Queijadas de Sintra
Known since the Middle Ages, queijadas de Sintra are little cups of tender dough filled with fresh curd cheese, egg yolks and cinnamon. The secret lies in rolling the dough very thin — almost a casing — and in an aromatic filling that bakes to a golden, lightly cracked top.
- Yields
- 12 tarts
- Prep
- 45 min
- Cook
- 20–25 min
Ingredients
- 250 g Plain flour (for the dough)
- 50 g Softened butter (for the dough)
- 100 ml Warm water
- 1 pinch Salt
- 250 g Fresh curd cheese (or ricotta), well drained
- 180 g Sugar
- 5 Egg yolks
- 20 g Plain flour (for the filling)
- 1 tsp Ground cinnamon
- ½ lemon Lemon zest
Method
Mix the flour with the salt and softened butter, rubbing with your fingertips until you have a coarse, sandy texture. Add the warm water a little at a time and knead for about 5 minutes, until the dough is smooth and elastic. Shape into a ball, cover with cling film and let it rest for 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, make the filling: push the fresh cheese through a fine sieve (or mash it thoroughly with a fork) until completely smooth, with no lumps. Add the sugar, flour, cinnamon and lemon zest and mix until even.
Beat in the egg yolks one at a time, mixing well between each, until you have a smooth, pourable cream with no lumps. Set aside.
On a floured surface, roll the dough as thin as possible (≈ 1–2 mm). Cut ≈ 8 cm circles and line greased tart tins, pressing well into the base and sides and letting the dough rise slightly above the rim. In the traditional way, you can snip small cuts around the edge with scissors.
Fill each tin with the cheese cream to about three-quarters full, as the filling rises while baking. Bake in a preheated oven at 190 °C (375 °F) for 20–25 minutes, until the tops are golden and lightly cracked and the dough is cooked through.
Let cool for a few minutes before carefully unmoulding. Serve warm or cold, dusted with cinnamon.