Torta De Jamon
"Ham Pie"
From the treasured pages of Libro para Recetas
Written by Susana de Sánchez Irazoqui
Torta De Jamon
"A media libra de jamon se le ponen 6 huevos y 1/2 libra de crema y si no hay se le pone nata, luego se disuelve un pedazo de mantequilla en un sarten con media cucharada de harina con 5 yemas de huevo y un pedazo de queso gruller rallado ya cuando esté todo bien mezclado se muele el jamon y se mezcla alli mismo pronto con las claras de huevo muy bien batidas luego se pone a fuego lento nada mas a que se disuelva todo. se unta de mantequilla una budinera y alli se pone todo a dos fuegos. Salsa para la misma torta En un sarten se disuelve un pedazo de mantequilla con media cucharada de harina y una poca de crema y se deja hervir un rato. Luego que está la torta servida se le pone."
English Translation
"To half a pound of ham, add 6 eggs and half a pound of cream (or clotted cream if there is none). Then, dissolve a piece of butter in a pan with half a tablespoon of flour and 5 egg yolks, along with a piece of grated Gruyère cheese. Once everything is well mixed, grind the ham and mix it in, then quickly add the well-beaten egg whites. Let it cook over low heat just until everything is dissolved. Grease a pudding mold with butter and pour everything in, and bake over a double boiler. Sauce for the same pie: In a pan, dissolve a piece of butter with half a tablespoon of flour and a little cream, and let it boil for a while. Once the pie is served, pour this sauce over it."
Note on the Original Text
Recipes of this era were recorded in a narrative fashion, assuming the cook understood basic techniques and cooking order—quantities and timings are imprecise, and ingredients are described by availability. There is no strict list of ingredients, and some substitutions (like nata if cream is absent) are given on the fly. Terms follow Spanish orthography and French-influenced spelling (for 'gruyer'), with punctuation and capitalization reflecting the informal, personal tone of family manuscripts.
Title
Libro para Recetas (1914)
You can also click the book image above to peruse the original tome
Writer
Susana de Sánchez Irazoqui
Era
1914
Publisher
Unknown
Background
A handwritten culinary treasure from early 20th-century Durango, this manuscript brings together cherished home recipes, lovingly passed down by a family of women. Discover the flavors and traditions of Mexico in a time of change, told one intimate recipe at a time.
Kindly made available by
University of Texas at San Antonio
This recipe comes from a handwritten collection by Susana de Sánchez Irazoqui and her family in Durango, Mexico, dated 1914—a time when Mexico was experiencing sweeping political and social changes. Such manuscripts give us a peek into how upper-middle-class and affluent Mexican families cooked during this transitional era, blending European culinary techniques with local traditions. Ham dishes like this 'torta' (which is more akin to a savory soufflé or pudding than a sandwich or cake) show the influence of French cuisine popular in Mexican high society in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Cheese and cream were expensive, marking this as a festive or special-occasion dish.
In early 20th-century Mexican homes, the cook would have used a large mixing bowl, a mortar or mincer for the ham, a sturdy saucepan for melting butter and making the sauce, a whisk or fork (sometimes a molinillo) for beating egg whites, and an enameled or metal pudding mold or baking dish (called a 'budinera'). The cooking would likely be done over a wood or coal-fired stove, possibly using a water bath for gentle and even baking. Fine graters and butter knives would complete the tool set.
Prep Time
20 mins
Cook Time
45 mins
Servings
8
We've done our best to adapt this historical recipe for modern kitchens, but some details may still need refinement. We warmly welcome feedback from fellow cooks and culinary historians — your insights support the entire community!
Ingredients
- 8 oz cured ham
- 6 large eggs (keep yolks and whites separated as instructed)
- 8 oz heavy cream (or 8 oz clotted cream or full-fat crème fraîche as substitute)
- 1 oz unsalted butter (plus extra for greasing)
- 1/2 tbsp (about 1/4 oz) all-purpose flour
- 5 egg yolks (in addition to 6 whole eggs)
- 1 3/4 oz grated Gruyère cheese (substitute Comté or mild Swiss cheese if needed)
- Salt and pepper (to taste, optional)
Instructions
- To prepare Torta de Jamón as described in the 1914 manuscript, begin by finely grinding or mincing 8 oz of cured ham.
- In a mixing bowl, combine the ham with 6 whole eggs and 8 oz of heavy cream (or clotted cream if heavy cream is unavailable).
- In a pan, melt about 2 tbsp (1 oz) of unsalted butter, stir in 1/2 tbsp (about 1/4 oz) of flour, and then blend in the yolks of 5 eggs.
- Add 1 3/4 oz of grated Gruyère cheese and stir well until it forms a smooth mixture.
- Combine the two egg mixtures with the minced ham.
- In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites (from the 6 eggs) until stiff and gently fold them into the rest of the mixture.
- Grease a pudding mold or baking dish with butter and pour in the mixture.
- Cook the dish over gentle heat, or in a bain-marie if possible, until the torta sets and is golden.
- For the sauce, melt another knob (about 3/4 oz) of butter in a pan, add about 1/4 oz more flour, and a splash (2–4 tbsp) of cream.
- Cook for a few minutes until the sauce thickens.
- Serve the sauce poured over the cooked torta.
Estimated Calories
440 per serving
Cooking Estimates
It takes about 20 minutes to prepare the ingredients and get everything ready. Cooking the torta and making the sauce will take about 45 minutes. Each slice has around 440 calories. The whole recipe makes 8 servings.
As noted above, we have made our best effort to translate and adapt this historical recipe for modern kitchens, taking into account ingredients nowadays, cooking techniques, measurements, and so on. However, historical recipes often contain assumptions that require interpretation.
We'd love for anyone to help improve these adaptations. Community contributions are highly welcome. If you have suggestions, corrections, or cooking tips based on your experience with this recipe, please share them below.
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