Sardinhas Doces de Trancoso — Historic Villages Recipe
This recipe was published by the Historic Villages of Portugal for the Trancoso sweet: olive-oil pastry cut into a sardine, almond-and-yolk filling, frying, and a chocolate-and-sugar coating. We preserve two gaps in the publication itself: water is given as ‘400g (0.5l)’ and no chocolate quantity is stated.
- Yields
- About 6 dozen
- Prep
- Not stated; making the filling the previous day is recommended
- Cook
- Not stated
Ingredients
- 500 g / 1 lb 2 oz Almonds
- 600 g / 1 lb 5 oz Sugar for the filling
- the source states 400g and, in parentheses, 0.5l Water for the filling
- 16 Egg yolks
- 6 Eggs
- 1 kg / 2 lb 3 oz Flour
- 1 tsp Salt
- 200 ml / 6.8 fl oz Olive oil
- 250 ml / 8.5 fl oz Water for the pastry
- 1 tsp Cinnamon
- from 1 lemon Lemon zest
- 300 g / 10.6 oz Sugar for the coating
- to taste; quantity omitted by the source Chocolate
- as needed; amount not stated Oil for frying
- as needed; amount not stated White sugar for dusting
Method
Scald and skin the almonds, then chop finely. Cook the water and 600g sugar to thread or pearl stage, add the almonds and bring to the boil.
Strain in the yolks and stir until the mixture boils, about 3 minutes. Cool the pan in a water bath, changing the water; ideally reserve the filling until the next day.
Mix the flour, cinnamon, salt and zest. Add the eggs. Heat the pastry water with the olive oil, pour it into the flour and beat vigorously until soft. Keep covered.
Roll the pastry, add the filling and cut serrated semicircles with a pastry wheel. Shape the head and tail to make a sardine.
Fry in very hot oil until golden and cooked through. Drain on cloth and cool.
Boil the 300g sugar with water for about 15 minutes; add chocolate to taste and cook for a few minutes until thicker. Dip the sardines in the sauce and dust with white sugar.
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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