Esses de Peniche — the municipal recipe
Peniche Municipality publishes a complete formula for these S-shaped almond biscuits. Unlike an ordinary raw dough, the almonds, egg whites, sugar and butter are heated; flour is added afterwards and the mixture returns to the heat until it can be shaped. Virgílio Nogueiro Gomes confirms the same ingredients and the rest before shaping.
- Yields
- about 28-36 biscuits, depending on size
- Prep
- 35 min, plus cooling
- Cook
- 12-18 min per batch
Ingredients
- 365 g Blanched almonds, finely ground
- 375 g Sugar
- 6 Egg whites
- 90 g Wheat flour
- 1 tbsp Butter
- as needed Icing sugar, for shaping
Method
If necessary, blanch the almonds and let them dry completely before grinding finely. Grease and flour baking trays, or line them with baking parchment.
Whisk the egg whites to stiff peaks.
In a heavy saucepan, combine the almonds, beaten whites, sugar and butter. Beat or stir thoroughly until uniform.
Set over low to medium heat, stirring continuously, until the mixture reaches the boil. Remove from the heat immediately.
Add the flour and mix. Return to low heat, stirring and scraping the base continuously, until the mixture is thick enough to hold its shape when rolled.
Transfer to a dish and cool completely. Meanwhile heat the oven to 170 °C / 340 °F, a practical interpretation of the municipal source's ‘moderate oven’.
With your hands and work surface lightly dusted with icing sugar, roll small portions into short ropes and shape each into an S. Space them apart on the trays.
Bake for 12-18 minutes, watching the first batch closely, until firm and only lightly golden. Let them settle on the tray before moving to a rack, as they are fragile while hot.
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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