Pão de queijo: Brazilian Cheese Bread

These "cheesy poofs" are fun and addictive. The first recipe may not be a traditional technique but it's so much easier than the second that we make them more often.

Easy method in mini muffin tins, fresh from the oven

Easy non-traditional method

This recipe is insanely easy, no boiling the liquid and burning out motors blending in the tapioca starch. The surface doesn't come out quite as crusty as the naked-baked ones below but it's so easy you can do it in 30 minutes, start-to-finish, without using the stovetop. You only need a blender, and a couple mini-muffin tins, and an oven. 

The starch is Cassava or Tapioca flour, both made from the cassava/manioc/yucca plant root, but tapioca's a bit more processed and has little fiber; "sour" cassava flour is the norm, but not vital. Traditionally the cheese is similar to a queso fresco but we find this a bit bland so use something more intensely flavored -- a different cheese or mix in something like parmesan. We sometimes add a bit of powdered chili or pimenton to the batter or as a dusting to finish.

 60 g       1        egg, large
 95 ml    1/3 cup    olive oil
190 ml    2/3 cup    milk
170 g   1 1/2 cups   tapioca flour / manioc starch
 66 g     1/2 cup    cheese, grated (packed by cup)
  5 g       1 tsp    salt

  3 g       1 tsp    pimenton dulce (optional)

Preheat oven to 200C/400F (190C/375F convection).
Grease two 12-cell mini-muffin tins (about 4 cm or 1 1/2 inch diameter holes);
if you don't do this, they will stick mercilessly, even in "nonstick" tins.
Blend all ingredients in a blender.
Pour into muffin tins.
Bake 15-20 minutes until golden to golden brown.

The center should be slightly gummy, not completely dry, similar to a
pop-over or gougere.

About to go into the oven

Gratuitous manioc starburst pattern

Traditional way

Using a Kitchen-Aide stand mixer makes the mixing/kneading process easy.  Since Manioc has no gluten, extended kneading won't cause it to get tough or chewy like bread dough.

Cooling the mixture before adding Eggs prevents them from setting up.
The dough is very wet, almost batter-like; chilling should help in forming the balls, but we ended up dolloping with a disher -- they puffed up into beautiful rounds.

The commercial ones are a bit gooey in the center.  My first ones (350F for 20 minutes) came out crispy on the outside and partly hollow in the center. After chilling, I baked in a convection oven at 350F, but you could use conventional at 375F or 400F.

1 1/2 cup Milk
1/2 cup Butter (1 stick, 8 Tbs, 1/4 pound)
1 1/2 tsp Salt
3 cup Manioc Starch, sour
2 1/4 cup Grated Cheese (mixture of Parmesan, Mozzarella, Mexican farmer)
3 whole Eggs, beaten

Bring Milk, Butter, Salt to boil.
Pour mixture into Kitchen Aide mixer bowl with paddle.
Slowly mix in Manioc Starch, increase speed and mix thoroughly.
Allow to cool.
Mix in Cheese, Eggs; knead until smooth.
Chill to make it easier to form into balls.

Preheat oven to convection 375F convection or or 400F conventional.
Grease or line baking sheets with silpats.

Use a #70 disher or tablespoon to scoop out ball or dollops.
Place balls or drop dollops onto nonstick sheetpan.
Bake about 20 minutes, until golden brown.
Serve hot immediately.

Ottolenghi's Gnudi

We've clarified Ottolenghi's recipe and fixed some things that didn't work. They're a bit of a fuss to make, but not hard.

Sauteed Gnudi with Fried Lemon Zest

250 g Ricotta Cheese
30 g Pine Nuts, toasted
2 Eggs, plus 1 extra Egg white
½ tsp finely grated Nutmeg
¼ tsp Baking Powder
50 g Parmesan, finely grated

50 g fine Semolina

½ tsp Salt
¼ tsp White Pepper

Two dishes with more Semolina for forming

40 g unsalted butter
1½ tbsp olive oil
3 large cloves garlic, thinly sliced
Zest of 1 whole Lemon, cut into thin match sticks
1 tsp Lemon Juice
½ tsp Aleppo chili flakes

Drain the Ricotta in cheesecloth over night; you should end up with about 180 g of cheese.

Blitz the Pine Nuts until finely ground but don't turn it into nut butter.

Combine Ricotta, Nuts, Eggs, Nutmeg, Baking Powder, Parmesan, 50 g Semolina, Salt and Pepper; mix well and chill at least an hour.

Use a #70 disher to scoop out rough balls (smaller than a golf ball) and drop into bowl with Semolina;

the dough will be quite soft.

Gently shape into balls, trying to keep the Semolina on the outside; place on another Semolina-coated dish.

Chill at least another hour.

Bring Oil to 350F and fry Garlic slices until golden and crisp; drain on paper towel.

Repeat with Lemon Zest strips.

Melt the Butter in the remaining Oil and add the Lemon Juice.

Frying the garlic slices

Fried garlic slices

Fried lemon zest

Bring water to a very gentle simmer.

Boil Gnudi balls until the rise to the surface, then for another 3 minutes more;

they are fragile so be gentle.

Remove with slotted spoon, dab on towel to remove water from spoon, and place balls on serving dish.

Plate, drizzle with Butter/Oil, garnish with Garlic and Lemon, sprinkle with Aleppo flakes.

If you chill the cooked Gnudi, they will have enough structure that you can gently saute; 

this gives an attractive brown and slight crisp crust. Garnish as above.

Gnudi with garlic and lemon, served with our friends' roasted lamb