Portuguese Natas do Ceu Recipe
Natas do Céu is a beloved layered cream dessert from Portugal, featuring Maria cookies and two types of cream. The first is a sweet egg cream, made by whisking sugar syrup with egg yolks to create a rich, golden topping. The second is a light mixture of meringue and whipped cream. The dessert is assembled by alternating layers of the meringue-cream mixture with crumbled Maria cookies, with the sweet egg cream reserved for the top.The name translates to "cream of the sky," earning it the affectionate nickname "heavenly cream." Its appearance is similar to another Portuguese dessert, Serradura (Sawdust Pudding), which also layers whipped cream with Maria cookie crumbs. However, Serradura lacks the distinctive yellow egg cream topping and is instead garnished with ingredients like cinnamon, nuts, or passion fruit pulp. Natas do Céu is particularly popular during Christmas but is enjoyed year-round in Portugal, not just as a dessert but also as a breakfast or anytime treat, often paired with coffee.
Ingredients
- Maria cookies, package – 1
- Heavy cream – 2 cups
- Eggs, yolks and whites separated – 6
- Water – 2 tbsp
- Sugar- ½ cup plus 2 tbsp
- Milk – 1 tsp
Instructions
Cookies
- Crush the cookies into fine crumbs and set aside.
Sweet egg topping
- In a small saucepan, pour in 2 tablespoons of water and 1/4 cup of the sugar and stir.
- Heat the sugar until it forms into a light threadlike syrup but do not boil or allow it to become golden.
- In a small bowl, whisk the yolks with a teaspoon of the milk.
- Gradually, while still whisking, drizzle in the sugar syrup, incorporating it thoroughly into the yolks and set aside.
White mousse
- Beat the cream with 1/4 cup of sugar until peaks form and set aside.
- In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites, until foamy and continue to beat on high speed while gradually incorporating 2 tablespoons of sugar.
- Beat until soft peaks form.
- Fold the egg whites into the cream until they are thoroughly incorporated.
Assembly
- In alternating layers, starting on the bottom of glass bowl or individual serving cups, add the cookie crumbs.
- Pour a layer of cream followed by a layer of cookies until there's no more left
- Top with the sweetened egg yolks.
Nutrition
Calories: 498kcalCarbohydrates: 15gProtein: 6gFat: 47gSaturated Fat: 29gTrans Fat: 2gCholesterol: 227mgSodium: 76mgSugar: 12g
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