Obrigado! Pão de Queijo + More Brazilian Bites on our Thanksgiving Menu #EattheWorld

This month the Eat the World crew is headed to Brazil by tabletop. Read more about the Eat the World project, being spearheaded by Evelyne of CulturEatz; here's her challenge.

The Other Recipes...

• Culinary Cam: Obrigado! Pão de Queijo + More Brazilian Bites on our Thanksgiving Menu (you're here)

• A Day in the Life on the Farm: It's Friday; Time for a Caipirinha Cocktail and the Weekly Menu....Cheers!!

• Sneha’s Recipe: Brazilian Brigadeiros (Fudge Balls)

• Amy’s Cooking Adventures: Brigadeiro (Brazilian Fudge Balls)

Inspired by Café Brasil

After a ride through the redwoods in Santa Cruz, R took us to one of his favorite spots in Santa Cruz: Café Brasil. He ordered Feijoada, Churrasco, Moqueca; we also had Caju, Maracuja, a guava shake, a Brazilian beer, and an açaí shake.

We have made Moqueca in our house many times. Here's a post from when the kids made it for their AP World History project in 2019 - Moqueca: A Dish That Fuses Old World and New World Ingredients.

Our lunch at Café Brasil inspired my 2023 Thanksgiving menu. If you have been following me for awhile, you'll know that I never make a traditional Thanksgiving dinner. I can't remember the last time I roasted a turkey, much less making stuffing and gravy to go along with a roasted fowl.

Previous menus have included Ab Ovo Usque Ad Mala, A Thanksgiving Menu, inspired by the historical novelist Crystal King; A Claudia Rodin-Inspired Thanksgiving Menu: Arabesque; A Feast from the East, featuring dishes with Asian flair; a menu with a Literary Twist; Thanksgivukkah, when Thanksgiving and Hannukah collided; and more. This year, our menu consists of all our favorite South American dishes.

You'll see all the recipes towards the end of the month. For now, here's my Brazilian cheese bread.

Pão de Queijo

Pão de Queijo means 'cheese bread' in Portuguese.Ummm..cheese and bread. Yes, please. But there doesn't seem to be a definitive recipe. Some are made in muffin tins; some are pinched and rolled. The version that seemed most interesting to me was similar to a cream puff process but with tapioca flour and two kinds of cheese. I used queso fresco and shredded cheddar cheese, because that's what I had in my cheese drawer in the fridge.

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup whole milk

• 1/4 cup water

• 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter

• 2 cups tapioca flour

• 2 large eggs

• 1/2 cup crumbled cheese (I used queso fresco)

• 1 cup shredded cheddar

Procedure

Preheat to 425 degrees Fahrenheit.

Place milk, butter, and water in a large saucepan over medium heat. Stir occasionally until butter is melted and mixture begins to boil, approximately 4 minutes. Remove from heat and add flour; stir vigorously with a wooden spoon until dough is shaggy, usually just a few seconds. Transfer from the saucepan to a mixing bowl and let cool 5 minutes.

With a hand mixer or a wooden spoon, beat on until dough starts to come together, less than a minute. Add eggs, one at a time, and continue to beat on low speed or with a spoon until incorporated. Add in crumbled cheese and 3/4 cup shredded cheese. Beat until well-incorporated.

Form ping pong ball-sized balls of dough and place on a parchment paper or silicone mat-lined baking sheet. Sprinkle the remaining 1/4 cup shredded cheese over the top.

Place in the preheated oven and bake for 5 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and continue to bake until pão are lightly browned, approximately 20 minutes. Let cool 10 minutes before serving.

That's a wrap for my Brazilian #EattheWorld offering. Stay tuned for our December event. I can't wait to see where Evelyne has us headed before the holidays for the final 2023 #EattheWorld adventure.