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Técula mécula
Técula mécula: Olivenza's rich almond and egg-yolk tart in a crisp pastry case
Olivenza, on the border with Portugal and Portuguese until 1801, kept a taste for the convent sweets of its neighbour, and técula mécula is the town's pride: a dense, golden tart of ground almonds, sugar syrup and egg yolks, sold whole or by the slice in its pastry shops and carried home as a gift. Its playful name is said to come from a Latin phrase meaning with you and with me, as if it were made to share. The traditional pastry uses pork lard; this version uses butter and is vegetarian. Chef's tip: a thin slice is plenty, as it is very rich; serve it with coffee.
- Total time
- 85 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 10
Ingredients
For the pastry
For the filling
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Method
0/6 doneStep 1: Rub the 3 ½ oz cold butter into the 7 oz plain flour and 1 pinch salt until it looks like fine crumbs, then add the 3 tbsp cold water and press together into a dough. Wrap and chill for 20 minutes.
25 minStep 2: Heat the oven to 350°F (325°F fan). Roll the pastry thinly and line a 24 cm tart tin. Prick the base, line with paper and baking beans and bake for 12 minutes, then remove the beans and bake for 5 more minutes until pale golden.
17 minStep 3: Meanwhile, heat the 9 oz sugar and ½ cup water in a pan, stirring until dissolved, then boil without stirring for 4–5 minutes until it forms a syrup that makes a thin thread between two fingers (about 225°F). Stir in the 7 oz ground almonds and ½ tsp ground cinnamon and leave to cool for 15 minutes until just warm.
20 minStep 4: Beat the 8 egg yolks and 2 eggs together, then stir them into the almond syrup. A common mistake is adding the eggs while the syrup is still hot: the yolks scramble into grainy specks.
3 minStep 5: Turn the oven down to 350°F (300°F fan). Pour the filling into the pastry case and bake for 30–35 minutes until the top is deep golden and the centre is set, springing back when touched lightly.
35 minStep 6: Cool completely in the tin, then dust with 1 tbsp icing sugar if you like and cut into thin slices.
60 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 420 kcal
- Protein
- 9 g
- Carbs
- 45 g
- Fat
- 23 g
- Fibre
- 2 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does técula mécula take?
- About 85 minutes in total: 35 minutes to prepare and 50 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 10 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 cold butter?
- The same weight of ghee or coconut oil (for frying and most baking).
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