Serradura (aka Macau Sawdust Pudding)

Sawdust Pudding. Doesn't sound very appealing, does it?

Apparently, 'serradura' translates to 'sawdust' in Portuguese. And the 'sawdust' in this dessert is actually...

Crushed Tea Biscuits! (Marie Biscuits)
Serradura is actually a layered chilled dessert made up of a sweetened, vanilla whipped cream and crushed biscuits. The creamy layer is a perfect match with the slightly rough biscuits.

This dessert, I believe, originates from Macau. The first time I went to Macau (just a 45-minute speed ferry journey), I bought this dessert from shop that first sold them, and I I felt like I was on the clouds. It had a lovely creamy, yet airy texture, but the biscuits are a wonderful interruption. But too bad no cafe in Hong Kong sold them back then :(

Recently, I found a cafe that replicated this dessert and did it justice. Well, it was even better than the Serraduras in Macau. (The other ones I've tried before are just no match - the cream not flavoured enough, too sweet, tastes like raw cream, wrong type of biscuits used...) Remembering that I've once seen a recipe for this before, I decided to re-create it in my kitchen.

As a first attempt, it wasn't bad, but I just couldn't replicate the exact flavour. Still investigating as to what the magic ingredient is. Vanilla seeds, maybe?


Recipe for Serradura (Macau/Sawdust Pudding)
From Cat's Blog (originally in Chinese, I've translated it here)

Ingredients
250ml Whipping cream
80g Marie biscuits (I used 100g)
50g Condensed milk
Vanilla essence (I used 2 tsp)

Method
1. Crush Marie biscuits finely. (I used the bash-it-in-a-Ziploc-with-rolling-pin method because I don't own a food processor)
2. Whip whipping cream to soft peaks. Add vanilla essence and condensed milk (Suggests you add 2/3 first, taste, then add more if it needs sweetening). Continue whipping until stiff peaks.
3. Transfer the cream into a piping bag. (fitted with a plain 1 or 2 cm nozzle)
4. Place a layer of biscuit into your vessel (individual moulds, mousse rings or cups) and pipe a layer of cream on top. Repeat until vessel is filled. (Suggests that don't put too much biscuit, or the cream will adhere to only the top bits and the dessert will look messy)
5. Chill in the freezer for two hours. When serving, leave it out for a bit (around 10 minutes) for it to soften.

*My sister was hanging around whilst I was shooting these - and requested that I put one of her figures (Toni Toni Chopper from manga 'One Piece') in a photo...I quite like the result :)