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Bienmesabe canario
Bienmesabe canario: Tejeda's silky almond and egg-yolk cream from Gran Canaria
High in the mountains of Gran Canaria, the village of Tejeda is ringed by almond trees, and its pastry shops are famous for bienmesabe, 'it tastes good to me'. Finely ground almonds are cooked in a sugar syrup with lemon zest and cinnamon, then enriched with egg yolks into a thick, golden cream. Islanders eat it by the spoonful, over vanilla ice cream or layered on sponge; it is the dessert brought out in late January and February, when the Almond Blossom Festival fills the village. Chef's tip: temper the yolks with a little hot syrup before adding them, so they thicken the cream smoothly instead of scrambling.
- Total time
- 40 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 8
Ingredients
To serve
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Method
0/5 doneStep 1: Bring the 9 oz sugar, 1 cup water, 1 strip of lemon peel and 1 cinnamon stick to the boil, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Boil for 5 minutes until the syrup is slightly thick and a drop between two fingers feels tacky.
8 minStep 2: Remove the peel and cinnamon. Stir in the 9 oz finely ground blanched almonds and cook over a low heat for 5 minutes, stirring, until thick.
5 minStep 3: Beat the 4 egg yolks in a bowl. Whisk in 3 tbsp of the hot almond mixture, then pour the yolks back into the pan, stirring quickly.
2 minStep 4: Cook over a very low heat for 6–8 minutes, stirring all the time and scraping the base, until the cream is thick, glossy and golden and has reached at least 167°F. A common mistake is letting it bubble; the yolks then curdle into grains.
8 minStep 5: Spoon into a bowl or small glasses, dust with the ½ tsp ground cinnamon and cool, then chill. Serve on its own or over 8 scoops vanilla ice cream.
2 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 320 kcal
- Protein
- 8 g
- Carbs
- 34 g
- Fat
- 18 g
- Fibre
- 3 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does bienmesabe canario take?
- About 40 minutes in total: 15 minutes to prepare and 25 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.
- Can I make it ahead?
- Yes. It keeps well, so you can cook it earlier in the day or the day before and reheat it.
- What can I use instead of sugar?
- Caster sugar, same amount.
- What can I use instead of cinnamon stick?
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon per stick.
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