Lampreia de Ovos — Egg-Sheet, Thread and Yolk-Cream Version
This published formula builds the festive figure from yolk sheets cooked in syrup, fios de ovos and yolk cream, finished with almonds and a cherry. It is an attributed contemporary version: historical research identifies nineteenth-century examples and the earliest located recipe in 1903, but proves neither convent authorship nor one place of origin.
- Yields
- 8 servings
- Prep
- 30 min
- Cook
- Not stated separately
Ingredients
- 500 g / 17.6 oz Sugar
- 150 ml / 5.1 fl oz Water
- 8 Egg yolks
- 1 Egg
- 250 g / 8.8 oz Fios de ovos / egg threads
- 250 g / 8.8 oz Portuguese egg-yolk cream
- as needed Slivered almonds for decoration
- 1 Syrup-preserved cherry for decoration
Method
Boil the sugar with the water for 10 minutes, or until the syrup reaches thread stage, given by the source as 103°C / 217°F.
Mix the yolks with the egg without beating until smooth.
Remove the syrup from the heat, add about 100 ml of the egg mixture and return to the heat without stirring until it sets into a crepe-like sheet.
Lift out the sheet with a slotted spoon. Sprinkle the syrup with a little cold water and repeat until the egg mixture is used.
Trim the sheets into squares or rectangles, reserving every offcut.
Mix some of the egg threads with the yolk cream. On a serving plate, arrange the offcuts and this mixture, thicker at one end and thinner at the other.
Cover with the sheets, shape the lamprey and decorate with the remaining threads, almonds and cherry.
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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