Blog Tour: The Little Porto Book Club by Rebecca Raisin

 

Viviane and her mother have recently returned to live in Porto after their life fell apart when her father died, and it was revealed that he had a secret family. However, since moving, Viviane hasn't really made any friends. In her mind, she doesn't really need to. She has her work as a copy editor, her books and her very annoying extended Portuguese family who keep on interfering in her business.

Viviane is a very ordered person. Her hair is cut perfectly, she dresses in a very specific outfit, she lives her life according to a very set schedule. However, her mother is worried about her isolation and so insists that she go out and meet people. Viviane's response made me smile broadly

"No, no, Viviane, I'm not sick. There's nothing to worry about, but I am getting on in age and would like you to make some friends who aren't fictional."

Secure in the knowledge that my mother's not about to leave this mortal coil, I'm happy to voice my displeasure at the ridiculous notion; being forced to make non-fictional friends. I don't see the point. Whodunnits provide all the necessary stimulus I need. The stakes are high, the detectives analytical, logical, using their great powers of deduction to land at a satisfying coda.

"I don't have time to make friends right now. I'm in the middle of a ten-book series and I've made a firm commitment to that each evening." I've read The Quill Chronicles multiple times. They're my comfort reads, as bolstering as a weighted blanket.

Despite her protestations, Viviane ends up agreeing that she will go to a cafe with the aim of having some social interactions, although Viviane has no intention of doing so. She finds a quiet little pastelaria  and settles in with her book, a coffee and a pastry before she is rudely interrupted by a handsome man named Tiago who happens to love the same author as she does! What a coincidence! 

As an aside, a lot of the initial interactions with Tiago made me smile. He has an allegry to almonds and so his opening gambit is to offer Viviane his pastry which it turns out could have almonds in it, and protests that he has his Epi-pen somewhere. My son has a tree nut allergy and I am sure he couldn't put his hands on his Epi-pen that is probably expired any way. Maybe he needs a Viviane to help keep him alive, which is the role that Viviane quickly assigns to herself for Tiago!

Viviane and Tiago agree to meet weekly, but the rules will be strict. Their time together will be spent reading...silently! Somehow though, more people begin joining in the silent bookclub, which of course, becomes anything but silent as the people get to know each other. There is Zephyr, the Australian Gen Z backpacker, and old Albert who clashes with her on just about everything, Thomas, who hides what he really likes to read inside the cover of a military history and Lucinda, who disappears after a few weeks with very clues as to who she was and what she might be doing. Together, the group must work out who Lucinda is and find her in order to hopefully prevent a terrible crime. The stakes are high!

I really enjoyed reading about Viviane and Tiago and their new friends. Viviane is very clever but does tend to be very determined which can sometimes lead to the clues that she has being misinterpreted. For all that she is observant, she also misses a lot of the clues about what is happening in her own world, both with Tiago and with her own mother.  I loved the way that the characters interconnected, and the bossy Portuguese mothers were a hoot!

I did enjoy the idea of a silent book club. As a result, I found myself contemplating whether it would work in our read on a theme book club. Half the time I have to wrangle them into talking about the books we read rather than just generally chatting about life, the universe and everything, so probably not!

Every time I read a Rebecca Raisin book, I enjoy the way that she writes about food, books and locations and this book has all of those same elements. There were so many delicious sounding Portuguese foods, and we were taken to some of the key tourist sites in Porto as we read the book. I do think that this book is one of her best. I loved the location, the characters, and I smiled my way through the whole book! This was a 5/5 read for me!

Now, if you will excuse me. I need to go and find a little pastelaria, eat a Portuguese custard tart, plan my trip to Portugal, and then pick up my book. Sshhhhhh! I'm reading!

I am sharing this review with the New Release Challenge hosted at The Chocolate Lady's Book Reviews and with the Bookish Books challenge hosted at Bloggin Bout Books.  This was a book that I nominated as one of my 20 Books of Winter and also counts for Aussie Author August. Thanks to the publisher, Netgalley and Rachel's Random Resources for the review copy.  Be sure to check out other stops on the tour below too!

Rating 5/5

The Little Porto Book Club

In a city full of stories, can she write her own…

Introvert and self-described whodunnit enthusiast Viviane has never much believed in living life outside of the pages of a book. But when her interfering mother insists that Viviane needs some friends who aren’t fictional, she decides to head into the beautiful bustling streets of Porto in search of her community.

What better place to start than by reading her favourite mystery in the corner of a little-known café? But when one, then two, and then outrageously six other people decide to join her silent book club Viviane realises that she is firmly out of her depth. There’s Thomas, a middle-aged man hiding his love for romance novels, Lucinda, a chic sixty-something with a penchant for Christie, and then there’s Tiago, the man of every romance novelist’s dreams.

But when one of these newfound friends disappears from the book club without a word, will the community come together to find their fellow lost soul, and will Viviane find love along the way…?

Purchase Links

UK - https://amzn.eu/d/0an1mkon

US - https://a.co/d/09BBX9Ol

AUS - https://amzn.asia/d/0gWivcP7

CAN - https://a.co/d/06QBhgxV

 

About the author


Rebecca Raisin is an internationally bestselling and RNA awards winning romance writer from Perth, Australia. Her books are set in stunning locations around the world providing a touch of escapism for her readers and those who like to partake in a spot of armchair travel from the comfort of their own home. Rebecca writes quirky heroines who haven't figured it all out yet but are perfectly relatable, flaws and all. You'll find themes such as friendship, love, new beginnings, food, wine and travel. She's known for writing books for book lovers.

Social Media Links –

https://www.facebook.com/RebeccaRaisinAuthor

www.twitter.com/jaxandwillsmum

https://www.instagram.com/rebeccaraisinwrites2/

Rebecca Raisin’s Exclusive Readers | Facebook



RebeccaRaisinWrites (@rebeccaraisinwrites) | TikTok

Blog Tour: Escape to the Turquoise Seas by Carrie Walker

 

Do you love an office rivals romance? With a twist? In this book the twist is that the rivals find themselves on a ship, competing for a huge PR account which will have a huge impact on their professional careers.

Kat Brennan is passionate about her job in PR. Her main client is Excalibur cruise lines. She can't believe it when she finds that Excalibur is making her company reapply for the right to continue their long standing business relationship. Of course, Kat is determined that they are going to win the competition, whatever it takes.

Leo Kendrick is the CEO of a rival agency, and he is just as determined that he and his team are going to do everything in their power to win that account! The thing is that Leo and Kat have a bit of a history. Fifteen years ago, they were both interns when they were starting out in PR, until Leo got the job that Kat wanted, and she is sure that there was underhandedness involved and she still holds a grudge.

The new Chief Marketing Officer at Excalibur has decided that the best way to provide inspiration to the two rival companies is for them to take an all expenses paid cruise on the new ship Esmerelda, along the Portuguese coast where the two teams have to experience everything that cruising has to offer.  It sounds glamorous, but the reality is anything but. The two teams are staying in bunk beds in crew accommodation, they are expected to take part in all of the activities whether they want to or not and by the end of the two weeks they have to come up with a winning strategy.

It wasn't all bad news though. Along the way the rivals got to experience some amazing sights and activities. But while Kat and Leo begin to spend more time together and to begin to fall for each other it doesn't take a lot for the fact that they are rivals to get in the way. For two people whose job is to communicate they aren't particularly good at it with each other. Mistrust and misunderstandings abound.

I loved reading about Portugal. It is one country I haven't been to in Europe but it is on the list. I just don't know when. We also enjoy a cruise so I could be convinced that a trip on the Esmerelda would be an amazing trip, although I would much prefer different cabins from those that Kat and Leo had to share with their respective co-workers.

This is the fourth book in the Holiday Romance series, and Kat really relies on her friends who have featured in the previous books. I have actually only read the third book, Escape to the Northern Lights (my review), but I have more on my Kindle waiting for the time when I want to escape to somewhere new! I am also keeping an eye out for whatever new books Carrie Walker comes out with! Yes, I am a fan!

I am sharing this review with the New Release Challenge hosted at The Chocolate Lady's Book Reviews. It was also one of the books I nominated to read for the 20 Books on Winter. Thanks to the publisher and Rachel's Random Resources for the review copy. Be sure to check out other stops on the tour below too!

Rating 4/5

About the book

Escape to the Turquoise Seas

Kat Brennan has always been the work-hard, play-harder type, navigating single life in London and the chaos of her job at Northstar PR. So when Excalibur Cruises invite her aboard to pitch for their account, she jumps at the chance to prove to her boss she's indispensable... and to finally relax a little.

But the last person she wants to get stuck on a boat with is industry hotshot Leo Kendrick, the CEO of rival agency Amplify – and Kat's nemesis. When Leo bagged a coveted marketing internship 15 years ago, Kat vowed never to let him win anything again. She is not about to break that promise, even if Leo has become a distractingly attractive opponent.

As the Esmerelda sails the seas, from the Azores to Lisbon via Madeira, the two agencies must battle it out to present the best pitch. But in such close quarters, the sea might not be the only thing rocking the boat…

PERFECT for fans of:

Forced proximity

Enemies-to-lovers

Workplace romance

A dash of spice

Beachy destinations

Purchase Link - https://amzn.eu/d/0eUS4oNt

About the author

Carrie Walker is a Brummie born rom-com lover with a lifelong passion for travel. She has lived in a ski resort, by a beach, in the country and the city, and travelled solo through Asia, South America and Europe. Her own love life was more com than rom until she met her husband a few years ago and settled down with him and her dog Ziggy in a small pub-filled village in Essex.

Social Media Links – https://www.carriewalker.co.uk/ https://www.instagram.com/carriewalkerauthor/

Blog tour: The Hotel by the Sea by Julie Caplin

 

Rebecca has secretly been in love with her best friend Will for years. When she attempts to finally show this to him, he doesn't see her at all as anything other than the friend who keeps him afloat following the death of his wife five years before.

Humiliated, Rebecca decides that she needs a change and so she packs up and moves to the Algarve in Portugal to work as the yoga teacher at a small family run hotel for the summer.

There she meets the Rebelo family, more specifically Felipe Rebelo. Felipe and his family run the Quinta do Mar hotel. His mother runs the kitchen, his sister the spa, his nieces have jobs that they are forever trying to negotiate their way out of. Whilst Felipe gives off the air of a charmer who has a relaxed view of life, the reality is much different. Whilst none of his family can see it, Felipe is the one who everyone relies on to get everything done, the one they come to for decisions, the one who fills in the gaps such as working shifts in the laundry when no one else can. They all had to lean on him when his father and uncle died years before and they continue to lean on him now.

Felipe had dreams of being a professional cyclist but those dreams were put away to focus on his family. However, Rebecca is very competitive and so they first meet when they silently challenge each other to a race in the pool. She has no idea that he is really her boss. That rivalry quickly turns into attraction.

Soon Rebecca is torn. She has loved Will for so long but Felipe makes her feel desirable, wanted and valued in ways Will never has. Going with Will means leaving behind the life that she is building in Portugal.

I really enjoy Julie Caplins romantic escape series which is set in all sorts of interesting locations around the world and this was no exception. Portugal is on my list of places I would love to visit, although to be fair I am unlikely to join one of Rebecca's yoga classes

I am sharing this review with the New Release Challenge hosted at The Chocolate Lady's Book Reviews and Bookish Books challenge hosted at Blogging ‘Bout Books. Thanks to the publisher and Rachel's Random Resources for the review copy. Be sure to check out other stops on the tour below too!

About the book

The Hotel by the Sea

Pack your bags and get ready to fall in love with The Hotel by the Sea—your next romantic getaway awaits!

Rebecca needs to escape. After making a complete fool of herself watching the man she's secretly loved for years run off with someone else—she jumps at a temporary job at the family-run Quinta do Mar hotel. Sun, sea, and a fresh start sound perfect.

What she doesn't expect is Felipe Rebelo.

Charming, infuriatingly confident, and always ready with a flirty quip, Felipe seems to have life sorted. But beneath his carefree exterior lies a man carrying the weight of his entire family. The last thing he needs is another responsibility. Especially one who challenges him at every turn, makes him laugh, and is dangerously easy to fall for…

Escape to Portugal's stunning Algarve coast in this uplifting summer romance about finding yourself, choosing happiness, and discovering that love isn't about being needed—it's about being seen.

Purchase Links

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Hotel-Sea-Charming-Family-Run-Portuguese-ebook/dp/B0FSBMPXZX/

https://www.amazon.com/Hotel-Sea-Charming-Family-Run-Portuguese-ebook/dp/B0FSBMPXZX/

About the Author

Jules Wake aka Julie Caplin is an internationally bestselling author with over 2 million sales over twenty five books including the highly successful Romantic Escape series which has been translated into over 24 languages. Her books have topped the charts in the UK, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Iceland, Italy, Czech Republic and Slovakia.

After reading English at university, Jules Wake worked in PR where she honed her fiction writing skills on press releases and swanned around Europe taking journalists on gastronomic press trips. These visits inspired the locations of many of her books. She’s now a full-time author and what better job is there than making stuff up! It certainly beats housework.

As an avid romance fan, she’s written in several genres including historical romantic fiction, contemporary women’s romance fiction and romantic comedy.



Social Media Links


https://www.facebook.com/JulieCaplinAuthor/

Instagram @juliecaplinauthor

The Lost Story of Sofia Castello by Siobhan Curham

 

Sometimes when you pick up a book you just know straight away that it is really going to work for you! This is one of those books. I was hooked by the end of the prologue and basically couldn't stop reading from that point on!

Ghostwriter Lily Christie wants to continue to write for a living, but she is a bit disheartened after her last couple of gigs with people who barely cared about the story that they were telling even though it was their own story! She could do with a break. When she is contacted by her agent with a request for her to write a new book, she is a little bit surprised by the secrecy surrounding it. Having been presented with a Non Disclosure Agreement:

"Go on then, put me out of my misery - who's the client?" I ask as I sign it, praying I won't be disappointed. 

"Sofia Castello," she replies enigmatically

I frown. "The singer."

"Yes!" She smiles.

"The singer who sang "Ocean Longing"?" I ask, certain I must be mistaken.

"The very one."

"But it can't be." A shiver runs up my spine. "She's been dead for years!"

The book then follows Lily to Portugal where she meets the enigmatic Sofia who both wants to tell her story but also wants to keep her secrets. It's a difficult path for Lily who knows that Sofia isn't telling the whole truth . She doesn't understand why Sofia would specifically request Lily as a ghostwriter but then not be willing to be honest.

As far as the world is concerned, Sofia died in a plane accident during WWII when the plane she was travelling in was shot down by the Germans. Prior to her death, Sofia had a meteoric rise to stardom. Originally from a small fishing village in the north of Portugal, Sofia moved to Lisbon when she was 16 and became a varino, selling fish while dressed in colourful costumes. What set Sofia apart from the other varinas? Her ability to make up witty songs about her fish. One day, a man from a bar offers Sofia a chance to sing in his bar, and thus, from these humble beginnings a star is born. Right from the beginning though, the story of who Sofia is has been blurred between what the public knows and what the truth is. Soon, Sofia is working with major record companies, recording songs that will soon become anthems for Portugal during these troubled times.

Portugal was a neutral country during WWII, but that doesn't mean that Lisbon wasn't a hot bed of political activities from spying to German agents hunting down Jewish refugees and more. With Sofia's growing public profile she is able to attend events where she becomes useful for what she can learn and share. She also becomes friends with a young German girl, which brings her great joy in the friendship but they are both in danger.

It isn't only in Portugal that Sofia's fame is growing, and so she is sent to London to put on a show to help raise morale. There, Sofia falls in love with a man who she knows very little about, other than that he does important war work. Even here, the line between truth and untruths is very fine. Who can Sofia trust? Maybe just her musical partner?

I loved this book! There were twists and turns all along the way. There were some things that I saw coming but there were also a couple of reveals that I didn't!

The modern storyline which is set in the year 2000 was interesting too, with Lily using the time in Portugal to really take stock of her life, but the real star of the show was Sofia's story. I didn't think that the Lily's story really needed the nice little bow that was presented in the epilogue, but I do understand why the author chose to finish the book that way.

The sights, sounds and food of Portugal came to life as well. I could really do with a Portuguese custard tart right about now just thinking about this book! And the description of the air raids on London that Sofia witnessed were so well done.

I have read a number of Siobhan Curham books now, and I have liked them all. Sofia Castello's story will stick with me for a long time and I think it is Curham's best book yet! I loved it from the very beginning to the end

I am sharing this review with the New Release Challenge hosted at The Chocolate Lady's Book Reviews, with the Historical Fiction Reading Challenge which I host, and with Bookish Books challenge hosted at Bloggin' Bout Books. This also counts for my read on a theme book club where the current theme is War. At 402 pages, this also counts as a Big Book of Summer! Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the review copy. 

Rating 4.5/5

The Librarian Spy by Madeline Martin

 

I have been meaning to read Madeline Martin's WWII historical fiction for quite a while now. A few months ago I picked up a book thinking it was by her, but it turned out to be by someone else. However, when my read on a theme book club chose Spy as it's theme, this was my chance!

Ava Harper is happy working as a librarian at the Library of Congress but given that she speaks two languages it probably isn't a surprise when she is recruited for something different during WWII. She is sent to Lisbon in Portugal. Portugal is a neutral country but that doesn't mean that it isn't a hotbed of activity. There are active spies from every country. There are refugees from countries like France who have made it this far but now they need the right documents in order to be able to fully escape to a new life. There are also the notorious Portuguese secret police who don't need much of an excuse to arrest people.

Ava's job is to collect all the different publications from different countries that end up in Lisbon and to photograph them so that they can then be saved to microfilm and sent back to the US to be analysed in the hope of finding any piece of information that might help turn the tide of the war. As soon as she arrives she catches the attention of both a British and a German spy, and so, over the course of her stay in Lisbon, she gets a bit more caught up in the spy game than she otherwise might have done. She also begins to make connections in the refugee community and it is here that she learns of the difficulties that the refugees face.

The other side of the story is set in Lyons in France. Elaine's husband has insisted that she do nothing for the resistance but when he disappears she realises that she is going to have to get involved. She starts working with the Resistance in the printing of illegal newspapers, but also gets involved in other activities. It is in the course of these activities that she meets a young Jewish woman and her child and she decides that she needs to help them escape in any way that she can. 

One day Ava is reading a French Resistance newspaper and she realises there is something unusual about the article. She cracks the puzzle and finds a plea for help. Can two women who have never met, who cannot communicate directly with each other, and who each face different kinds of danger on a regular basis help save a young family. 

I really enjoyed both aspects of this story, and even more so given that both aspects were inspired by true stories. I never really thought about what kind of activities would be happening in neutral countries like Portugal, and how for the refugees getting there was only one step on the journey. There were still more dangers and challenges to face before they could truly feel safe.

Elaine's story was the more dramatic of the two between her missing husband, her work with the Resistance putting her in danger, and the fear of being betrayed. She had many losses but she still decided to take risks for other people when they needed it.

I will now be looking to read Martin's other WWII novels. From what I can see her future books are moving away from the WWII setting so it will interesting to see how they are received.

I am sharing this review with the Historical Fiction Reading challenge which I host here.

Rating 4/5

Blog Tour: An Island in the Sun by Kate Frost

Tabitha Callahan is a successful songwriter. Because she can work from anywhere, she also travels around from location to location pet sitting. This time, her travels have bought her to the Portuguese island of Madeira. It sounds like a free-spirited and idyllic lifestyle, but the reality is that Tabitha is running away from her past life - a broken relationship and more.

She does have another reason for coming to Madeira. Her former best friend, Ollie, owns a luxury villa on the island but they haven't spoken in years after he betrayed her on his way to global stardom. Can Tabitha and Ollie repair their relationship or is it too late now?

When Tabitha moves into the luxury villa for three weeks, she doesn't expect an intruder. I mean, who does? But this intruder is actually the son of the owners. The son that they didn't even mention and therr is no evidence of anywhere in the house. Raff is currently in the process of selling his home and so is a bit short of cash, so he decided to crash at his parents house while they are away.

Both Tab and Raff clearly have personal issues they need to deal with. Tab needs to deal with her grief and Raff needs to deal with his parental issues. Maybe what they need is each other. When sparks fly between the two, it could be the start of something, but they both need to let down the barriers to have any hope.

I don't know about you, but we always have a holiday that we are planning. I started reading this book while we were in Italy, and I was already thinking about how I could convince my husband that a trip to a Portuguese island wouldn't be a bad idea for when we next go to Europe. And I definitely was thinking a portuguese tart wouldn't go astray either.

I hadn't read Kate Frost before. I enjoyed lots of aspects of this story. I did find there was the odd moment that I was wishing the story would move forward a bit quicker. Overall I enjoyed it and I will read more from Kate Frost at some point.

Thanks to Rachels Random Resources and Netgalley for the review copy

Rating 4/5

About the book:


Running away is what Tabitha Callahan does best until saying goodbye becomes too hard…



When successful songwriter Tabitha Callahan swaps a summer of sadness for pet sitting around the world, she intends to use the time to heal her broken heart.



Tabitha can’t believe her luck when she picks up a housesit on the rugged and beautiful Portuguese island of Madeira.



The villa is luxurious, the views breath-taking and her charges, a gorgeous but aloof cat and two cute and friendly Cavalier King Charles Spaniels, are perfect companions while she works on some new material and attempts to reconcile her past.



However, her peace is shattered when an unexpected house guest puts paid to her much-needed time alone, forcing her to confront not only her feelings but what she actually wants from life.



New friends and old dominate her time on the island, along with deep-rooted regret and unspoken sorrow.



Will a year of running away be enough to put the past to rest and allow someone new to inch into her heart.

About the author

​

Kate Frost is the author of several bestselling romantic escape novels including The Greek Heart, and The Love Island Bookshop. She lives in Bristol and is the Director of  Storytale Festival, a book festival for children and teens she co-founded in 2019.

​

Socials

Website: http://kate-frost.co.uk/

Newsletter Sign Up: https://bit.ly/KateFrostNewsletter

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Weekend Cooking/Blog tour: The Custard Tart Cafe by the Sea by Isabella May

Welcome to this week's edition of Weekend Cooking which doubles as a stop on the blog tour for The Custard Tart Cafe by the Sea by Isabella May.

Willow fell in love with delicious pastel de natas, Portuguese custard tarts, when she visited the Algarve with her parents as a teenager. From this humble first taste, Willow is about to open the doors on her own business which specialises in custard tarts, albeit ones of many different flavours. Its location is at the end of the iconic pier at Weston-Super-Mare on the British coast and decorated with some of the famous Portuguese style tiles. The challenge for Willow is to make the cafe a success year round, not just during the busy summer season when the tourists are attracted to the town.

The last thing that a new business needs is a troublemaker who is so incensed by the idea of someone playing with the traditional flavours of pastel de natas that he causes a scene in the cafe, and even worse starts a petition for her business to be closed down. For Willow, it doesn't matter that Tiago Willis is incredibly handsome, he is an instant enemy, and she, along with her friends and family are soon plotting ways to get back at him.

After the frantic stress associated with starting a business, Willow is convinced to leave her cafe in the capable hands of her staff and spend a week in Portugal with her closest girlfriends. And yet, fate is cruel at times. The last person she wants to see is Tiago and yet she keeps on bumping into him. And he keeps on wanting to explain why he is so passionate about the sanctity of the traditional recipe.

This novel is full of delicious sounding flavour combinations, and I am sure that I would struggle to decide between them all should I ever find myself in such a cafe. In fact I might have to resort the same method as Frank, the first customer ever in the cafe. "I'm a huge believer in the Countdown number game methodology when it comes to decision making. Give me two of the same from the top, a differnent from the middle, and three the same from the bottom." There are lots of current pop culture references throughout the book but this one did make me smile!

Of course, being a romance, somehow Willow and Tiago will work out their differences and see that they aren't enemies at all. Whilist Tiago was a bit of a dick at the beginning of the book, Willow was super stubborn at the end of the book, even when it was obvious that Tiago was doing everything he could to earn her forgiveness.

This was a fun book to read. Perfect for when you need something easy, which is exactly what I need right now when work is so busy.

I thought I would share just one passage about the history of pastel de nata from the book.

"Pastels de nata are ancient. Magically so in my opinion. They were first sold back in the 1830s in Lisbon but the pastries are believed to have been baked way before that. It's believed they came about by chance. Egg whites were actually mainly used to starch clothes in thos days but the monastery would often have an excess. The monks and nuns would use them up by baking them. That's why you'll find little hatches built into the walls of monasteries in many parts of the world. They made sweet pastries out of the leftover egg whites, and served, and sold them out of the hatches to passersby, to help with the upkeep of the monastery."


I know the monasteries-making-sweet-treats part of this tale and normally I would challenge thisl evel of mansplaining in a heartbeat, bt this evening I choose to keep quiet, sensing there is some alchemy to come.


"Knowing the great secret of the pastel de nata recipe, the nun on the run from Lisbon - the one just mentioned - decided she couldn't possibly take it to her grave. To cut a very long story short, my ancestors took her in when she fled to the south. They ran a small bakery back then - exactly where Grannie's is today. They mainly sold bread in those days, as other ingredients were thin on the ground, but the had a spare room and big hearts, so they gave the nun refuge when noone else could or would. As a mark of her gratitude, and because she belieed that religion kept too many useful secrets from the masses, she spilled thebeans and shared what we believe to be the original pastel de nata recipe with them.


"Honestly? So those tarts from earlier derive from the real deal recipe?

There were a number of references to other Portuguese foods that had my mouth watering, so I might see if I can find any recipes for those, but for this week, I was inspired to make these custard tarts for morning tea at work, and they went down a treat.

Double Vanilla Portuguese Custard Tarts

Custard

6 large egg yolks
1 cup + 1 tbsp (130g) caster sugar
1/3 cup (50g) cornflour
Pinch salt
300ml thickened cream
300ml milk
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp vanilla bean paste

Pastry

2 vanilla bean pods
1/4 cup (55g) caster sugar
3 tsp ground cinnamon
3 sheets (24 cm x 24 cm) store bought frozen puff pastry, partially thawed
50g butter, melted



For the custard

Whisk egg yolks, sugar, cornflour and a pinch of salt in a bowl to combine, then whisk in cream, milk, vanilla extract and vanilla bean paste. Transfer to a saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium-high heat (5 minutes). Whisk continuously on medium-high until thick and smooth (5-10 minutes). Transfer custard to a bowl, cover with cling wrap and chill until cool (1-2 hours).

For the pastry

Preheat oven to 210°C (fan forced). Using a sharp knife, split vanilla bean pods length ways and scrape seeds out with tip of knife. Mix vanilla seeds, sugar and cinnamon until combined. Sprinkle one third of mixture evenly over one pastry sheet. Cover with another pastry sheet and sprinkle with another third of mixture. Repeat with remaining pastry and mixture sheet. Cover pastry with baking paper and press together using a rolling pin. Remove paper and roll pastry together into a log. Using a sharp knife, cut log into 18 even pieces.


Lightly grease 18 x muffin holes (of 2 x muffin tins) with melted butter (this helps the pastry shells stay flaky and crisp).Roll pastry pieces out to 10cm circles on a lightly floured bench. Gently press pastry into muffin tin holes. Remove custard from fridge. Fill muffin holes with 1 ½ - 2 tablespoons of custard.

Bake for 25 minutes or until pastry is crisp and flaky and custard is golden. Allow to rest for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool.

And what would Tiago make of my tarts? Welll, I am thinking that they are inspired by rather than actual Portuguese custart tarts, so he might not have loved them (especially at the beginning of the book), but they do taste delicious. One of my co-workers said it was the best custard tart she had tasted which is high praise.

They are definitely worth making the effort to cook, even if the pastry part is a little fiddly!

Thanks to Rachels Random Resources for a copy of the book for review purposes

Rating 3.5/5

Weekly meals

Saturday - 

Sunday - Roast chicken and vegies

Monday - Beef, Mushroom and broccolini

Tuesday - Beef stroganoff

 Wednesday - Chicken parma, mash and beans

Thursday - Takeaway

Friday - Out for dinner

Weekend Cooking is open to anyone who has any kind of food-related post to share: Book reviews (novel, nonfiction), cookbook reviews, movie reviews, recipes, random thoughts, gadgets, quotations, photographs, restaurant reviews, travel information, or fun food facts. If your post is even vaguely foodie, feel free to grab the button and link up anytime over the weekend. You do not have to post on the weekend. Please link to your specific post, not your blog's home page