easy; the crust is more of a commitment involving rolling, buttering, folding, and repeating. If you want a shortcut, start with store-bought puff pastry, roll out to a 12" square about ⅛" thick, roll into a tightly spiraled log, and follow the instructions for slicing and pressing into the muffin tin cups. And you can read more about the globe-spanning history of Portuguese egg tarts here.