Terceira Doce de Vinagre — Cozinha Açoriana’s Formula
This version published by Cozinha Açoriana uses 1 litre / 33.8 fl oz whole milk, 500 g / 17.6 oz sugar, eight yolks, two whites, one spoonful of white-wine vinegar and a small cloth sachet holding one teaspoon of aniseed. Vinegar curdles the milk; after about 30 minutes with sugar and aniseed, the eggs enter off the heat and the sweet returns to the stove until a spoon exposes the pan. A transcription attributed to Augusto Gomes’s book adds fennel seeds, but that second formula has not been merged into this one.
- Yields
- Not stated; the source allows one serving dish or individual bowls without giving a number
- Prep
- Not stated; includes separating and beating the eggs and preparing the aniseed sachet
- Cook
- About 30 minutes for the first reduction, plus initial heating and final thickening with no published duration
Ingredients
- 1 litre / 33.8 fl oz Whole milk, preferably pasteurised
- 500 g / 17.6 oz Sugar
- 8 Egg yolks
- 2 Egg whites
- 1 spoonful; the source does not specify tablespoon size White-wine vinegar
- 1 teaspoon, inside a small cloth sachet Aniseed
- as needed for dusting Ground cinnamon
Method
Put the aniseed in a small food-safe cloth sachet and tie it securely. Beat the eight yolks and two whites until uniform and reserve.
Heat the milk in a saucepan. When it is almost boiling, add the spoonful of white-wine vinegar to curdle it.
Add the sugar and aniseed sachet. Simmer over low heat until thickened, stirring regularly, for approximately 30 minutes.
Remove the pan from the heat and leave it to cool for a few minutes; the source gives no temperature or exact duration. Add the well-beaten eggs and stir continuously to combine.
Return the pan to the stove and stir until thickened to the stage at which the spoon opens a path that exposes the bottom. Remove the sachet, transfer to a serving dish or bowls, dust with cinnamon and refrigerate.
Sources for this recipe
The quantities and method were checked against the references below. Family recipes may vary; where no single official formula exists, we present a representative practical version and say so plainly.
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