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Tigelada da Beira

Tigelada da Beira: lemon and cinnamon milk custard baked hot in clay bowls until it blisters

In Beira Baixa villages such as Oleiros and Proença-a-Nova, tigelada is baked in unglazed clay bowls heated in the wood oven until they are red hot, so the custard puffs up, cracks and browns on top while staying soft and slightly spongy inside. It is sold at festivals and markets across the region and is a common finish to a Sunday lunch. Terracotta dishes work best at home, but small ceramic ovenproof dishes do the job. Chef's tip: heat the empty dishes in the oven first; pouring cold batter into a hot dish is what makes it rise and form its typical crust.
Total time
40 min
Difficulty
easy
Serves
6
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Ingredients

Serves6

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What you'll need

Fresh ingredients (4)

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Method

0/5 done
  1. Step 1: Warm the 2 cups whole milk with the 1 strip of lemon peel and 1 cinnamon stick until it steams, then turn off the heat and infuse for 20 minutes. Discard the peel and stick and let the milk cool.

    25 min
  2. Step 2: Heat the oven to 475°F, or as high as it goes. Grease 6 small clay or ceramic ovenproof dishes with the ⅓ oz butter, put them on a baking tray and heat in the oven for 10 minutes.

    10 min
  3. Step 3: Whisk the 5 eggs, 6 ½ oz caster sugar, 1 ⅜ oz plain flour and 1 pinch salt until smooth, then whisk in the cooled milk.

    3 min
  4. Step 4: Take the tray out and quickly pour the batter into the hot dishes; it should sizzle at the edges. Bake for 18–22 minutes, until puffed, cracked and browned in patches, with a slight wobble in the middle.

    20 min
  5. Step 5: A common mistake is lowering the oven to be safe; you need the fierce heat for the crust. Dust with ½ tsp ground cinnamon if you like and serve warm or at room temperature.

    1 min

Nutrition per serving

Calories
260 kcal
Protein
8 g
Carbs
40 g
Fat
7 g
Fibre
0 g

Nutrition values are estimates.

K
Recipe by

KrazyBadal

All recipes by this chef →

Good to know

How long does tigelada da Beira take?
About 40 minutes in total: 15 minutes to prepare and 25 minutes to cook.
How many people does it serve?
6 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
Is it vegetarian?
Yes. It has no meat or fish.
What can I use instead of whole milk?
Semi-skimmed milk with 1 tbsp cream per 240ml (1 cup).
What can I use instead of cinnamon stick?
½ tsp ground cinnamon per stick.

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