Farófias are one of those classic Portuguese desserts that look like they came straight out of a fancy restaurant, but are secretly one of the easiest things you’ll ever make.
These pillowy clouds of meringue poached in warm milk and draped with luscious, golden doce de ovos (egg yolk jam) are a stroke of genius. they’re elegant, delicious, and the perfect solution for all those leftover egg whites. You can also as an alternative serve them with crème anglaise (egg custard), caramel, or egg jam, but in this case, we’re going all in with the doce de ovos because it’s just that good.
This is a traditional Portuguese dessert that’s particularly popular around Christmas, and for good reason. Many traditional Portuguese sweets, especially the Christmas ones, use only egg yolks, leaving you with a fridge full of egg whites that need a purpose. Enter farófias: the ultimate leftover egg white sweet recipe. You can make them with large spoonfuls of meringue (like my mom taught me) or smaller, more delicate ones, it’s totally up to you and your mood. Either way, they’re going to be spectacular, fluffly and creamy.
Do note that although Farófias are a great way to make use of leftover egg whites, this recipe is pretty much self-contained because we are using the egg yolks for the egg jam 😀 But if you only have the egg whites you can skip on the egg jam and serve with something else, easy peasy! I’ve also already published the version of farófias with custard instead of egg jam, so you can check that out hehehe. So let’s get to it!
Portuguese Sweet Meringue with Egg Jam • Farófias com Doce de Ovos
Oh what todo with all those egg whites, heheheh ohhh is there no solution out there! Fear not, there is! 😀 How about some beautiful portuguese farófias! ;D Some sweet clouds with some smooth egg jam... its just... wow
Ingredients
- Eggs – 6
- Milk – 500ml
- Sugar – 30g
- Salt – A pinch
- Sugar – 150g
- Water – 125ml
Directions
- It is best to start with the egg jam, because you can make this in advance, and it is better to use cold egg jam for the topping, as it will have a better, creamier consistency and less sweet.
- In a small saucepan, combine 125ml of water and 150g of sugar, bring to the boil and simmer for about 3 minutes.
- Remove the simple syrup from the heat and leave to cool for about 15 minutes.
- Separate the egg whites from the yolks, whisk the yolks and pass them through a fine sieve/strainer to make them creamy.
- Add the whisked egg yolks to the syrup, stirring constantly.
- Return the saucepan to a low heat, stirring constantly. When it is close to boiling, it will start to thicken. Remove from the heat and stir for another minute off the heat, until is gets a super creamy constency.
- Now pour the sweet egg jam into a bowl, cover, and refrigerate for at least a couple of hours.
- For the meringue, whisk the egg whites with a pinch of salt and 30g of sugar to create a simple meringue.
- Heat the milk in a large saucepan. When it is hot (lower the heat, but do not let it boil), now with a large serving spoon, spoon the meringue into the milk, cook for 2 to 3 minutes on each side, turn the egg whites gently over and cook for another 2 to 3 minutes.
- Remove the cooked merignues to a colander or kichen paper towel to dry out and remove the excess milk.
- Repeat until you have no more whisked egg whites.
- Finally, arrange the cooked meringue on a serving dish and pour the egg jam on top. Bon appétit and Merry Christmas.
This is the traditional and simple recipe, but you can add flavouring to the milk like lemon peels or a bit of vanilla extract to add that extra humpf to the meringue if you want 😀
When poaching the meringues, keep the milk at a gentle simmer, never let it come to a rolling boil. If the milk is too hot, your beautiful meringue clouds will deflate or break apart. Think of it as giving them a warm bath, not throwing them into a hot tub.
You can make these as big fluffy clouds using large serving spoons, or create more delicate, bite-sized puffs with smaller spoons. Bigger ones are more dramatic for presentation; smaller ones are easier to eat without breaking apart, for here you can see the ones I broke i put in the bottom and the ones that came out beautiful i put on top, presentation is half of the pleasure! ;D
Don’t skip the draining step after poaching. Letting the farófias sit on paper towels or a strainer for a few minutes helps them hold their shape better and prevents your dessert from getting watery if you just pile them directly from the milk, it will pool the excess in the bottom and just start slowly disolving the cooked meringue.
The milk you poached the meringues in is infused with a lovely subtle sweetness. Don’t throw it away, you can use it to make rice pudding, a simple custard, or even just drink it warm with a little chocolate or cinnamon.
Passing the egg yolks through a fine sieve before adding them to the syrup might seem fussy, but it’s worth it. It gives you that silky-smooth, luxurious texture in the doce de ovos without any lumps or chalazae (those white stringy bits).
When you’re cooking the egg jam on low heat, it can go from “almost there” to “scrambled eggs” pretty quickly. Keep stirring constantly and remove it from the heat as soon as it starts to thicken. The residual heat will continue cooking it even off the burner, it’s one of those times when you think it’s almost done, no it’s done!
While doce de ovos is traditional and absolutely delicious, you can also serve farófias with caramel sauce, crème anglaise (custard cream or leite creme in portuguese), or even a simple dusting of cinnamon. For a lighter option, try them with fresh berries or a berry compote.
Store any leftover farófias and doce de ovos separately in the fridge. The meringues will soften over time, but they’ll still taste delicious for a day or two. Just know they’re best enjoyed the day they’re made.
Like I said above, this dessert is especially popular during the Portuguese Christmas season because so many traditional holiday sweets, like ovos moles, puddings, papos de anjo, and barrigas de freira, use only egg yolks. Farófias are the perfect companion recipe to make sure nothing goes to waste, and they’re festive enough for any holiday table.
This recipe for Portuguese Sweet Meringue with Egg Jam • Farófias com Doce de Ovos was originally created on BakeAfter.com. Esta receita de Farófias com Doce de Ovos foi publicada em português no Iguaria.com.
Nutrition
Per Serving: 233 calories; 6.5 g fat; 34.8 g carbohydrates; 9 g protein.Did you try this recipe?
Let me know how it turned out for you! Leave a comment below ;D
