Farófias are a Portuguese Christmas classic: clouds of poached meringue floating on a silky egg custard, with cinnamon and lemon perfuming the kitchen. In many homes they are made on Christmas Eve, alongside the other festive sweets.
They are one of Portugal’s classic conventual sweets — fluffy egg whites gently poached in milk, with the yolks turned into the custard sauce underneath, so nothing goes to waste. In some regions they go by ovos nevados, “snowy eggs,” and the French make a close cousin they call île flottante.
Here is the traditional method, along with the little tricks that make farófias come out right: soft, glossy and never rubbery.
Farófias Recipe
Ingredients
- 8 egg whites
- ¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons powdered sugar, divided
- 4 cups milk
- Peel of 1 lemon
- 6 egg yolks
- ⅓ cup cornstarch
- Ground cinnamon, to taste
Instructions
- In a large saucepan over medium-high heat, bring the milk, ¼ cup of the powdered sugar and the lemon peel to a boil, then reduce the heat to low.
- In a large bowl, beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form, then beat in the remaining 2 tablespoons of powdered sugar.
- Drop large spoonfuls of the beaten whites into the hot milk and poach for about 2 minutes per side. Lift them out with a slotted spoon onto a platter.
- Strain the poaching milk and reserve it for the custard.
- In a small bowl, whisk the egg yolks, cornstarch and a splash of the reserved milk until smooth.
- Bring the rest of the reserved milk back to a boil, then gradually whisk in the yolk mixture, stirring constantly until it thickens into a custard. Pour it over the farófias.
- Dust with ground cinnamon and serve warm or cold.
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