I’m delighted to be participating in a very special giveaway (and, actually, my first ever giveaway!) to celebrate the anniversaries of 3 wonderful bloggers today (not me! I still have to wait a while to celebrate my first!) I have a recipe for you first but don’t forget to scroll down to the end for your chance to win a $250 Amazon card!
My first attempt at making any sort of caramel was a complete disaster. I was living in Greece and had some Belgian friends popping in for the night – on the return leg of their honeymoon, I do believe – and wanted to make a simple but tasty dessert to go with the grilled fish and Greek salad I was serving for dinner.
After looking through a few cookbooks, I came across a recipe for sliced oranges drizzled with caramel. Mmm, sounded yummy and easy, I thought. It also seemed like a great dessert for such a roaring hot summer’s day. So, I quickly sliced up my oranges and lay them prettily on a large plate, then set out to make my ‘quick and easy’ caramel. Oh, how naïve I could be! Even though I thought I’d followed the recipe instructions perfectly, I ended up with a burnt solid mess in my pan and a horrible smell to match to permeate my smallish apartment just in time for when my guests arrived. Oh yes, they quickly informed me. Caramel is notoriously difficult to make. You have to make sure you do this, this, this and this. None of which I had done, of course.
Now this was a good few years ago and I haven’t attempted making any caramel since, so as you can imagine I embarked on making the orange caramel for my recipe today with trepidation. Only a little though, since I was following a Jamie Oliver recipe … and he made it look super simple on his Youtube vid, so really, what could go wrong?
Well, as it turns out, a lot. I’m not sure if I should be admitting this, but my attempt to get the right caramel for these beautiful tarts soon became a comedy of errors. The first time I just didn’t let it cook for long enough which resulted in something resembling a layer of tasteless glass over my lovely Portuguese custard tarts. Oops – peel it off and start again. My next attempt was more flavourful but still likely to end up with a visit to the dentist to fix a few broken teeth. After a couple more attempts with questionable results and after watching a video by a delightful Italian caramel-making guru, I finally came up with something that I would be happy to recommend that you splash over your Portuguese custard tarts!
The caramel on these looks wonderful, doesn’t it? Well, looks can be deceptive. This caramel was rock hard and peeled off quick-sharp!
Now that’s better!
In the end I opted for adding a few splashes of hot water to my caramel at the end to make a simple sauce that doesn’t set rock hard but stays pourable. I thought this complemented the tarts really well, but if you like you could add a splash or two of warmed cream and even a little butter to make a richer caramel sauce. Another option (which I think would work really well) is to simply sprinkle a little sugar over your finished tarts and caramelize the sugar with a kitchen blow torch 
Now for the Portuguese custard tarts themselves. I have always wanted to try making these and definitely wasn’t disappointed. I can’t say that this version (Jamie Oliver’s …) is super authentic, but what I can say for sure is that they are delicious with lovely subtle tones of cinnamon and orange in them. AND really quick and easy to make (but of course).
I really hope you have a go at these sometime and enjoy them … and most of all that you don’t get into half as much of a sticky mess as I did while doing so!
[Remember to scroll down to below the recipe for the giveaway!]
Portuguese custard tarts with orange caramel sauce & triple blog anniversary $250 Amazon card giveaway
Ingredients
For the Portuguese custard tarts
- 1 sheet of puff pastry
- ground cinnamon
- 1/2 cup crème fraiche or heavy cream if you can’t find crème fraiche
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla essence
- zest of ½ an orange
For the caramel
- 4 tablespoons sugar
- juice of 1 orange
- 1/4 cup hot water or cream for a richer sauce
Instructions
For the custard tarts
-
Pre-heat the oven to 390F/200C and lightly grease or oil a muffin tin (with medium-sized holes).
-
Lay the pastry out flat and sprinkle cinnamon all over it, rubbing it in a little to cover the whole sheet. Then roll up the pastry and cut it in the middle to make two rolls. Then cut each roll into three. In the end you will have 6 small rolls.
-
Put each roll on its end and squash it down with the palm of your hand to make a circle. Then place each circle of pastry in a muffin hole and squash and pull it up the sides of the tin to make a little cup.
-
Bake the pastry cases for 8 to 10 minutes. Meanwhile, whisk together the crème fraiche, sugar, egg and orange zest.
-
Take the pastry cases out of the oven and flatten them down and pull them up the sides of the muffin holes a little with the back of a teaspoon.
-
Spoon some of the crème fraiche mixture into each of the pastry cases (as close to the top as you can), then bake for another 8 to 10 minutes. Leave to cool on a wire rack.
For the caramel topping
-
Put the sugar in a small saucepan in an even layer and begin melting it on a medium heat. As it begins to clump and melt, add in the orange juice and stir until all the sugar has melted. Then let the mixture simmer. Don’t stir it, just keep swirling it until it turns a caramel colour (you decide how dark you want it, but be careful not to let it burn – it can happen quickly!)
-
When the colour is as you’d like, take the caramel off the heat and add your hot water or cream (warm the cream a little first in the microwave) and stir in well.
-
Drizzle a little caramel over each tart just before serving. Enjoy!
Recipe Notes
Adapted slightly from Jamie Oliver’s recipe for Portuguese custard tarts in Jamie Oliver's Meals in Minutes
Now for the exciting giveaway! I’m helping
Marcie at Flavor the Moments to celebrate her 2nd blog anniversary
Meghan at Spoonful of Flour to celebrate her second too; and
Ashley at Wishes and Dishes to celebrate her 3rd!
I really hope you hop on over to these wonderful blogs and wish the girls a happy blogiversary! I also hope you enter the draw below for your chance to win that $250 Amazon card.
As I’m sure you can see, you can enter many times by ‘liking’ each of the different blogs taking part on Facebook and Pinterest. Now of course I hope you will ‘like’ me first, but I do hope that you’ll ‘like’ some of the other blogs taking part, too.
The draw will run for 2 weeks until Monday 29th September. Good luck!
*Unfortunately you must reside in the USA or Canada to take part – sorry UK, Australia and rest-of-Europe readers! If it makes you feel any better, I wouldn’t be able to take part either 🙁
Finally, for those who are interested, here are all of the blogs taking part in the giveaway. I hope you pay some of them a visit some time soon!
American Heritage Cooking * Blahnik Baker * Carmel Moments *
Cookie Monster Cooking * Cooking on the Front Burner *
Cooking with Curls * Food Wine Thyme * Inspiration Kitchen *
Life Made Sweeter * Maebells * My Sequined Life *
Pick Fresh Food * Pumpkin ‘N Spice * Scrummy Lane *
Spicy Southern Kitchen * Spoonful of Flavor * The Sweet {Tooth} Life *
Weary Chef * Whole and Heavenly Oven * Yummy Healthy Easy
I hope you enjoyed this post! You can subscribe to receive posts directly to your inbox by entering your email address in the box below or at the top of the sidebar on the right.
You can also find more from Scrummy Lane on Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter and Instagram and follow me on Bloglovin! Thanks so much for reading!
*This post may contain affiliate links which means that if you click on a link and make a purchase I get a small percentage of the amount you spend. At no extra cost to you, of course! Thank you!*
whatjessicabakednext says
These custard tarts look amazing Helen! Love pasteis de nata- one of my favourites! The caramel looks super heavenly too! 😀
Helen says
Aw, thanks Jessica! They are beautiful, aren’t they, but this Jamie version really stands out – I love the taste of the orange in them.
Gayle @ Pumpkin 'N Spice says
What a creative recipe, Helen! These custard tarts sound absolutely incredible! I love the orange caramel sauce drizzled over these cuties. Pinning to try out!
Helen says
Thanks so much for pinning, Gayle. So glad you like these 🙂
Jocelyn (Grandbaby Cakes) says
These tarts are on my need to make soon list. They look amazing!
Helen says
Hey, thanks so much, Jocelyn! They are pretty yummy, I have to say. I bet you could get the caramel right first time though 😉
Eva says
Félicitations Helen! Trois ans déjà, parfois j’ai me demande jusqu’à quand je veux faire mon blog! Pour l’instant ça me plait, je continue!
J’adore le pasteis de Belem, on les a gouté à Lisbonne et on mangé tous les jours! J’essaye le reproduire à la maison mais c’est n’était pas pareil! Il faudra que j’essai ta recette !
Helen says
Eva, j’espere que tu essaie cette recette et que ca te plaira. Mon blog, je l’ai seulement 9 mois … c’est l’anniversaire de trois autres blogs, pas le mien, donc je me demande moi aussi jusqu’a quand je veux le faire. Est-ce que j’aurais 50 ans et j’ecrirai encore la? Hahahhaha … on verra!! 🙂
Natalie @ Tastes Lovely says
Oh, I have had some major caramel sauce failures too. The sugar can go from “perfect caramel color” to BURNT in just a few seconds. Gotta keep a close eye on it!
Your orange caramel sauce sounds just delicious! I love these cute little custards too. Thanks for the giveaway friend!
Helen says
I’m glad I’m not the only one! I’m feeling kind of an expert after this post, but I think I’d only trust myself with the creamy type of caramel. I just couldn’t get the other kind to be NOT rock hard … teehee!
You’re welcome re. the giveaway … my first!
lori @ TheHealthMinded.com says
I just had to pop in, Helen, and tell you I had a horrendous experience with caramel myself as well! My first attempt was in high school making a gingerbread house with a girlfriend and the pot boiled up just as I was peeking at it and popped into my face. I had a scar for years. It really hurt. But we did finish the gingerbread house, such as it was! Ha! These look yummy, by the way!
Helen says
Oh, Lori, that sounds like such a horrendous experience! Maybe we really should leave caramel-making to the pros!
Glad you like the little tarts!
cheri says
Lovely little tarts Helen, love this sauce! Had a few chuckles about your caramel experience, I Had a similar one but gave up.
Helen says
I still don’t think I’d win any caramel making awards, but never mind … at least I made a good start! 🙂
[email protected] Olives & Garlic says
I have a major weakness for custard cups. MAJOR. Helen these look amazing.
Helen says
Thanks so much, kathy! These really do taste lovely with the orange and cinnamon added into them. Plus I got to test out and practise my caramel-making skills (or lack thereof!)
marcie says
Your tarts look amazing Helen, and congrats on the caramel sauce! 🙂 I’m so glad I found your blog and that could be a part of the celebration! Here’s to another year of food and fun! 🙂
Helen says
Well I’m glad you found me too and allowed me to be part of the fun! Thanks, Marcie … really enjoyed that post! (plus I got to test out how to add in a rafflecopter etc.)
Glad you like the little tarts! The caramel was certainly a learning experience, but I got there in the end!
Alyssa @ My Sequined Life says
Oh my gosh, Helen – what beauties these tarts are! I don’t think I’ve had the pleasure of eating anything like them, but I know I’d love them. Orange and caramel sounds delicious together (and I’m glad this experience, in the end, turned out as intended!).
I had to laugh when you mentioned watching a video that made it seem pretty simple. Once upon a time my mom and I watched a video on replacing a dishwasher part. “Super easy”, they said. Pffffft. In the end the part was replaced just fine, but it wasn’t without a series of calamities, three people, every tool in the tool box, and a few towels to mop up a leak. Needless to say we’re now pretty skeptical of ‘simple’ DIY videos!
Helen says
lol … well, I think you’re very brave to have even thought about attempting a DIY fix on a washing machine … to be honest I’ve had so many experiences of not being able to follow instructions that I now expect ANY instructions to be not so good … oh ye of little faith!!
So glad you like the little tarts, Alyssa. The orange and caramel really is a good match!
Laura @ Raise Your Garden says
As much as I’d love to win a 250 Amazon gift card, these custard tarts with caramel sauce with that hint of orange will still make me a winner with the fam. Never tried to make caramel anything before because my perception is that it is too hard for me. But I think it’s time to give it a go! Your version makes only 6 tarts! May have to double this one =)
Helen says
Glad you like this recipe, Laura! Definitly go ahead and double the ingredients for more than 6 tarts! They are definitely better eaten completely fresh though so just make what you need for that day.
Hope you entered the competition! 🙂
Mary Frances says
Ah yes, caramel. The first time I made caramel was for flan; it was the kind where you just cooked sugar in a pot. I was convinced it wouldn’t work and just left the pot on the stove. Well, mom was right – it did turn to caramel and then some, so I had a lovely mess to clean up. I’m glad you stuck with it Helen, these turned out beautifully! That caramel looks picture perfect, especially on the tarts. Pinned!
Helen says
Thanks so much for pinning, Mary Frances! I think caramel is one of those things that you really should practice a few times before it really matters to get it right … like making it for guests or something. 🙂
Denise | Sweet Peas & Saffron says
Helen, your adventures in caramel sound remarkably similar to my own experience! They always make it look so easy, don’t they? I found that once I figured out the little important details, it went a lot smoother the next few times 😉 These little tarts look amazing, worth all that effort getting your caramel just right!
Helen says
Totally agree, Denise! I feel like I learnt so much while making these! I feel like I want to make lots more recipes with caramel in now just because I can 🙂
Annie @Maebells says
Wow!! These look fantastic! I don’t think I have ever had an orange/caramel flavor combo, but it sounds genius!! I love how creative your recipes always are!
Helen says
What a lovely thing to say, Annie … thank you, my dear! To be honest, though, I can’t take the credit for this idea at all … it’s Jamie Oliver through and through. I wish I could though 😉
Meghan @ Spoonful of Flour says
These custard tarts are so unique, I love them! Thanks for celebrating with us Helen!
Helen says
Hi, Meghan, and thanks so much for passing by. Once again, happy anniversary!!
Meggan | Culinary Hill says
These little tarts are so gorgeous! I could eat a dozen of them in a flash, I’m sure. 🙂 I feel your pain with caramel sauce, it is unpredictable and can go from “everything is okay” to “my life is a disaster” in a flash. You just can’t trust the stuff! I saw somewhere that you can take a can of evaporated milk and put it in a slow cooker (can still closed, set on foil) and cook it and it will turn it into caramel. I have no idea if that is true or just a mean lie. I am sure it wouldn’t taste as good as yours does, anyway. Another lovely recipe, Helen!
Helen says
Ah, yes, I’ve heard of the evap milk trick, but I’ve also heard some horror stories where the can explodes and pretty much writes off your kitchen! No idea if that’s just an urban myth though.
I giggled at your comment about caramel sauce going from every is ok to my life is a disaster … tee hee, that’s about right!!
Hope you’re doing well, Meggan!
[email protected] The Gastronomic Bong says
Happy Anniversary to all!! Cheers to may more fabulous year of blogging!! Totally love love love this recipe!! These orange tarts are gorgeous.. and the caramel sauce is simply incredible.. Love everything about it.. Pinned 😀
Helen says
Hey, thanks so much, Arpita! So glad you like the recipe and thanks for pinning, too 🙂
Shashi RunninSrilankan says
I so appreciate your efforts to get the caramel just right, Helen! this combo of custard and orange – with caramel in puff pastry, sounds mouthwatering! I am a huge Jamie Oliver fan!
Helen says
Thanks, sweet Shashi! I’m not sure I got it perfect, but I definitely learnt a few things along the journey 🙂
Lorraine @ Not Quite Nigella says
Oh these tarts are one of my weaknesses! 😀 Love your version with the caramel and orange flavour. And a BIG congratulations on your third blog anniversary! 😀
Helen says
Oh, actually it isn’t my third anniversary … I know, that’s a bit confusing, isn’t it? It’s a triple anniversary as in celebrating the anniversaries of 3 other bloggers. I haven’t even had a first anniversary yet … tee hee!
Jessica @ Sweet Menu says
Oh i just love all things custard! These tarts look wonderful!
Helen says
So glad you like them, Jessica!
Tandy | Lavender and Lime says
I love how your pastry puffed! Your apartment must have had a lingering smell for some time. Burnt sugar is not the easiest to get rid off. Great give away 🙂
Helen says
Glad you like the giveaway, Tandy! It’s a good one, that’s for sure!
anna @ annamayeveryday says
Your custard tarts look delicious – I made some recently but had to cook them for ages to get the pastry crispy. Think I will try your recipe next and hope they turn out as well!
Helen says
Thanks, Anna! So glad you like the look of them! The pastry for these cooks pretty quickly and easily. It’s not super crispy as it’s puff pastry, but I think it was how it was meant to be!
[email protected] says
I’ve always been terrified to make my own caramel sauce- sounds like I’m not alone! Very impressed with what you came up with here..these little gems look delicious, Helen!
Helen says
So glad you like them, Sarah! I’m glad I’m not alone in being afraid of caramel-making. At least I’ve ‘broken the ice’ a bit now, though 😉
Kelly @ Trial and Eater says
Very cute little tarts! I can totally relate about recipe fails, but I love hearing about what works/didn’t work for other people. Sometimes it’s easy to think the pictures and food came out perfectly for other people on the first try, which I know isn’t close to being true 🙂
Liz says
Oh, yeah. Caramel is a PAIN. I’ve made it many times successfully, but there are still those flops that occur now and then. Happy Anniversary to your blog!!! What a wonderful giveaway!
Helen says
It is a pain, but I feel proud of myself for having a go and getting it half right. Glad you like the giveaway! It’s great, isn’t it? It’s actually not my blogiversary yet, but never mind … it’s great to celebrate with others!
Cailee says
What a fun giveaway!! …and these tarts are so nostalgic for me!! My family is Portuguese so my relatives would bring these tarts to parties and what not!! So fun!! 🙂
Helen says
So glad to have brought back some fun memories for you, Cailee! 🙂
Lilli @ Sugar and Cinnamon says
I used to love Portugese tarts when I was little! I agree making caramel can be so scary. But these look crazy good!
Helen says
Hi, Lilli! They’re delicious, aren’t they? So glad you like this version 🙂
Bintu @ Recipes From A Pantry says
I am obsessed with Portuguese tarts except I am not brave enought to make them. I like all the flavours you used – hey I have an idea. You can post me some?
Helen says
Haha … well maybe that would be possible by express post when I’ve moved back to the UK. They would probably keep fine in a box overnight … especially in winter! Teehee …
Seriously, you have to have a go at these, Bintu. They aren’t difficult at all!
Joanne says
Caramel is one of the hardest things to make! I find I either do it perfectly or end up with a hot mess (literally)….so no shame in having to try multiple times! These little tarts look so good and worth the caramel stress.
Helen says
Well, at least there are the times you do it perfectly!! So glad you like my end result!
Ashley says
What adorable little tarts! These sound so delicious! And oh caramel … it can be so finicky! But at least after all that stickiness you could enjoy these scrumptious little things!! 🙂
Helen says
Thanks, Ashley! 🙂
Jessica @ Jessica in the Kitchen says
These are such beautiful tarts Helen, and that sauce looks incredibly delicious. Love the orange caramel flavour.
Helen says
Thanks, Jess! 🙂
Tash says
Nice to now that I’m not alone – I still cringe and get upset when I think about the firs time I attempted caramel haha! These look SO good though! Such an unusual combination – it could be either summer or winter!
Helen says
Hi, Tash! So glad you like these … and I’m glad to know I’M not alone, too!! You’re right that these are nice for winter or summer … thanks so much for passing by and saying hi!