Friday, June 24, 2005

IMBB # 16 - Pudim de Claras (Egg White Pudding)

Once more I searched my mother's recipes for my entry into this IMBB # 16, kindly hosted by none other than Viv at Seattle Bon Vivant, and the theme is eggs . Using eggs as the main ingredient, Pudim de Claras, which translates literally as Eggwhite Pudding, is an ubiquitous pudding in Portugal. It is right up there with the flan (caramel pudding) and the world famous custard tartlets. You will find that just about every restaurant and "tasca" (tavern) has its own version of the pudding which of course, they claim to be the best you've ever tasted.


This is a very light pudding and the texture almost feels like you are eating clouds. The 1-hour cooking time effectively cooks the egg whites but does not make the pudding dry. This is a perfect dessert to end a heavy meal.

Sometimes the pudding is cooked in a pan covered with caramel, but I prefer to grease the pan with butter and dust with sugar. Another variation of this pudding is the "Molotof" in which hot caramel is added to the egg whites while being whisked. I'll post about it sometime.


Pudim de Claras / Egg White Pudding

4 eggs
1/2 cup sugar
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1 cup 5% cream
1 cup whole milk
1 tablespoon cornstarch
3 tablespoons sugar
1 vanilla bean or 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Prepare the pan by greasing it well and dusting with sugar all around. Discard any sugar that is not stuck to the greased surface of the pan. Make sure that you choose a pan that is about 3 or 4 times higher than the final pudding will be, as it will triple its size inside the oven, and then will shrinks back to its initial size. Set the pan aside.

Separate the eggs, putting the whites in a bowl and the yolks into the top of a double boiler pan. Add the half-cup of sugar to the whites and beat until you have the consistency of a firm meringue. Add the lemon juice and beat to mix well. Drop the meringue into the pan by tablespoonfuls, making sure that there are no gaps. Cover the pan with a greased lid (any lid larger than the pan will do) and put it on a pan of hot water in a 300ºF (150ºC) oven for about 1 hour to let the pudding cook well inside. Once one hour is passed, the pudding should have raised to about triple its size. Switch off the oven and open the door a little to cool down. Wait for about 10 minutes and then you can remove the pudding from the oven. As soon as you open the oven door, you will see the pudding starting to slowly deflate.

While the pudding cooks, prepare a custard by mixing well the egg yolks, cream, milk and cornstarch. Add sugar to taste (3 tablespoons). Cook in a double boiler until the custard thickens, about 15 to 20 minutes. Remove from the heat, add the vanilla extract and cover the surface of the custard with clinging film to avoid drying the surface. Set aside to cool. Sieve the cooled custard into a sauce boat.

Unmold the pudding into the serving plate and cover with the custard. Chill before serving.

13 comments:

Anonymous said...

ooh! this looks similar to "floating island", which i'm still considering making as my entry, since i've never had it! looks yummy!

Ana said...

Yes Stef the ingredients are basically the same as for "floating Island", which is Portuguese we call "Farófias" (fah-rohh-fiash)

Anonymous said...

hey there ana!
ohh I love egg custards...that just never even came to mind though - you're much smarter than me. As for the 'oeufs en meurette' they don't reek of wine, in fact the wine is barely there. Like I said...it is a wierd little number. Have fun trying it.
cheers and have fun with the taste canada!

Anonymous said...

Hi Ana!
It looks like it turned out perfectly. I'll have to try it.

Nupur said...

Yet another meme has found its way to you, Ana. I have tagged you for the Cook-next-door meme...hope you enjoy doing it.
The questions are on my blog
http://www.onehotstove.blogspot.com
:)

Nic said...

Oh, that looks delightful, Ana.

Elvira said...

Adoro este tipo de sobremesas, simples e leves.

Farmgirl Susan said...

What a neat recipe. Love the photo with the strawberry slices. It looks so good I can almost taste it right through the computer screen. I bet it's a perfect summer dessert. I've never made anything like this and am now inspired to try it. So much fun discovering new things!

Ana said...

Thanks farmgirl. Yes it is the perfect summer dessert, so light and fresh. It is one of my favourites too. Hope you enjoy making it.

FoodNinja said...

That looks very yummy

Nini said...

Hello Anna! This looks delicious! Your recipe reminds me of canonigo.

Anonymous said...

Looks yummy -- what size pan did you use to cook this dish?

Many thanks!

Ciao,
Dee

Anonymous said...

MMMMMMMMMM I love Molotof egg pudding and even though I ate it as a young girl I never aquired the right recipe. This one looks easy and absolutely yummy or as we say in Portuguese "que rico"!!!