Shortcut Pastéis de Nata

Whisk the flour into 100ml of the milk until smooth. Heat the rest of the milk with the cinnamon and lemon peel to a simmer, then whisk it into the flour mixture and cook to a thick paste. Cool slightly.

Boil the sugar and water to 100°C / 212°F, then pour it into the milk paste in a thin stream, whisking hard. Cool to lukewarm, then beat in the yolks and strain.

Roll the pastry into a tight log, cut into 12 discs, and press each cut-side down into a muffin tin, thumbing it up the sides thinner than feels right.

Fill three-quarters full and bake at 250°C / 480°F for 12–15 minutes until the tops are properly blistered and black in spots. Underbaked nata is a sad thing.

Cool 5 minutes in the tin, then eat warm, dusted with cinnamon.