El Hierro quesadilla

Cake made with fresh El Hierro cheese, flour, egg, sugar and aromas of cinnamon, aniseed and lemon, baked in characteristic flower-shaped moulds.

El Hierro quesadilla
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History and origin

The Aguayro article (1974) documents the quesadilla as a typical dessert of El Hierro. The Herreña recipe shares with the Cantabrian quesada pasiega and the Ibizan flaó the base of fresh cheese, although the local cheese gives it its particular flavour.

Cultural context

The traditional preparation starts with unsalted fresh El Hierro cheese, crumbled and mixed with eggs, sugar, flour, aniseed, cinnamon and lemon peel before being baked in flower-shaped moulds until golden.

Documented ingredients

  • 1 kg unsalted fresh El Hierro cheese (or fresh goat's cheese)
  • 200 g wheat flour
  • 3 eggs
  • 200 g sugar
  • 1 teaspoon aniseed or anise
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • Zest of 1 lemon
  • A pinch of salt

Documented preparation

  1. Preheat the oven to 180 °C and grease or flour the flower-shaped moulds.
  2. Crumble or grate the fresh cheese and add the eggs, sugar, aniseed, cinnamon, lemon peel and a pinch of salt.
  3. Add the flour gradually and mix until you have a smooth dough.
  4. Pour the mixture into the moulds and bake for about 40-50 minutes, until golden. Leave to cool slightly before unmoulding.

Traceability sources