This old-school recipe for pudim Abade de Priscos has been handed down by way of generations of the Portuguese winemaking Santiago family. A couple of ounces of finely chopped presunto—a smoked, dry-cured ham akin to speck—are simmered in a sugar syrup which is then strained and added to the custard, lending the dish its attribute savory notes and offsetting the pudding’s burnished caramel sweetness. Search for presunto at Portuguese specialty markets akin to Portugalia in Fall River, Massachusetts, or substitute one other smoky, dry-cured ham.
Pair the flan-like custard with a dry or off-dry glowing wine, akin to with Quinta de Santiago Alvarhino Espumante, which offers textural distinction to the creamy, flan-like pudding.
Featured in: “In Portugal’s Vinho Verde, Wine Is Green in More Ways Than One.”
Pudim Abade de Priscos (Portuguese-Fashion Ham Custard)
You’ll by no means guess the key ingredient on this lush Portuguese custard.
Yield: serves 8
Time:
2 hours
For the caramel:
For the custard:
- 2¼ cups water
- ¼ tsp. finely grated lemon zest
- 1 cinnamon stick
- ¼ cups finely chopped presunto (or substitute speck)
- 15 giant egg yolks
- 2 giant egg whites
- ¼ cups tawny Port wine
Directions
- Preheat the oven (with certainly one of its racks positioned within the middle) to 350ºF.
- Put together the caramel: In a medium pot set over excessive warmth, stir collectively the sugar and three tablespoons of water. Deliver to a boil and prepare dinner, with out stirring, till the caramel is a deep amber colour, 10–12 minutes. Take away from the warmth, and thoroughly pour the caramel right into a 9-inch savarin mildew or tube cake pan, tilting the pan and utilizing the again of a silicone spatula as wanted to evenly coat the underside of the mildew. Put aside to set.
- Make the custard: To the identical pot, add the sugar, lemon zest, cinnamon stick, and 2¼ cups water and convey to a boil over medium warmth. Add the presunto and prepare dinner, stirring repeatedly till the sugar dissolves. Take away from the warmth and put aside to infuse and funky for quarter-hour.
- Place a tremendous mesh strainer over a big liquid measuring cup and pressure the sugar syrup; discard the ham solids and cinnamon stick.
- In a big bowl, whisk collectively the egg yolks, egg whites, and the Port. Regularly whisk into the strained sugar syrup till clean, then pour the custard into the ready mildew. Switch the mildew to a big baking dish, then fill the baking dish with sufficient scorching water to come back midway up the surface of the custard mildew. Switch to the oven and bake till the custard set, with a slight jiggle when shaken, about 1½ hours. Take away from the oven and funky the custard (nonetheless in its water tub) to room temperature. Take away the cooled custard from the water tub, cowl tightly with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at the least 6 and as much as 24 hours. (In the event you try to unmold the custard sooner, the caramel might not but have softened to a sauce)
- To serve, run a skinny, offset spatula or a paring knife alongside the sides of the mildew, then place a big, rimmed serving platter upside-down atop it. Rapidly and confidently, invert the mildew and the platter collectively to unmold the pudding. Take away the mildew, permitting the caramel to run down the edges of the custard. Lower into slices and serve chilled.
