Category: Egg

Blueberry Pancake and Mimosa Anniversary Brunch With Air Fryer Eggs!

7/20/2025

Our 16th anniversary was last month and we had a great day starting with a blueberry pancake and mimosa anniversary brunch!

This post is part of a series: June 2025 Lidl Grocery Store Finds • Americans in Portugal

How to make pancakes 101:

When making pancakes, I prefer to use a combination of butter and oil in the pan. This is not to be extra, there is a reason!

Butter helps create lovely golden crisp on your pancake, but it also burns faster than oil. So as you continue cooking pancakes you're more likely to get some a little too dark if you use only butter because of how the pan will retain heat.

How To Make A Blueberry Pancake

When you add some oil to the butter and swirl it together, you essentially increase the smoking point, so you can get that buttery golden touch without burning so easily! Still, keep an eye on the heat of your pan and adjust as needed.

I tossed a few blueberries on, just for fun. You can use frozen blueberries for pancakes. That's what these were. :)

New Category Added: Cook Along!

When To Flip A PanCake

It's important to let the first side of a pancake cook enough to enable a successful flip. Wait until you see lots of little bubbles on the surface like below and then go for it!

When To Flip A Pancake: Look For The Bubbles!

Try to flip with confidence and voila! You've revealed your golden-edged pancake - well done!

Use Butter + Oil (even on a non stick pan!) To Get a Golden Edged Pancake

What to serve with blueberry pancakes

I wanted to make the meal a little more complete and eggs are a natural choice, however I only have access to a single burner cook top at the moment which was occupied for the pancakes. So I decided to attempt to make eggs in the air fryer along with these tasty duchess potatoes.

Cooking Fried Eggs in an Air Fryer Alongside Lidl Duchess Potatoes | Air Fryer Cooking

Shop Top Rated Air Fryers

How long to cook fried eggs in an air fryer:

My search online indicated that it would only take 3-4 minutes to cook an egg with a runny yolk in the air fryer.

So I first cooked the duchess potatoes almost completely, minus about 5 minutes. Then I added the reusable silicone dinosaur molds (its all I had lol) for those last few minutes in order to time everything poiiiifectly!

Well timed, but not well photographed - forgot! Sorry!

Fita Azul Blanc de Blancs Reserva - Espumante

Some friends had kindly brought us a bottle of Fita Azul Blanc de Blancs Reserva Espumante recently and this was perfect to make some anniversary mimosas!

Fita Azul Reserva Espumante

Fita Azul Blanc de Blancs Label

How to make a mimosa

I think a mimosa is technically champagne and orange juice, but lots of folks use prosecco and even more use any affordable and tasty sparkling wine they have access to. :) That's us!

Try This For a Mimosa With a Twist!

Mimosa: Sparkling wine first or juice first?

So in my head, I thought if you pour juice on top of the sparkling wine, doesn't that collapse some of the bubbles? Maybe, idk, but apparently the 'right' way is to pour the sparkling wine in first and then top with orange juice.

Mimosa Step One: Pour 1/2 or 2/3 Sparkling Wine, Prosecco, or Champagne

What is the right ratio of wine to juice for a mimosa?

Surprise, surprise, there are different schools of thought on this also. Some say 50:50, others say 2/3 sparkling wine/champagne to 1/3 orange juice. I say do whatever tastes great to you!

Want mostly orange juice with a bit of fizz? Go for it.
Want mostly champagne with a bit of OJ? Go for it!

This is a low stress, easy-to-make, fun drink for a celebration. It's a special occasion - enjoy it!

Mimosa Step Two: Top with Orange Juice!

PS. When in Portugal, if you can, please do try the fresh orange juice machines in grocery stores. The orange juice is delicious and as fresh as can be because you toss the oranges in yourself!

If you're going for juice from the juice isle, look specifically for the "laranja do algarve" labels as these orange juices feature the best oranges in Portugal - the ones from the beautiful, sunny Algarve. ;)

Pancake Anniversary Brunch: Done!

It was a lovely little brunch with blueberry pancakes, mimosas, espressos, air fryer eggs, and duchess potatoes.

PS If you're having a hard time finding real maple syrup in Portugal - try Lidl!

As Seen In This Post:

Lidl Maribel Bio Organic Maple Syrup (similar)
Compal Origens Laranja do Algarve
Lidl Deluxe Duchess Potatoes
Fita Azul Blanc de Blancs Reserva Espumante
Frozen Blueberries
Dinosaur Silicone Molds (similar)

Anniversary Dinner: Tasca da Luz (Coming Soon!)

More Air Fryer COoking:

Easy Air Fryer Cooking Ideas For Newbies From Newbies!

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Experiences: Cooking Homemade Mushroom Ricotta Ravioli in Butter-Sage Sauce With Master Chef Winner Luca Manfé Sponsored by Melrie Jewelry

11/18/2023

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original post 11/19/2020

Mushroom Ricotta Ravioli with Melrie x Chef Luca is filed under
Pasta • Egg • Italy • Experiences • Lunch • Dinner • Europe

Mericia of Melrie Jewelry generously hosted a private group cooking class with Luca Manfé.

We all met up on zoom and set out to make homemade Mushroom Ricotta Ravioli!

The class moved pretty quickly and we did a lot of simultaneous pasta rolling, cooking, and eating, so most of our pics are from making more raviolis from the rest of the pasta dough!

Step 1: Make the Pasta Dough

It's best if you can get 00 pasta flour and a ratio of 100 grams to 1 large egg is generally a good place to start. (digital kitchen scales are the best) I guess making dough is a lot about how it feels and in time you will know if you need to add a bit more flour, an extra egg, or a few drops of water to get the consistency just right. The kneading took at least 15 minutes and then we wrapped up the ball of dough and let it rest at room temperature while preparing everything else.

Step 2: Make The Mushroom Ricotta Filling

Olive oil and a ton of sliced mushrooms went in a sauté pan with salt and pepper. Shallots, thyme, and garlic were added later followed by white wine. The mixture now needed to be chopped very finely. Our class didn't all have food processors, so we did the rustic, Italian grandma style chop on alarge cutting board with a good knife. Next time I would probably just save the time and use the food processor. Now we added ricotta, fresh grated parmesan, and parsley and did a final seasoning (salt + pepper) of the filling. then added one egg to the mix and put it in a pastry bag!

Handmade Ravioli - Traveling Through Food x Melrie x Luca Manfe

Carefully sealing the pasta layers together and smoothing out air bubbles

Freshly cut home made raviolis

Step 3: Making The Ravioli

Clamp your pasta machine to your counter or table and make sure there is enough space for the dough you're rolling out! You'll want to start on the widest setting on the machine and work your way through the thinner settings. Work with a small piece of dough and keep the rest tightly covered so it doesn't dry out. You may need to add a dusting of flour in between to prevent the dough from sticking. Once the dough is rolled out, grab your pastry bag and squeeze filling along half of the dough, at least 1 inch apart. Brush pasta with whisked egg yoke and fold over the other half, carefully pressing the dough together and removing air pockets as you go. Use a cookie cutter, ring mold, or ravioli cutter to cut out each ravioli and put them on a baking sheet lined with parchment (or silpat) and sprinkled with semolina flour and cover with a kitchen towel while you keep working.

Raviolis ready to be cooked!

Step 4: Cooking The Ravioli

In a large pot with salted, boiling water, add raviolis in batches and cook until they float to the top (about 90 seconds or around 3 minutes if frozen)

Step 5: Making The Butter-Sage Sauce

In a large sauté pan, add a few tablespoons of butter, sage leaves, and a couple ladles of pasta water, bring to a simmer and season with salt. As the raviolis boil, scoop them out with a slotted spoon and add them to the sauce with some more butter and a bit more pasta water if needed.You're just going to cook them and move them around until the sauce has covered them nicely! Serve with some grated Parm!

Left over raviolis topped with bacon :p

Bonus: The Egg Filled Ravioli!

Make a dip in the filling with your thumb and try to plop in a single egg yolk. If you can seal the ravioli well and cook it just right, when you slice it open you'll get a perfect runny egg to add richness to the sauce!

Egg Filled Ravioli

Mushroom Ricotta Ravioli Ingredient List

full recipe: Chef Luca Manfé

00 flour
eggs
ricotta
your preferred mushroom
parmigiano reggiano
garlic cloves
shallots
thyme

butter
sage
white wine
parsley
semolina flour
salt
pepper
extra virgin olive oil

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Mushroom Ricotta Ravioli with Melrie x Chef Luca is filed under
Pasta • Egg • Italy • Experiences • Lunch • Dinner • Europe

Thanks, Melrie Jewelry!

It was an absolute delight.
Thank you so much for the opportunity!
Check out Melrie Jewelry for beautiful, timeless totally handmade pieces of jewelry!

Chef Luca's Cook Book
My Italian Kitchen

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Inspired By Travel: Making Pastéis de Nata Portuguese Custard Tarts

11/10/2023

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In the Summer of 2018 we had a special opportunity to visit friends and get a taste of a wonderful place - Portugal! No list of "top foods to try in Portugal" is complete without the glorious little Portuguese custard tart known as Pastel de Nata!

originally post date 11/12/20

Pastéis de Nata Portuguese Custard Tarts Recipe is filed under:
Desserts • Snacks • Europe • Portugal • Inspired by Travel • Pastry • Egg

Our first Pastéis de Nata came from Portela Cafe on Rua da Graça in Lisbon. It was a short stroll from our airbnb and we wanted to get our Portugal trip off to a good start with cafe and pastries for breakfast! ;)

From there we enjoyed Pastéis de Nata just about everywhere we went - Lisbon, up the Silver Coast, Porto, and even the airport lounge on the way home.

So what exactly is a Pastel de Nata?

Pastéis de Nata are a delightful little treat consisting of a flaky crust filled with custard. Most people enjoy their Pastéis de Nata with a sprinkle of powdered sugar and cinnamon on top! Some people prefer just cinnamon or just powdered sugar while others enjoy a Pastel de Nata as is!

How do you eat a Pastel de Nata?

Easy. Just take a bite for optimal enjoyment of the creamy custard together with the crispy crust. There is a segment of society, however, who prefer to use a spoon to eat the custard first and then eat the crust. Posh. ;p No matter how you eat your pastel de nata, it's going to be delicious!

Portugal Travel Blog:

History of Pastel de Nata

The popular origin story of the Pastel de Nata goes back over 300 years ago to Jerónimos Monastery in Belém. The nuns and monks used egg whites to starch the clothing, leaving a huge amount of egg yolks needing used up. To prevent waste and simultaneously generate income to support the monetary, the custard tart was born. The recipe was later sold when the monastery closed in 1833. Today you can try the original Portuguese custard tart at Pastéis de Belém.

Wait. I'm Confused. Is it Pastéis de Nata, Pastel de Nata or Pastéis de Belém?

Pastel de Nata - one Portuguese custard tart
Pastéis de Nata - multiple Portuguese custard tarts
Pastéis de Belém - Portuguese custard tarts made from the original secret recipe.
The original Pastéis de Belém is only available at Fábrica Pastéis de Belém

It makes me think of how some people say Kleenex any time they mean "tissue" whether it's Kleenex brand or not. Technically, a Kleenex is a tissue, but all tissues are not Kleenex. So all Pastéis de Belém are Pastéis de Nata (albiet branded with the perception of superiority), but not all Pastéis de Nata are Pastéis de Belém. Hope I got that right and hope it makes more sense now!

One last Pastel de Nata in Porto, Portugal

Flash Forward to December 2018 and we were already in withdrawal! On a weekend trip to Toronto we looked up Carousel Bakery in St. Lawrence Market so we could relieve the custard tart experience

Pastéis de Nata from Carousel Bakery in St. Lawrence Market Toronto, Canada | Traveling Through Food

Flash Forward to summer 2019 when family brought back some Pastéis de Nata after attending the Love Never Fails International Convention in Lisbon! And later when we sought out Azores Cafe in Pittsburgh so we could have some more Nata.

Basically, it was high time we tried to make Pastéis de Nata at home...

A Pastel de Nata has two main elements to master:

Flaky Crust
Creamy Custard

Which begs the question....

Can you make Pastéis De Nata with frozen puff pastry?

The answer is yes! If you don't want to go through the effort of making your own puff pastry, you can definitely take the short cut and use frozen puff pastry. I used Pepperidge Farm Puff Pastry Sheets and it worked like a dream. In the future, I would like to do it 100% from scratch, but it's nice to lower the barrier of entry. ANYONE can make this!

How To Make Pastéis de Nata Custard Step-by-step

I followed LeitesCulinaria's recipe found here

Whisk 3 tablespoons of flour with 1/4 cup of milk until smooth
Bring 1 1/3 cups granulated sugar, 1 cinnamon stick, and 2/3 cup of water to boil. Do not stir this, but let it boil until 220F or 100C
Scald 1 cup of milk (237ml) in a separate small sauce pan. Whisk scalded milk into the milk/flour mixture.
Take the cinnamon stick out from the syrup and pour it into the milk/flour mixture, whisking the whole time. Stir in 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla.
Whisk the yolks from 6 large eggs in a bowl. Then whisk them into the milk/flour/syrup mixture.
Strain this thin mixture into a bowl.

How long will Pastéis de Nata uncooked custard mixture last?

Uncooked custard mixture can last in the refrigerator for up to 3 days according to LeitesCulinaria.

At what temperature does milk scald? Why do you scald milk

Milk scalds once it is heated above 180F or 83C. Scalding milk can kill bacteria and enzymes that may interfere with thickening in recipes. (sources here and here)

Tips for using Frozen Puff Pastry to Make Pastéis de Nata

You will want to take the pastry out of the freezer well in advance.

How long does it take for frozen puff pastry to defrost/thaw from frozen?
In general, thaw at room temperature for 2 hours or overnight in the refrigerator.

It's important to let the pastry thaw or else you will break it when you try unroll it from the package.

Once the pastry is thawed, you are going to lay it flat on your work space (I used this large cutting board) and then roll it tightly into a log. Wrap it in plastic and refrigerate until you are ready to assembly your Portuguese custard tarts!

See this CupcakeJemma video below for the technique:

Assembling Pastéis de Nata

Take the puff pastry log out of the refrigerator and slice it into pieces around 3/4 inches or 18mm.
I used what looks like a vintage mini muffin tin and sprayed with oil to prevent sticking. Place a piece of dough into the pan and use your thumb to press the dough flat into the bottom of the muffin pan and then up around the sides.
Fill each about 3/4 full of the custard mixture.
Bake 8-9 minutes for mini muffin tins at as high as you can get your oven. The recipe recommended 550F or 290C, but our convection oven only goes to 480.

Making Pastéis de Nata with Frozen Puff Pastry | Traveling Through Food

The final product was quite adorable and delicious! This one has a very light dusting of powdered sugar and cinnamon on top.

Mini Pastel de Nata made with Frozen Puff Pastry | Traveling Through Food

I also tried to make them in normal sized cupcake tins, but I filled them up too high, causing the custard to run down the side and caramelize way before the pastry was fully cooked. You can tell below that the pastry at the bottom is still soft. I definitely recommend taking seriously the recommendation to fill just 3/4 full!

Mini Pastel de Nata made with undercooked Frozen Puff Pastry | Traveling Through Food

Tip: Fill 3/4 full with custard to prevent overflowing, over caramelization, and undercooked pastry

When do you eat a Pastel de Nata?

According to Eater, "locals eat Pastéis de Nata at breakfast, in the midmorning, after lunch, or in the evening — any time they're craving a snack"

Should you eat Portuguese custard tarts hot or cold?

There's no wrong way! Some people love them warm, others like the texture of the custard better when it is at room temperature. Still others like them cold! The only way to decide is to try them all three ways, don't you agree? ;-)

Do Pastéis de Nata need refrigerated?

In most instances, there won't be any left over since they are so tasty! But on the off chance that you do have left overs it is recommended that you store them in the fridge.

How do you reheat Pasteis de Nata?

Reheating a pastry like this is best done in an oven or toaster oven over a microwave, for sure. 350F around 7 minutes should do the job!

How long do Pasteis de Natas last?

In an airtight box they may last up to 2 days. If refrigerated around 5 days. But seriously, just eat them today. :)

Is there lemon in Pastéis de Nata?

Although this particular recipe did not call for it, many recipes do infuse lemon flavor into the simple syrup by adding lemon rind to the water, sugar, and cinnamon stick! I will definitely try this next time because I love a bit of lemon in a custard.