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Ambrosia
Sweet milk and egg curds
Ambrosia: milk and eggs cooked slowly with sugar and clove into sweet golden curds
Found in glass jars at farm-shop counters in Minas Gerais and on the dessert tables of gaúcho family lunches, ambrosia is an old Portuguese-rooted sweet that turns milk, eggs and sugar into soft, golden curds bathed in a caramel-coloured syrup. The eggs are poured into the sweet milk and then left to set and simmer for an hour with clove and cinnamon, so the curds form large and tender rather than scrambled. Cold from the fridge it is creamy, eggy and fragrant, rather like a rustic crème caramel broken into pieces. Serve small bowls with a slice of fresh cheese or nothing at all. Where most people go wrong is stirring as soon as the eggs go in; that breaks the curd into grainy crumbs, so wait until it has set before moving it gently. Chef's tip: a squeeze of lemon juice into the milk before the eggs helps the curds form quickly and keeps them in large, tender clouds.
- Total time
- 90 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 8
Ingredients
- 4 ¼ cups whole milk
- 10 ½ oz sugar
- 1 strip lemon peelpared without the white pith
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 6 eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla extract (optional)
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Method
0/6 doneStep 1: Put 4 ¼ cups whole milk, 10 ½ oz sugar, 6 whole cloves, 1 cinnamon stick and 1 strip lemon peel in a wide, heavy pan and bring to the boil over a medium heat, stirring until the sugar dissolves.
8 minStep 2: Lower the heat so it simmers gently and stir in 1 tbsp lemon juice. The milk may look slightly broken; that is what you want.
Step 3: Beat 6 eggs and 1 tsp vanilla extract in a bowl just to mix, without making them frothy.
Step 4: Pour the eggs slowly in a thin stream over the simmering milk in a circle. Do not stir. Leave for 10 minutes, until set into soft curds.
10 minStep 5: Simmer over a low heat for 50–60 minutes, gently turning the curds with a spatula every 10 minutes, until the syrup is golden and reduced by about half and the curds are firm and amber.
55 minStep 6: Remove the spices and lemon peel. Cool, then spoon into a bowl or jars and chill for at least 2 hours. Serve cold; it keeps for 4 days in the fridge.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 270 kcal
- Protein
- 8 g
- Carbs
- 42 g
- Fat
- 7 g
- Fibre
- 0 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does ambrosia take?
- About 90 minutes in total: 10 minutes to prepare and 80 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 8 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- What can I use instead of whole milk?
- Semi-skimmed milk with 1 tbsp cream per 240ml (1 cup).
- What can I use instead of sugar?
- Caster sugar, same amount.
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