Unglazed clay pot used to make dessert

[seabream]

I recently bought the unglazed clay pot in the photo, but haven't yet used it.

I bought it in Portugal in an outdoor market, and it's used to make a traditional Portuguese dessert called "pao de lo", which takes nothing but eggs, sugar and flour. The clay pot is supposed to be lined with the porous paper in the photo, and then the batter is poured in and baked. I attached another photo with a slice of the finished cake.

I don't expect anyone here to have experience with this particular pot and cake, but I think that general cooking experience may help answer my questions.

Now my questions:

1. How should I season it? All clay pot seasoning instructions I see include ingredients usually used in savory cooking, such as olive oil, and I'm unsure about using those here. I know I should have asked the old lady who sold it to me, but I didn't...

2. What should I use as a replacement for the porous paper used in Portugal? (I brought back one sheet of it, the one you see in the photo, to try to find it in the US) I could use parchment, but it doesn't seem quite as porous as the one in Portugal, and I'm wondering if that makes a difference in the results.

3. Can I put it directly in a hot oven, or should I preheat the oven with the pot inside, take the pot out, fill it with the batter, and put it back in? I thought that unglazed clay pots always had to go in a cold oven, but in this article - http://www.marthaste...-tomatoes-olive - Paula Wolfert has instructions to add her fish tagra (which is unglazed clay) directly to a preheated oven. Or at least I assume the instructions are for a tagra, since that's what's shown in the photo and the video, although I realize now the instructions don't mention to use a tagra specifically.

4. What's the point of using the traditional clay pot to make this cake? I understand that the main advantage of using unglazed clay pots in general is the accumulation of flavors over years of use, but since we add the paper, it doesn't seem that that would happen in this case. Is there any other advantage? Does this unglazed clay pot have better heat conductivity than a regular cake metal pan? (Please someone say yes I'd like to believe there's a point for me to own this pot.)

Thank you in advance for any thoughts, comments, or replies.

Edited January 11, 2013 by seabream (log)

[Panaderia Canadiense]

1. Season it with neutral vegetable oil, like Sunflower. This won't impart any flavour to the cakes you bake in it, but will fill the pores a bit and keep the pot from cracking. There is a recent discussion on seasoning clayware somewhere around here.

2. The paper is there to prevent sticking. Parchment will work just fine, although it probably won't drape the same way as the Portuguese version - that's a weight issue, though. If you can get a very low gsm parchment, it will work in exactly the same way as the papel does.

3. I always have, and I've only ever had one pot break on me; I assume that that one was poorly seasoned, because it was the only one I didn't do myself.

4. I'm not entirely sure, but whenever I've tried to make pao de lo in anything but clay, it doesn't come out right. I think the conductivity of the clay is such that you get the lovely gooey top and the well-set bottom. Done in other types of cooking vessel, it's a sponge cake (literally translated, pão de ló means "powder cake").

[seabream]

Thank you so much for the very informative reply!

I assume that you've made this cake before with the clay pot? Is your clay pot in the same shape and size (9" diameter, 4 1/2" high) as mine?

[Panaderia Canadiense]

Mine's about 12" in diameter by 5" high. A friend brought it for me from Brazil.

ETA: incidentally, I can't get pargaminho or parchment here; I use unglazed lightweight kraft paper.

Edited January 11, 2013 by Panaderia Canadiense (log)

[seabream]

Very interesting. How many yolks and eggs do you use for that size? I was planning to use anywhere from 12-14 yolks and 4 or 5 whole eggs for the size I have.

I see you're based in Equador, and I'm curious, is pao de lo traditional there too? (Or maybe you learned about it from your Brazilian friend?)

[Panaderia Canadiense]

I use about 20-25 yolks and then 8-10 whole eggs. It's an expensive dessert, but sooo worth it. And it's not something I try to sell either, it's for personal consuption only. Mmmm, with yummy dark chocolate on top....

Pão de ló isn't at all traditional in Ecuador - I learned about it from my mom, who travelled quite a lot in Portugal, and then had the idea revived for me when I was travelling with friends in Brazil. I make it for the same reason that I make Pão de Milho, Pastel de Nata, and other Portuguese/Brazilian baked yummies: I love the taste, and I can't get them here.

[judiu]

Re the paper, maybe coffee filter paper would work? Just an idea...

[vimaladevi]

I think this flat coffee filter paper would be ideal, natural unbleached. We use it for our Chemex coffee makers, but I'm definitely going to try it out in place of parchment paper next time...

[seabream]

Coffee filter paper is a good idea. Thanks.

Elizabeth - we need to keep in touch then. I've been experimenting with all sorts of Portuguese desserts, but I never bring those topics to eGullet because I just assumed there wouldn't be much interest. I make wonderful pasteis de nata too.

I'm getting ready to season my pao de lo pot, and here's what I was thinking of doing:

1. Soak for 1 hour.

2. Rub all over with canola oil (outside too, or just inside?)

3. Place in cold oven, set to 350F and bake for 2 hours.

Is this how you seasoned yours, or do you have a different method?

[Panaderia Canadiense]

Nope, that's my method too. It's basic olla seasoning procedure, just omitting the garlic or shallot rub.