French croissants, Italian cannolis, or Spanish churros might be the most famous European pastries, but Portugal’s pastel de nata egg tart deserves its share of the spotlight.

Portugal’s pastel de nata, or pastéis de nata plural, is a rich and creamy dessert made with flaky puff pastry and a caramelized egg custard, not unlike crème brûlée.

Pastel de nata was created over 300 years ago by monks who used egg whites to starch their garments, and to make use of the leftover yolks, they were incorporated into sweets.

While other custards use whole eggs, and other tarts might use a heavy pie crust, pastel de nata relies only on egg yolks for a rich flavor and puff pastry for a light crust.

To make these egg tarts, create your custard by warming your milk, before adding sugar and tempered egg yolks. Then, mix until a thick custard forms.

Once formed, spoon the mixture into a muffin tin lined with puff pastry, and bake at 500 degrees Fahrenheit for 15 to 20 minutes before enjoying.