Queijadas are Graciosa's most famous sweet: small star-shaped tarts with thin, crisp pastry and a filling of milk, sugar and egg yolks, scented with cinnamon. Despite the name, they contain no cheese.
Before they became known beyond the island, they were a home-made sweet, baked by Graciosa housewives for festivities and family gatherings, and were called covilhetes de leite. Production later became concentrated in Vila da Praia, which is why they are also known as queijadas da Praia. The commercial recipe is kept by its makers; this is a home version.
Method
The day before, put the milk and sugar in a wide pan and bring to the boil.
Turn the heat down and let it reduce for about 1½ hours, stirring from time to time, until thick and a light caramel colour.
Off the heat, stir in the butter and cinnamon and wait until it is lukewarm.
Lightly beat the egg yolks, stir them in and put the pan back on the heat, stirring all the time, just until it starts to bubble so the yolks cook.
Pour the filling into a bowl, let it cool, cover and chill until the next day.
The next day, heat the oven to 180 °C. Combine the flour, sugar and salt in a bowl and hollow out the centre.
Put the egg and melted butter in the hollow and knead, adding water in small amounts, until the dough is soft and easy to stretch. Let it rest briefly.
On a floured worktop, roll the dough out until very thin and use it to line the greased moulds, easing it into the points of the star.
Spoon some filling into each case and bake for about 30 minutes, until the pastry is crisp and the filling has coloured.
Let them cool in the moulds before turning them out.
Tips
- Make the filling the day before: it needs time to reduce and a night in the fridge to set.
- Stir the milk regularly as it reduces so it does not catch; a wide pan speeds things up.
- No star-shaped moulds? Use fluted tartlet tins or a muffin tin: cut rounds of pastry with a glass and pinch the edges into points.
- Roll the pastry as thinly as you can; that is what makes it crisp.
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