Portuguese Custard Tarts

Grease muffin pans with margarine.

Place the puff pastry over a table dusted with flour. Dust pastry with a little more flour and roll out the pastry into a rectangle shape with a rolling pin. Roll the pastry from one end to the other and cut in round slices with 4 centimeters (1 1/2 inches). Put the slices within the muffin pans and press the center of the pastry with fingers until fill completely the muffin pans. Set aside.

In a bowl, dissolve corn starch in 50 ml (3 1/3 tablespoons) milk.

In a saucepan, pour remaining milk, lemon peel, cinnamon stick, the dissolved cornstarch, and sugar. Stir and bring to low heat, stirring occasionally. When starts boiling, remove the lemon peel and cinnamon stick (reserve both). Turn off heat and add egg yolks one by one, stirring constantly. Add lemon peel and cinnamon stick and place back over low heat until creamy, about 3–4 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Meanwhile, preheat oven to 180ºC (350ºF).

Turn off stovetop heat, remove lemon peel and cinnamon stick, and pour the cream in the muffin pans. Bake for about 30 minutes.

Remove from oven, unmold and let cool. Sprinkle with cinnamon and powdered sugar and serve.