Fatias de Tomar Egg-Yolk Slices
Twenty-four yolks beaten at length, cooked for one hour in a bain-marie, then sliced and immersed in aromatic syrup. Tomar's chimney pan makes uninterrupted cooking easier; a tightly covered oval mould in a continuously boiling bain-marie reproduces the domestic principle documented by DGADR.
- Yields
- 1 egg-yolk loaf, cut into finger-width slices
- Prep
- 30 min
- Cook
- 1 hr
Ingredients
- 24 Egg yolks
- 1 kg Sugar
- 1 litre Water
- 1 Cinnamon stick
- 1 strip Lemon peel, without white pith
- 1 Star anise (optional)
- as needed Butter, for greasing
Method
Butter the inner mould of a chimney pan, or a deep lidded oval mould suitable for a bain-marie.
Beat the 24 yolks in a mixer for about 20 minutes until greatly increased in volume, pale and foamy. DGADR documents one hour when beating by hand.
Pour the yolks into the mould without letting them stand. Cover and place in an already boiling bain-marie with enough water to keep the inner mould well surrounded.
Cook for 1 hour without interrupting the boil. Top up only with boiling water whenever the level falls; this is precisely the purpose of the traditional pan's chimney.
While the yolks cook, heat the sugar, water, cinnamon, lemon peel and optional star anise. Boil until the syrup reaches 102 °C / 216 °F.
Unmould the yolk loaf while still warm, as the municipality recommends to preserve its volume, and cut it into finger-width slices.
Place a few slices at a time in the boiling syrup and turn them several times so they soak evenly without breaking apart.
Arrange the slices on a serving dish and spoon over the remaining syrup. Let them absorb it and cool before serving.
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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