Ovos Moles de Aveiro (Aveiro Sweet Egg Yolk Cream)

Aveiro is the lagoon town up north with the striped moliceiro boats and the candy-colored houses, and its claim to sweet fame is a little dish called ovos moles, which translates, unglamorously, to soft eggs. Do not let the name put you off. It is a silky, lemon-scented custard made almost entirely of egg yolks and sugar, traditionally piped into little wafer shells shaped like shells and fish, because Aveiro is, after all, a fishing town.

Like so many of Portugal’s best sweets, this one comes from the convents. Nuns used egg whites to starch their habits and had a mountain of leftover yolks to deal with, so centuries of convent sugar work gave us this whole category of doces conventuais, egg yolk desserts cooked into thick, glossy sweetness. Ovos moles is one of the oldest and most famous of the bunch, and it earned Aveiro a protected geographical status for the real thing.

I skip the wafer shells at home, which need special molds, and just spoon the finished cream into little cups, the way my avó from São Miguel used to make her own version of doce de ovos for holidays. If you like this style of dessert, our Toucinho do Céu (recipe on the site) and Pudim Abade de Priscos (recipe on the site) are cut from the same convent cloth, and Sofia, who has strong opinions about anything involving a piping bag, is already lobbying me to buy shell molds for next Christmas.

Ovos Moles de Aveiro Recipe

Prep time: 20 minutes · Cook time: 15 minutes · Total: 35 minutes, plus 2 hours chilling · Servings: 8 · Calories: ~180 per serving

Ingredients

• 10 large egg yolks, room temperature
• 1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
• 3/4 cup water
• Zest of 1 lemon, removed in wide strips (not grated)
• Pinch of salt

Instructions

1. Combine the sugar, water, and lemon zest strips in a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Cook to the soft-ball stage, about 240°F on a candy thermometer.
2. Remove and discard the lemon zest strips.
3. While the syrup cooks, whisk the egg yolks in a bowl, then strain them through a fine sieve to remove the white membranes (chalazae), which keeps the final texture silky.
4. Slowly stream about half of the hot syrup into the yolks, whisking constantly, to temper them.
5. Pour the tempered yolk mixture back into the saucepan with the remaining syrup.
6. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture thickens to a glossy, pudding-like cream, 5 to 8 minutes. Do not let it boil hard or the yolks will curdle.
7. Divide among small ramekins, shot glasses, or dessert cups.
8. Chill at least 2 hours before serving.

Recipe Notes

• Cooking the yolks to a thick custard pasteurizes them enough for most home cooks, but if you are serving anyone pregnant, elderly, or otherwise egg-cautious, use pasteurized eggs to be safe.
• No wafer molds at home? Serve the cream in small glasses or spoon it over a plain butter cookie for crunch.
• Keep the heat low during the final cooking step. Egg yolks scramble fast once they hit direct high heat.
• This keeps covered in the fridge for up to 3 days, though it rarely lasts that long in my house.