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Easter Folar

Nowadays, the Easter Folar is one of the most striking symbols of Easter in Portugal, being offered by the godmothers on Easter Sundays. The Easter Folar symbolises friendship and reconciliation.

Legend


Legend has it that Mariana, a young inhabitant of a small Lusitanian village, prayed so much to Santa Catarina that her dream of marrying early come true that two suitors soon appeared, both young and good-looing ,one a rich nobleman, the other a farmer with few possessions,
Without knowing what to do, Mariana prayed again to Santa Catarina. While she was praying, Amaro, the poor suitor, knock on her door, asking her for an answer and pointing out Palm Sunday as the deadline. Afterwards, the nobleman appeared with the same question.
Sunday arrived and Mariana was alerted by a neighbour that the two suitors, who had met on the way to the girl’s house, had been involved in a figth. Mariana prayed again and Santa Catarina finally gave her an unswer: Amaro.
After being told that the nobleman intended to take revenge and kill the groom on the wedding day, the young woman, tormented, went to put flowers on the altar of the Saint. When she got home, she found a cake with whole eggs surrounded by of flowers, the same ones she has taken to the altar. She ran to tell Amaro the news when he told her the he also had received a similar cake. Both thinking that the nobleman would have been the author of such a beautiful gesture, the two went to his house to thank him. However, he had also received the same cake. Mariana concluded, therefore, that the cakes, which appeared mysteriously on the Easter Sunday, where sent by Santa Catarina.

Ingredients:


  • Baques’ yeast – 40gr
  • Wheat flour – 500 gr
  • Warm milk – 100 ml
  • Sugar – 100 gr
  • Margarine – 75 gr
  • Powdered cinnnamon – 1 coffee spoon
  • Powdered anise – 1 coffee spoon
  • Brandy – ½ glass
  • Eggs – 2
  • Salt – q.b
  • Boiled eggs – 2
  • Egg yolk – q.b


Steps


  1. Mix the yeast with 100 g of flour and add half of the milk. Mix until it forms a dough that comes off the bowl and hands (if necessary add all the milk).
  2. In a bowl, place the remaining flour and make a well in the centre. Then place the yeast dough, around it place the sugar, the margarine cut into cubes, the cinnamon, the fennel, the brandy and the eggs lightly beaten with a fork (if you add salt, add it to the eggs) .
  3. Knead everything very well until the dough detaches from the bowl, and beat it on the work table 15 to 20 times until it has a fluffy and elastic consistency.
  4. Rinse a bowl with hot water and clean it very well. Place the dough inside, sprinkle with flour, cover and place in a warm place. Let rise until it doubles in volume, between one and two hours.
  5. Remove some dough for decoration and divide the remaining dough into two equal portions, forming two balls as you do with bread. Flatten a little, place a boiled egg in the middle, decorate with rolls of dough on top of the egg.
  6. Bake in a hot oven at 200°C for about 30 minutes. After ten minutes, cover with aluminium foil to prevent burning. After 15 minutes, remove the tray from the oven and brush the puff pastry with an egg yolk mixed with a little milk. Put it back in the oven to finish cooking. If necessary, replace the aluminium foil.

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