Formentera’s greixonera recipe

Greixonera is the dessert par excellence of Ibiza and Formentera, and it is a repurposed recipe that uses ensaimadas from previous days that are dry and cannot be sold.

You can find greixonera in almost all restaurants that serve typical food from the island of Formentera and Ibiza, both on one island and the other.

If you want to prepare your own greixonera recipe to enjoy at home, in this post we give you the recipe with the steps to follow, you will see that it is very easy to prepare. Aim well and let’s get to work!

Name and origin of the greixonera

As we have said before, greixonera is a recipe thought for reusing ingredients: the ensaimadas from the previous days, which have already dried out, are used to make a pudding. In fact, the recipe is similar to other repurposed desserts such asFrench pain perdu or Spanish torrijas.

The name “greixonera” comes from the casserole that was used to cook it: a greixonera (a type of pot in Spanish) or clay pot typical of Ibiza and Formentera.

The classic greixonera is prepared with ensaimadas, but in fact it could be prepared with anything left over from the previous day in the bakery, such as bread, croissants, ensaimadas or a mixture of them.

Information about this recipe

• Difficulty: Easy
• Total time: +/- 90 minutes
  • Preparation: 30 minutes
  • Cooking: 45 minutes
• Servings: 8-10
• Approximate calories per serving: 450 kcal

Materials you will need

The materials and utensils necessary to prepare this recipe are:

• Pan to caramelize sugar
• Tall mold to bake the greixonera
• Bowl to beat eggs and milk
  • You can also do it with a mixer or blender
• Casserole to boil milk

Ingredients for a greixonera

The ingredients you will need to prepare a greixonera are the following:

• 5 or 6 old ensaimadas (depending on the size of the ensaimadas you will need more or fewer units)
• 4 or 5 tablespoons of sugar to prepare the caramel
• Water for the caramel
• 1 liter of milk
• 6 fresh eggs (better if they are from hens from Ibiza or Formentera :D)
• Cinnamon
• Lemon peel

Elaboration

The steps to make a greixonera are:

1. Crumble the ensaimadas into small pieces with your hands and set them aside.
2. In the saucepan, boil the liter of milk together with the cinnamon and lemon peel. You can use cinnamon stick or powder, whichever you prefer. Let the milk cool
3. In a bowl, beat the eggs with some sugar, add the chopped ensaimadas and the milk. Let it rest for a few minutes so that the ensaimadas absorb the mixture.
4. Meanwhile prepare the caramel. To do this you must add 4 tablespoons of sugar and one of water and stir without stopping until it begins to turn golden.
5. Pour the caramel into the baking pan. You don’t need to grease the mold beforehand.
6. Next, pour the ensaimadas on top of the caramel, already soaked in the milk and egg mixture.
7. You must cook the greixonera in a bain-marie with the oven at 160ºC for approximately 30 – 40 minutes.
8. You can check if the greixonera is ready by sticking it with a toothpick: it should come out clean.
9. When ready, let cool before removing from the mold. Be careful with the caramel: it will be more liquid and you may get stains.

How to serve

We recommend that you serve the greixonera cold from the fridge. Furthermore, the day after preparing it the flavors will have settled and it will be even tastier. As you can see in the photo, some restaurants serve the greixonera with a little cream (also with a scoop of ice cream), but it is not mandatory.

Enjoy!