Madeira Curd-Cheese Queijadas
A domestic formula for 16 queijadas with wafer-thin pastry and a curd-cheese, sugar and egg filling. Use Requeijão da Madeira PGI when available. This version follows the flourless filling documented in a 1904 recipe; DGADR's 2001 record also documents a version with goat's curd and flour.
- Yields
- 16 queijadas
- Prep
- 35 min (+ 4 hrs resting)
- Cook
- 35–40 min
Ingredients
- 170 g Plain (all-purpose) flour
- 170 g Softened butter
- 10 g Sugar, for the pastry
- 340 g Requeijão da Madeira PGI or well-drained firm curd cheese
- 270 g Sugar, for the filling
- 8 Egg yolks
- 1 Egg white
- as needed Melted butter, for brushing
Method
Sift the flour and mix it with the 10 g sugar. Add the softened butter and knead only until the pastry is smooth and cohesive.
Shape into a disc, wrap and refrigerate for at least 4 hours. Remove it about 15 minutes before rolling so it does not crack.
Heat the oven to 180 °C / 350 °F. Lightly grease 16 small tins about 7–8 cm across.
Thoroughly work the curd cheese with the filling sugar. Add the yolks one at a time, then the egg white, mixing to an even cream without incorporating excessive air.
Roll the pastry very thinly. Cut circles slightly larger than the tins, line them and divide in the filling. Fold the pastry edge inward, leaving part of the filling exposed.
Bake for 35–40 minutes until the pastry and top are golden and the centre is set. Brush the pastry with a little melted butter on leaving the oven, then cool before unmoulding.
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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