Trouxas de Ovos (Portuguese Egg Yolk Bundles in Syrup)
- Prep
- 20 min
- Total
- 45 min
- pieces
- 6
- Calories
- 325 kcal
Trouxas de ovos (“egg bundles”) are one of the most delicate Portuguese convent sweets: egg yolks and sugar cooked in a syrup and rolled into small bundles. Like so many convent sweets, they were born in 16th-century Portuguese convents, where the whites were used to starch habits and the yolks were left over.
The result is very yellow, glossy and very sweet, served in small portions. It’s one of the most yolk-rich sweets in the tradition, a cousin of ovos moles.
Recipe
Trouxas de Ovos
A convent sweet of egg yolks and sugar: strands of egg cooked in syrup and rolled into small bundles. Very sweet and glossy, served in small portions.
Ingredients
Method
- 1In a pan, combine the sugar, water, cinnamon stick and lemon peel. Bring to the boil.
- 2Boil without stirring until the syrup reaches the thread stage (when you lift a spoon, it forms a thin, continuous thread).
- 3Remove the cinnamon and lemon peel. Strain the yolks through a fine sieve into a bowl.
- 4With the syrup over low heat, add the strained yolks, stirring constantly without stopping, until it thickens and starts to come away from the bottom of the pan.
- 5Take off the heat and let it cool a little, enough to handle without burning yourself.
- 6With two spoons or a cloth dusted with sugar, shape small portions and roll them up like little bundles.
- 7Let them cool completely and dust with powdered sugar before serving.
Tips
The syrup is the delicate part: it must reach the thread stage before the yolks go in, or the sweet turns grainy instead of silky. Don’t stir the syrup while it boils, or it crystallizes; swirl the pan if needed. Use yolks at room temperature, strained to remove the membranes.
Roll the trouxas while still warm, with two spoons or a sugared linen cloth so they don’t stick. For a simpler version, serve the egg cream unrolled, as a spoon dessert: it tastes the same.
They keep in a tightly closed container in the fridge for up to a week. They don’t freeze well.
