Portuguese Angel Hair Pasta Sweet Pudding, also known as Aletria Doce, is a classic Christmas dessert recipe cherished in many Portuguese families. This creamy and smooth version melts in your mouth akin to a soft pudding, offering a delightful alternative to the firmer version that can be sliced and served. Made with angel hair pasta cooked in milk and flavoured with cinnamon and lemon peel, this comforting sweet pudding brings a festive touch to any holiday table.
Like I said, this recipe has two variations: one that we have already published, which is firmer and can be cut and served with a knife, and this version, which is creamier and more akin to a custard or soft pudding. The delicate angel hair pasta absorbs the aromatic milk infusion, creating a sweet creamy dessert, and it’s quite a wonderful way to introduce your family to some Portuguese holiday traditions, this dessert is also very common in Portugal because a lot of Christmas sweets are fried, so these types of puddings are nice break from all the fried sweets hehehe. Let’s check out the recipe!
Portuguese Angel Hair Pasta Sweet Pudding • Aletria Doce
Classic Christmas creamy Portuguese angel hair, vermicelli or cappellini pasta pudding, its really an easy recipe but absolutely delicious, its a bit like rice pudding but with pasta.
Ingredients
- Angel Hair Pasta – 200g
- Milk – 1 litter (Full Fat)
- Brown Sugar – 200g
- Egg Yolks – 6
- Lemon – 3 Peels
- Cinnamon – 1 Stick
- Cinnamon – For Sprinkling (Powdered)
- Butter – 1 Knob
- Salt – a Pinch
Directions
- Start by placing the cinnamon stick and 3 lemon zest strips in a large saucepan, then add the full fat milk and heat it up without boiling.
- When the milk is hot, add a pinch of salt, stir, and then break up the angel hair/vermicelli pasta with your hands over the milk. This is important so that the pasta is loose. Let it cook for about 6 to 8 minutes medium heat.
- Then add the sugar and cook for just 1 more minute so that it dissolves well in the broth, then remove the pot from the heat.
- Separate the egg yolks from the whites (save the whites for other dishes).
- Whisk the egg yolks well, then pour small spoonfuls of the milk and vermicelli mixture over the egg yolks, stirring constantly. Do this gradually to increase the temperature of the egg yolks without causing them to coagulate. When the egg yolk and liquid mixture is well blended and warm, pour everything back into the pan.
- Place it back on the medium heat and cook for a few more minutes until the mixture is well-formed and the egg yolks have thickened the liquid. Remove from the heat, add the butter, mix and pour into a serving dish. Allow it to cool before placing in the refrigerator.
- After at least a few hours (better the next day) before serving, sprinkle with cinnamon and serve. Bon appétit!
For best results, use whole milk rather than low-fat alternatives, as the richness is essential to the creamy texture.
The key to success is constant stirring when adding the egg mixture to prevent curdling.
You can garnish with a sprinkle of ground cinnamon or a few lemon zest curls for an elegant presentation.
This pudding will keep in the refrigerator for up to 3 days and actually improves in flavour as it sits.
This recipe for Portuguese Angel Hair Pasta Sweet Pudding • Aletria Doce was originally created on BakeAfter.com. Esta receita de Aletria Cremosa de São Martinho foi publicada em português no Iguaria.com.
Nutrition
2720 calories; 95 g fat; 375 g carbohydrates; 90 g protein.Did you try this recipe?
Let me know how it turned out for you! Do you prefer these pasta/rice puddings or just play egg puddings? Leave a comment below ;D
