imbb 16: tocino de cielo

this edition of is my blog burning? is hosted by the lovely viv of seattle bon vivant, and the theme is eggs. i wasn't going to participate this time because of other obligations, but i had a fitting entry: tocino de cielo, a flan-like dessert brought to the philippines by the spanish and the portugeuse, but of arabic and moorish origin. i picked this particular dish

because
the literal translation of it is "heavenly bacon" or "lard of heaven";

because
i've been mesmerized by it ever since my tita f exclaimed, "tocino de cielo? oh it's simple--just 25 egg yolks and a kilo of sugar....";

because
the good people of jerez de la frontera in spain needed to do something with all the egg yolks left over from using egg whites to mellow tannins in red wines and remove the bitterness in sherry, so they came up with this delectation to serve with their lovely wines;

because
it is one of those dishes that sets your mind agoggle when you realize what's in it, but once you've tried it, with its lightness, sweetness, and cleanliness despite its depth of flavour, it becomes a perfectly reasonable proposition;

and because
it is simple, yet stunning, and a celebration upon itself; have you ever seen such golden sunshine on a plate?




thank you to viv, once again, for a great edition of imbb!



tocino de cielo

25 egg yolks
1 kilo (5 cups) of white sugar
2-3 cups of water

combine sugar and water in a saucepan; boil the sugar syrup until it reaches soft-ball stage. set aside all but 1/2 to 1 cup of the syrup to cool. continue cooking the smaller amount of syrup until it has caramelized. pour the caramelized sugar into individual molds or pan, and coat the bottoms evenly.

beat the egg yolks in a large bowl, then pour the syrup in a steady stream, whisking it thoroughly into the eggs. make sure the sugar syrup has completely cooled, or you risk cooking the eggs or ending up with a gloopy, clumpy mess. strain the mixture into the molds or pan, then steam or cook in a bain-marie for 20 to 25 minutes. cool before unmolding.