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Clarinhas de Fão
Gourd and egg yolk pastries
Clarinhas de Fão: fried half-moon pastries filled with candied gourd and egg yolk
PortugueseClarinhas come from Fão, a small riverside town near Esposende, where they are sold warm and sugary from bakery counters and at summer fairs on the Cávado estuary. Thin pastry is folded around a filling of candied fig-leaf gourd (doce de chila) thickened with egg yolk, fried until blistered, then rolled in sugar. Chila jam is sold in Portuguese shops; a thick pumpkin jam works well in its place. A common mistake is overfilling the pastries, so the jam bursts through the seams while they fry. Chef's tip: cook the filling until it is firm enough to hold its shape on a spoon, or it will leak and spit in the oil.
- Total time
- 75 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 16
Ingredients
For the pastry
- 9 oz plain flourplus extra for rolling
- 1 ⅜ oz unsalted buttermelted
- 1 egg
- 1 pinch salt
- ¼ cup warm watermore if needed
For the filling
- 10 ½ oz chila jam or thick pumpkin jam
- 1 oz ground almonds
To fry and coat
- 4 ¼ cups sunflower oilfor deep-frying
- 2 ⅞ oz caster sugar
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon (optional)
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Method
0/6 doneStep 1: Mix the 9 oz plain flour and 1 pinch salt in a bowl, add the 1 ⅜ oz unsalted butter, 1 egg and most of the ¼ cup warm water and bring together into a soft, smooth dough, adding the rest of the water if it feels dry. Knead for 5 minutes, wrap and rest for 30 minutes.
35 minStep 2: Meanwhile, warm the 10 ½ oz chila jam or thick pumpkin jam in a small pan over a low heat, then stir in the 3 egg yolks and 1 oz ground almonds. Cook, stirring constantly, for 6–8 minutes until it thickens, bubbles slowly and pulls away from the base of the pan. Spread on a plate to cool.
10 minStep 3: Roll the dough out very thinly, about 2 mm, on a floured surface and cut 10 cm rounds with a cutter or saucer. Re-roll the trimmings once.
10 minStep 4: Put a heaped teaspoon of filling on one half of each round, brush the edge with water, fold over and press the edges hard with a fork to seal. Any gap will open in the oil.
15 minStep 5: Heat the 4 ¼ cups sunflower oil in a deep pan to 350°F. Fry the pastries 3 or 4 at a time for 2–3 minutes, turning once, until puffed, blistered and pale gold.
20 minStep 6: Drain briefly on kitchen paper, then roll in the 2 ⅞ oz caster sugar, mixed with 1 tsp ground cinnamon if using, while still warm. Best eaten the same day.
5 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 210 kcal
- Protein
- 3 g
- Carbs
- 28 g
- Fat
- 10 g
- Fibre
- 1 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does clarinhas de Fão take?
- About 75 minutes in total: 45 minutes to prepare and 30 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 16 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- What can I use instead of plain flour?
- Self-raising flour, same amount (then leave out the baking powder).
- What can I use instead of unsalted butter?
- The same weight of ghee or coconut oil (for frying and most baking).
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