This week I bring you a recipe for a traditional Portuguese dessert that you will love – Abbot of Priscos pudding. It is a very typical Christmas recipe, but one that you can also find all year round in restaurants, specifically in the North, where it was created.
I will not bore you with the story behind this sweet, as I know you are here to learn how to make it. The unique fact about this pudding is that it is made with pork fat, an unusual ingredient that you don’t normally use in pastry. This ingredient is to be placed in the sugar syrup, to give it some fat, which results in a super creamy and soft pudding.
However, this ingredient is not always easy to find, so I chose a simpler alternative. This version of the recipe uses two slices of ham or bacon. But remember we are using only the white part where all the fat is. If you use too much of the pink section, it may give the pudding a slight taste you would rather avoid.
Otherwise, this recipe does not stray too much from a classic egg pudding. I decided to increase the amount of yolks and lower the sugar so that it would be creamier and not too sweet. It is a matter of preference. I must admit it turned out excellent, I hope you enjoy it as well!
Abbot of Priscos Pudding
Ingredients
For the caramel:
- 200 g white sugar
- 50 ml water
For the pudding:
- 400 g white sugar
- 250 ml water
- 2 slices of bacon or ham (fat)
- 1 lemon zest
- 2 cinnamon sticks
- 24 egg yolks
- 60 ml Port wine
Instructions
For the caramel:
- In a pan, bring the sugar and water over medium heat.
- When it reaches a light caramel color (amber), turn off the heat. If you have a thermometer, the change should happen around 140 º C.
- Carefully drizzle the caramel in a puddimg mold or a rectangular cake pan. I used the latter, and my pan is about cm. Tilt the pan to distribute the caramel as even as possible. Set aside.
For the pudding:
- Preheat the oven to 180 º C.
- In a pan, bring water, sugar, lemon zest, cinnamon sticks, and ham, over medium heat.
- Let it reach around 110 º C and turn off the heat. To test it, you can take a spoonful of the sugar syrup and let it cool down. Once cold, you should be able to form a "road" by moving your finger through the syrup.
- In the meantime, mix the egg yolks with Port wine.
- Slowly pour the syrup into the egg yolk mixture, whisking during the process.
- Pass this mixture through a sieve to remove the solid ingredients and ensure smoothness.
- Pour the mixture into the pan you prepared.
- Prepare a water bath, filing a tray with water about 2 inches deep. Cover the pan with tinfoil or place the lid if you have one.
- Cook for about 45 to 60 minutes (depends on the oven). Check for the consistency – the pudding should be firm in the edges but still quite jiggly in the middle.
- Let it cool down to room temperature or in the fridge.
- Once cold, remove from the pan to the serving plate and enjoy.
