destination dinner party

This easy Portuguese dish is sure to please.

Amêijoas à Bulhão Pato

Portuguese or extra-virgin olive oil, or unsalted butter

garlic,

cilantro,

Vinho Verde or other light white wine

Hot Pepper Paste (recipe below)

coarse kosher salt, plus more as needed

white pepper

littleneck clams (3 pounds), scrubbed

Lemon

Substitutions:Soft-shell clams or mussels can be substituted for the littlenecks in this recipe. The cooking time varies depending on the size of the clams. To substitute wine in seafood recipes, use 1/2 cup of water and the juice of 1 lemon per 1 cup of wine.Store-bought Portuguese hot pepper paste, crushed dry peppers, or hot sauce can be substituted for the homemade.Adapted with permission from Portuguese Home Cooking by Ana Patuleia Ortins, copyright © 2021. Published by Interlink Books, an imprint of Interlink Publishing Group, Inc.

The Kitchn

Ana Patuleia Ortins

Step 1

In the bottom of a deep 4-quart pot with a tight lid, heat the butter or oil and lightly cook the garlic, just until it becomes aromatic. Toss in the cilantro and stir in the wine, pepper paste, salt, and pepper.

Step 2

Add the clams, gently turn to coat, and cover tightly. Cook over medium-high heat until the clams have opened, 5 to 20 minutes, depending on the size of the clams. Discard any unopened clams. Taste the broth and season with more kosher salt as needed. To serve, ladle the clams, with some broth, into shallow bowls. Serve with lemon wedges for squeezing, and plenty of crusty bread to soak up the juices.

Tina is obsessed with recipes — everything about them! She was the Executive Food Editor at Food & Wine Magazine for eons, where she oversaw the test kitchen, top edited all the recipes, scouted chef talent and new products, and had the great fortune to edit longtime columnists Julia Child, Jacques Pépin, Marcella Hazan, and Paula Wolfert. She has translated and adapted French chef cookbooks for American home kitchens and worked on books for Lidia Bastianich and Jose Andrès, among others.

Tina Ujlaki

With a flaky crust and creamy filling, it’s impossible to eat just one.

Portuguese Egg Tarts

all-purpose flour,

water

salt

lemon

sugar

cinnamon stick

whole milk, divided

all-purpose flour

Powdered sugar and ground cinnamon,

Egg tart tins are inexpensive and worth getting if you’re serious about making great tarts. A standard muffin tin will work, but shaping the tarts will be slightly more difficult.Make ahead: The dough logs can be frozen for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight before using.Storage: Refrigerate cooked tarts in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Enjoy them chilled or crisp them up in a 350°F oven for 5 minutes.

I cover recipe content on The Kitchn, write and update recipes and recipe roundups, and test recipes for the team. I have 10 years of experience working in R&D test kitchens, testing products and recipes, and at publishers including Serious Eats and EatingWell.

Jan Valdez

Perry Santanachote

Step 1: Make the dough:

Mix 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour, 2/3 cup water, and 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt together in a large bowl with your hands until a shaggy dough forms. Knead until the dough is elastic and smooth but still a little tacky, 5 to 8 minutes. Shape the dough into a ball, wrap in plastic wrap, and let rest at room temperature for 20 minutes.

Step 2: Make the dough:

The dough should now look very smooth. Generously flour a work surface, rolling pin, and the dough. Roll the dough out into an 8x10-inch rectangle (about 1 centimeter thick) with a long side closer to you.

Step 3: Make the dough:

Brush any excess flour off the dough. Spread 3 pieces of the unsalted butter in a thin layer onto the left 2/3 of the rectangle. Lift up the right unbuttered portion and fold it over the middle section, then fold the far left panel over the middle.

Step 4: Make the dough:

Rotate the dough 90 degrees. Roll the dough out again into an 8x10-inch rectangle. Repeat buttering, folding, rotating, and rolling out the dough two times more. Spread the remaining butter on the dough, leaving a 1/2-inch border.

Step 5: Make the dough:

Starting with the long side closest to you, tightly roll the dough up into a log. Trim both ends, then cut the log in half crosswise. Wrap each one in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, make the custard filling.

Make the dough:

Step 1: Make the custard filling:

Using a vegetable peeler, peel 2 long strips zest from 1 medium lemon, being careful not to peel off any of the white pith. Place the zest, 1 1/3 cups granulated sugar, 2/3 cup water, and 1 (3-inch) cinnamon stick in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Simmer, swirling pan occasionally but not stirring, until thickened to the consistency of syrup, 2 to 3 minutes. Measure out 3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons of the syrup and set aside.

Step 2: Make the custard filling:

Whisk 1/3 cup of the whole milk and 1/4 cup of all-purpose flour together in a medium bowl until smooth. Bring the remaining 1 cup whole milk to a boil in a medium saucepan over high heat. Remove the saucepan from the heat.

Step 3: Make the custard filling:

While whisking constantly, slowly pour half of the hot milk into the flour mixture. Pour the mixture back into the saucepan. Add the measured syrup and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until thickened and smooth, 3 to 5 minutes. Remove the saucepan from the heat.

Step 4: Make the custard filling:

Place 5 large egg yolks in the now-empty milk-flour bowl and whisk to combine. Temper the eggs by slowly whisking in the remaining hot milk. Transfer to the saucepan and whisk to combine. Push the filling through a fine-mesh strainer set over a bowl or liquid measuring cup; discard the contents of the strainer.

Make the custard filling:

Step 1: Make the tarts:

Arrange a rack in the top third of the oven and heat the oven to 550°F. If your oven doesn’t heat up to 550°F, place a pizza stone or 2 stacked baking sheets on the rack while the oven heats.

Step 2: Make the tarts:

Cut 1 of the dough logs crosswise into 12 pieces. (If your kitchen is warm, use one piece at a time and keep the remaining refrigerated.) Place a piece cut-side down in an egg tart tin or a well in a standard 12-well muffin tin. Use your thumb to firmly press the center of the dough into the bottom of the tin, forming a wall of dough around your thumb. If using egg tart tins, press the edges of the dough outward and up against the sides until it extends over the lip of the tin by 1/4 inch. If using a muffin tin, push the dough up against the sides of the well, but the dough will not reach the top. Make sure the dough is as thin as you can get it. If the dough is sticking to you, dip your thumb in water before shaping.

Step 3: Make the tarts:

Repeat until you have shaped all 12 pieces. Place the dough-lined tins on a baking sheet. Fill the tins or wells with the custard, stopping 1/4 inch from the top.

Step 4: Make the tarts:

Bake until the custard is slightly puffed and browned in spots and the crust is golden-brown and looks flaky, 10 to 16 minutes. Let cool for 10 minutes, then carefully unmold them onto a wire rack.

Step 5: Make the tarts:

Repeat assembling and baking the remaining dough log and custard into 12 more egg tarts, letting the tins or muffin tin cool completely if reusing them.

Step 6: Make the tarts:

Dust the egg tarts with a little powdered sugar and ground cinnamon right before serving if desired.

Make the tarts:

I've spent the last 10 years working behind the scenes on some of America's favorite cooking shows, making fun and informative food content, and food styling some really neat cookbooks. I'm a firm believer that cooking and baking should be fun and bring you joy — and never feel like rocket science.

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Amêijoas à Bulhão Pato

Portuguese Egg Tarts

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