How to make pastéis de nata

Jemma Wilson of Cupcake Jemma takes on the custard tart that every Lisbon bakery lives by. She rolls the pastry into a tight log, presses the slices into the tins with damp thumbs, and cooks a lemon-and-cinnamon custard that sets just enough to wobble.

The best part is how honest she is about ovens. A home oven won’t get as hot as a bakery’s, and she shows you how to coax out those scorched, freckled tops anyway.

Why I keep rewatching it

Senhor Abel sells them downstairs for €1.30 each, so I don’t strictly need to make my own. But the first time I baked a tray, Dona Fernanda came up from the third floor, ate one standing in my doorway and said “quase” — almost. I have been chasing the rest of that word ever since, and rewatching Jemma’s thumb technique is part of the chase. My other long-running baking story is my grandmother’s lemon cake.