Do you know why almost all of our Portuguese sweets features egg yolks?
Many of the recipes for the nation’s favourite sweet treats originated in Portugal’s convents and monasteries.
Eggs, especially the yolks, are heavily featured in our Portuguese sweets.
Legend tells us that the nuns starched their laundry with egg whites and so, they had to come up with a use for all the excess yolks.
Egg yolks, along with plenty of sugar and, depending on the region, local produce will be incorporated into our sweets. Almonds, beans, cheese or chestnuts are just a few examples.
Don't get me wrong! I love our Portuguese sweets but... Lord!!!
Do they make you feel naughty after eating them? Trust me! They do but!!! nonetheless, they're absolutely delicious and amazing!!
The recipe I'm leaving you today is called "Patas de Veado" or Deer Hooves!
Its name has nothing to do with the deer itself but only because of it's shape and the way they are cut and decorated.
Although it might look intricate, it's not!
It's a simple "kind of" sponge roulade, filled and topped with a creamy egg yolk curd, rolled in shredded coconut and at the end, decorated with a fine line of ground cinnamon.
Though they're very simple to make, this was the first time I've ever made them, and! I had to make them twice! YES!! sometimes, the simplest things are the most challenging ones and this was the case...
I have very cherished childhood memories about these cakes so, they had to meet the standards of my memories.
Though I've never been a sweet tooth person, the only sweet treat I'd crave and eat with pleasure as a child, teenager or young adult, would be this one!
There's a tea room and Patisserie shop in the North of Portugal, Pastelaria Gomes in Vila Real, where they make "Patas de Veado" at such a high standard that, honestly! I've never liked any of the ones I've tried apart from the ones they make there!
If you ever visit Vila Real, in the North of Portugal, go to Pastelaria Gomes and try one of their Patas de Veado and also their "signature pies" which are called Covilhetes (a kind of a meat pie that is absolutely to die for).
The recipe I'm leaving you today is from Rita Nascimento book, "Uma Pastelaria em Casa".
