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Dom Rodrigos
Egg-thread and almond sweets
Dom Rodrigos: Lagos egg-thread and almond sweets wrapped in shiny coloured foil
Walk past any pastelaria in Lagos or Portimão and you will see little twists of bright foil piled in the window: each one hides a nest of golden egg threads bound with an almond and yolk cream, scented with cinnamon. They are eaten after Sunday lunch with a bica, bought by the half dozen to take home, and set out at Algarve weddings and christenings. The work is in the egg threads, drizzled into boiling syrup, but once you have the rhythm it goes quickly. Chef's tip: sieve the yolks twice, because any trace of white or the chalaza blocks the funnel and makes the threads break.
- Total time
- 90 min
- Difficulty
- hard
- Serves
- 20
Ingredients
For the syrup
- 1 ⅛ lb sugar
- 1 ¼ cups water
For the egg threads and cream
- 12 egg yolksfrom large eggs, pushed twice through a fine sieve
- 7 oz ground almondsblanched, finely ground
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon
To finish
- 20 coloured sweet foil or paper cases (optional)12 cm squares
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Method
0/8 doneStep 1: Bring 1 ⅛ lb sugar, 1 ¼ cups water and 1 cinnamon stick to the boil in a wide, deep pan, stirring only until the sugar dissolves. Boil without stirring until the syrup reaches the thread stage, about 225°F: a drop pressed between finger and thumb (let it cool first) pulls into a short thread.
10 minStep 2: Keep the syrup at a steady, rolling simmer. Put half of 6 egg yolks in a fine-spouted funnel or a squeeze bottle with a 2 mm hole, and drizzle them in circles over the syrup, moving quickly so the strands don't land on top of each other.
2 minStep 3: After about 1 minute the threads turn from orange to bright yellow and set. Lift them out with a fork or a skimmer, drain over the pan and lay them on a tray. Repeat until the first batch of yolks is used up. A common mistake is letting the syrup cool or thicken too far: the threads then clump into lumps instead of fine strands, so add a splash of hot water if it starts to look like caramel.
12 minStep 4: Remove the cinnamon stick. Measure 250 ml of the syrup back into the pan (add a little water if you have less) and stir in 7 oz ground almonds. Cook over a medium-low heat, stirring, for 3–4 minutes until it thickens into a glossy paste.
Step 5: Take the pan off the heat and let it cool for 2 minutes. Beat the rest of 6 egg yolks in a bowl, whisk in a ladle of the almond paste to warm them, then stir everything back into the pan with ½ tsp ground cinnamon.
2 minStep 6: Return to a low heat and stir all the time for 5–6 minutes until the cream is thick enough to show the bottom of the pan when you drag a spoon through it and reaches at least 167°F. Spread on a plate and cool completely.
6 minStep 7: To shape, put a small nest of egg threads (about a heaped teaspoon) in the centre of a foil square or paper case, add a teaspoon of the almond cream and top with a few more threads. Gather the foil up around it and twist the top, leaving the sweet just visible.
Step 8: Keep in an airtight box in the fridge for up to 5 days and bring back to room temperature for 30 minutes before serving.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 175 kcal
- Protein
- 3 g
- Carbs
- 28 g
- Fat
- 7 g
- Fibre
- 1 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does dom Rodrigos take?
- About 90 minutes in total: 50 minutes to prepare and 40 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 20 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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