Papo Secos

 I feel like there are a couple of ultimate goals you want to reach in Portuguese baking.

1. Massa

2. Malasadas

3. Papo secos

I was finally able to check off that LAST one!

I don't know why this was always so intimating to me, but myself and my husband finally said ENOUGH, we are doing this!  

One of the main things that scared me was how many each recipe or video made.  I didn't need 4 dozen papo secos without knowing if the recipe was right or not.  So when I finally narrowed it down to make 8 at a time, it felt like it was less daunting.

Heres a couple photos of the process and then of course the recipe card at the bottom.

I hope you give this tradition a try with your family and keep the Papo Secos alive!

Pudim Flan

This dessert is my mother's specialty.  So much so, that I was afraid to make it.  The thought of it frightened me, and I'm not sure why!  I called her approximately 49283634 times while I was making this (OK, so it was more like 5 times, but you get my point).  I put it in the oven, and said a prayer, because I was certain this was not going to come out right.  I could have put money on this collapsing.  Even today while I was at work, I kept thinking about coming home, flipping it over and it just falling into a pile of goo.  But lo and behold, it didn't.  AND IT TASTES AMAZING!  *does a dance*  Don't be scared like me.  Try it.  You'll family and friends will thank you for it :)  
First things first: Make sure you have the correct pan to make a flan in.  Most people use something like this. 

Pudim Flan

6 eggs
1 1/4 cup of sugar
1 tablespoon of vanilla
1 1/2 teaspoons of sugar
2 cans (14oz) sweeten condensed milk
2 cups of while milk

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Take your 1 1/4 cup of sugar and put it in a small sauce pan on low heat.  Let this continue to slowly cook while you stir occasionally.  Please do not burn yourself!  This will be VERY HOT.
While the sugar is starting to heat up you can make your actual flan mixture.  
Place eggs and 1 1/2 teaspoons sugar in a mixer and beat on high.  Once the eggs are beaten well, add the rest of your ingredients and mix well.  You can just let this go on low until well mixed and then shut it off.
Once you sugar starts to melt and make the caramel, stay there and wait.  One minute too much and you'll burn it.  Continue to stir and help the sugar break down.  at this point,  take your flan pan and put it in the oven to heat it up a bit.  Once the sugar is completely melted take the flan pan out of the oven and pour your caramel in.  try to coat the entire bottom of the pan and sides if you can (sometimes you can't get the sides because it hardens so quickly, but that's ok!)  The pan being heated up just a bit helps you move the sugar around. Once you are done covering as much of the pan as possible, pour your batter in.  You'll hear lots of crackling from the caramel cooling.  
Get a water bath together to fit your flan pan in.  (I used a 9x13 pyrex dish with water about 2 inches deep) cover your pan with the lid that came with it (or if you didn't get one, that's ok too) Pop your pan in and put it in the oven for 1 hour.  (1 hour 10 minutes if you don't have a lid)
Your flan won't look ready.  I swore it wasn't done, and I, of course, called my mother who said it's done, it's going to jiggle that's normal.  I listened and I took it out, and it was perfect.
Let the flan cool a bit and then cover and pop in the fridge until completely cooled.
To flip, get a bowl with hot warm and put your flan pan in it to take the chill out.  Once the pan is warm to the touch, it's ready.  Take a pie plate and put it on top of the flan pan and FLIP!  You'll hear a PLOP and that's when you know it's done ;)
take off the flan pan, and ta-da!  perfection!  If you notice that you have a lot of caramel left in the bottom of you pan, you can put it on a low heat on the stove top to melt it and then pour it over the flan.

Cavacas

This is not something I grew up eating, but I had many friends who loved these.  When I decided to try out all these recipes, this was one I was dying to try.  I had heard so much about them, but had never tried them.  I have to say, these were easy, and were really delicious!

Cavacas (Portuguese Popover)

2 cups of flour 
1 cup of oil 
1/2 cup of whole milk 
8 eggs at room temp
1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract

Sugar Glaze: 
2 cups of confectioner’s sugar 
zest of one lemon 
about 2 tablespoons of milk 


Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease regular size muffin tins.  Make sure you grease them really well, any sticking ruins the entire popover. 
Using a mixer,  beat (on med.-high)  all ingredients for at least 20 minutes without stopping. Fill the muffin tins to about 1/2 to 3/4 full. Place on the middle rack. 
Bake for about 45-50 min.
Combine all of the glaze ingredients and stir until smooth. I tend to use slightly more than 2 tablespoons milk. While Cavacas are still warm, spoon the glaze over each one or just submerge each one in the glaze. Serve on the same day since they will dry even more for the following day. (Although I think I liked them even more on the second day!)

Biscoitos

There are a ton of recipes for Biscoitos out there, and some vary just a bit, but that little bit can change the taste quite a bit.  This is my mom's recipe.  She's tried several different ones over the years, but this is still the best one.  These are great to make on a rainy day, since rolling the biscoitos can take a while. It's also pretty fun to get the kids involved.

Biscoitos

7 cups of flour

7 large eggs

2 sticks of butter, at room temp.

5 tablespoons of crisco

2 tablespoons of baking powder

2 cups of sugar

2 tablespoons of vanilla

2 eggs beaten for the egg wash at the end 

Add your butter to your mixer

Crack eggs separately, so you don't get shells in your mixer

Add your eggs to the butter

add your sugar and beat all together.

add in your crisco in tablespoon increments 

Once mixed, add in your baking powder

Slowly add in your floor.  You will now need to change to your dough mixer attachement

keep mixing!

Once it looks like a cookie dough, you're ready to roll

Floor your surface

and start rolling your dough.

Try to make them all the same thickness, so that they cook evenly

brush them with your egg wash, I added a little vanilla to my egg wash for an extra boost of flavor

350 degree oven for about 20-25 minutes.  Just keep checking them.  Everyone's oven is different.  These are perfect with coffe or tea.  And yes that is Cha Gorreana from Sao Miguel!

Queijadas De Leite

I love Queijadas.  I mean, really, who doesn't? These custard little egg cups are a little piece of heaven.  Queijadas de Nata are my favorite, but they are a lot of work.  Work that I will learn to do because of this blog, but these are the ones we grew up with.  These are easy to throw together and taste amazing :)

Queijadas De Leite

5 large eggs
3 cups of milk
1 1/2 cups of flour
3 cups of sugar
2 bars of butter at room temp. (very important!  you can not melt the butter as it will cook the eggs)
Vanilla extract to taste

Pull everything out for easy baking!  Seriously, it's my number one tip.  Nothing I hate more than running around grabbing stuff when I'm in the middle of something, and usually have dirty hands.

Put your sugar in the mixer

Cream the butter and sugar together

Whip them up til creamy

Always crack eggs in a separate bowl to help stop with the "oops a shell!" moments

Beat the eggs with the creamed sugar and butter

Add your vanilla.  This is my secret.  You're only suppose to put a dash, I usually put 1 tablespoon.  I love vanilla!

start adding in our flour a little at a time.

Time for the milk.

The batter is runny.  Unlike cake batter.  It may not look right to you, but it is right, I promise!

Pour your liquid into greased or lined cupcake tins.

This recipe will give you 3 dozen.  Bake at 350 for about 45 minutes. 

Cook until they start to crack and are golden brown.  Once you pull them out they will fall a little, they are suppose to!

Pull them out and enjoy :)

Ready to serve!

Let us know if you make these!  Take pictures!  Give us your tips!  We love to hear it :)