Ingredients
- 500 g all-butter puff pastry
- 440 ml whole milk
- 6 egg yolks
- 180 ml Québec maple syrup
- 40 g all-purpose flour
- 1 lemon peel strip
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 1 pinch salt
Method
- Roll the pastry into a log, slice into 12 pieces, and press each into a muffin cup.
- Whisk flour with a little milk; heat the rest with lemon peel and cinnamon.
- Remove the aromatics, whisk in the flour mixture, and cook until lightly thickened.
- Whisk yolks with maple syrup, temper with the hot milk, and fill the pastry shells.
- Bake at 240 °C for 12–15 minutes, until blistered and browned; cool briefly before serving.
Conversion and rationale
Original sweetener (classic version): 250 g white sugar
Conversion used: Replace 250 g sugar with 180 ml maple syrup; reduce milk by 60 ml; lower the traditional 250 °C oven to 240 °C to limit maple darkening.
Why Quebec maple syrup: Maple complements the egg custard and lemon without masking the caramelized pastry top. It also gives this Portuguese classic a distinctly Québec pantry adaptation.
General rule: 1 cup (250 ml) sugar ≈ 3/4 cup (180 ml) maple syrup; reduce liquids by 45–60 ml per cup of syrup and lower oven by 15 °C. Substitution calculator →