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Queijadas de Sintra
Queijadas de Sintra: little fresh-cheese and cinnamon tarts in a crisp, paper-thin shell
Day-trippers queue for these in Sintra's old town, buying them by the paper-wrapped half dozen to eat on the train back to Lisbon. They have been made around the palace town for centuries: a creamy filling of fresh cheese, sugar, egg yolk and cinnamon, baked in a thin, crisp case until the top blisters brown in patches. Traditional fresh cheese is curdled with animal rennet; look for ricotta or curd cheese made with vegetarian (microbial) rennet if that matters to you. A common mistake is rolling the pastry too thick: it should be almost see-through, so it crisps instead of turning bready. Chef's tip: press the cheese through a sieve before mixing, so the filling bakes silky rather than grainy.
- Total time
- 70 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 12
Ingredients
For the pastry
- 5 ½ oz plain flourplus extra for rolling
- ½ oz unsalted buttermelted
- 1 pinch salt
- ¼ cup warm water
For the filling
- 9 oz fresh curd cheese or ricottawell drained; vegetarian rennet if needed
- 5 ½ oz caster sugar
- 1 oz plain flour
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- ½ oz butterfor the tins
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Method
0/8 doneStep 1: Mix 5 ½ oz plain flour, 1 pinch salt, ½ oz unsalted butter and ¼ cup warm water into a firm dough. Knead for 5 minutes until smooth and elastic, wrap and rest for 30 minutes so it rolls out thin without springing back.
5 minStep 2: Press 9 oz fresh curd cheese or ricotta through a sieve into a bowl. Beat in 5 ½ oz caster sugar, 3 egg yolks, 1 oz plain flour and 1 tsp ground cinnamon until smooth and thick, like soft custard.
5 minStep 3: Heat the oven to 425°F (400°F fan). Brush a 12-hole bun tin or small tartlet tins with ½ oz butter.
Step 4: Roll the dough on a floured surface until it is as thin as you can manage, about 1 mm, so you can nearly see the worktop through it. Cut 9 cm circles.
Step 5: Press the circles into the tins, letting the edges pleat and stand up slightly above the rim.
Step 6: Spoon in the filling to about three-quarters full.
Step 7: Bake for 18–22 minutes, until the pastry is crisp and golden and the filling has puffed, set and browned in spots. It sinks a little as it cools; that is normal.
22 minStep 8: Cool in the tins for 10 minutes, then lift out onto a rack. Eat the same day or keep in a tin for 2 days.
10 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 170 kcal
- Protein
- 5 g
- Carbs
- 25 g
- Fat
- 6 g
- Fibre
- 0 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does queijadas de Sintra take?
- About 70 minutes in total: 45 minutes to prepare and 25 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 12 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- 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 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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