Algarve Doce Fino — Teleculinária’s Cooked-Paste Formula
This is the modern formula published by Teleculinária: equal parts almonds and sugar are bound with a briefly cooked syrup, kneaded and rested until the following day before shaping. DGADR’s historical record describes another technique in which egg white binds the paste and ovos moles fill it. The two versions remain explicitly separate; this recipe does not present the cooked paste as the sole traditional formula.
- Yields
- 20 servings, as published
- Prep
- 30 min preparation stated by the source; plus rest until the following day
- Cook
- 2–3 min initial boiling; remaining time over heat not stated
- Total time
- Prepared over two days, including rest until the following day
Ingredients
- 300 g / 10.6 oz Blanched almond kernels
- 300 g / 10.6 oz Fine sugar
- as needed; amount not stated Water to moisten the sugar
- as needed; amount not stated Fios de ovos (egg threads), for filling or decoration
- as needed; amount not stated Food colouring
Method
Grind the almonds very finely into a flour, then sieve it to remove larger fragments.
Put the sugar in a saucepan with only enough water to moisten it. Bring to the boil over low heat and boil for 2–3 minutes.
Add the ground, sieved almonds and stir thoroughly until the paste is smooth and free of lumps. Remove from the heat and continue stirring until cool enough to handle safely.
Transfer the paste to a clean worktop and knead it. Form a ball, place it in a glass bowl, cover directly at the surface and rest until the following day.
The next day, divide the paste into small portions. For a filled piece, flatten a portion, place only a little fios de ovos in the centre, seal it completely and smooth it again. For very small figures, shape the paste without filling and reserve the egg threads for decoration.
Shape fruits, vegetables, shells or other figures. If using colouring, apply it sparingly and keep differently coloured portions separate. Decorate with fios de ovos where appropriate.
Refrigerate the finished pieces until serving, especially when they contain fios de ovos.
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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