Aletria with plant-based drink

Aletria is one of the most understated desserts in Portuguese confectionery, but also one of the most enduring. It isn’t exuberant or excessive, yet it appears year after year on Christmas tables and lingers in the days that follow, when the kitchen slows down and something simple, warm and comforting feels right.

Made with few ingredients and prepared slowly, aletria has always been a dessert of time and patience. Its creamy texture and delicate flavour make it a spoon dessert that easily adapts to small changes in the pantry, including replacing dairy milk with a plant-based drink, without losing its identity.

Today’s recipe uses a plant-based drink but keeps the foundation intact: fine noodles, a slow infusion of lemon and cinnamon, sugar added with restraint, and time on the stove, stirring. The result is still a soft, creamy dessert, meant to be served in a large dish and shared over several days.

Ingredients (serves about 6 to 8)

• 1 litre plant-based drink
  

• 200 g aletria noodles
  

• 150 g sugar
  

• 2 wide strips of lemon peel
  

• 1 cinnamon stick
  

• A pinch of salt
  

• Ground cinnamon, to serve

Place the plant-based drink in a wide pot along with the lemon peel, cinnamon stick and pinch of salt. Heat over medium heat, letting it warm slowly without boiling, so the aromas are released gradually.

Once it’s hot, add the aletria, broken into smaller pieces. Lower the heat and cook gently, stirring often so the noodles don’t stick to the bottom and cook evenly.