Brazilian Cheese Bread (Pao de Quiejo)

1 1/2 C Milk

1 cube Butter (or 1/2 C Olive Oil)

1 t Salt

2 C Cassava (or Tapioca) Flour

3/4 C Parmesan Cheese

3/4 C Sharp or Extra Sharp Cheddar Cheese

2 beaten Eggs

I'm sure you can do this without a kitchen aid or similar mixer... but I wouldn't recommend it.  You'll be mixing for days!  Preheat oven to 450 degrees, but turn it down to 350 degrees as soon as you place the bread in the oven.

Bring the milk, butter and salt to a gentle boil, stirring occasionally.  Remove from heat.  Place the Cassava flour in the mixer's bowl.  Add the hot milk mixture and carefully start the mixer.  Let mix for several minutes.  Beat in the eggs one at a time and continue mixing.  Add the cheeses. Ultimately the dough will have the consistency of a stretchy "play dough".  I used my cookie scoop to keep the amounts the same.  I rolled each piece of dough into a ball and placed them my pizza stone baking sheet.  28 small rolls.  Remember to reduce the heat to 350 degrees right after you place in oven.  Bake 20-25 minutes.  They don't really brown.  The outside is dry and the inside is "squishy".

(These are yummy little gluten free rolls.  I love them at Tucanos...  I will continue to work on this recipe, but they are pretty good as is.  I am definitely calling them a success!  I would like to explore and enhance the flavor with different cheeses.  I used and will continue to use the cheap Parmesan in the can.  It's grated so fine and gets mixed in well.  I loved the texture and color that shredded sharp cheddar added.)

Ted's Chocolate Haupia Pie...

• Baked Regular or Shortbread Crust
• 3/4 C Sugar
• 1/2 C Cornstarch
• 1/2 t Salt
• 1 14 oz Can Coconut Milk
• 1 1/2 C Whole Milk
• 3/4 C Milk Chocolate Chips (or two Hershey bars)
• 3/4 C Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips
• 2 t Coconut Extract
• Coconut Chocolate Whipping Cream for topping/garnish

In a large saucepan combine the dry cornstarch, sugar and salt.  Add milks.  While cold, whisk until the sugar is dissolved.  Turn on heat and cook stirring constantly until mixture boils and starts to thicken.  Cook until it is the consistency of a thick, smooth pudding.  (Be careful to stir constantly to keep the pudding from burning on the bottom.  Try not to scrape "brown bits" off the bottom of the pan.  You want the "haupia" to be as white as possible.)  Remove from heat, stir in coconut extract.

In a microwave safe bowl, melt the chocolate chips.  30-45 seconds at a time, stir and repeat heating  until completely melted and smooth.  Do NOT burn!

Divide haupia/coconut mixture add about 3/4 of the mixture to the melted chocolate chips.  Fold together until completely blended and smooth.  Spread all but about 1/4 of a cup of the chocolate mixture into the bottom of the baked pie crust.  (Reserve the remaining little bit of chocolate pudding and cool it down until no longer warm.)  Top the chocolate layer with a thinner white haupia layer.  Spread evenly to edge of crust.  Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until its no longer warm (at least 30 min)  To the remaining (no longer warm) chocolate pudding, fold in about 1-2 C of prepared whipped cream (sweetened with powdered sugar and seasoned with coconut extract) until fully mixed.  Spread over cooled haupia layer.  Cover and refrigerate until completely chilled.  2-4 hours.  

(YUM!  This is a LOT like Ted's Bakery... but that added third layer of chocolate-coconut whipped cream is all mine!)

Vanilla Cream Sauce...

• 3 C Heavy Cream
• 1 1/2 C Sugar
• 3/4 C Flour
• 1 1/2 C Butter (that's 3 sticks!)
• 1 T Vanilla

In a sauce pan melt butter.  Add the flour and cook for 8-10 minutes on medium.  DO NOT LET IT BROWN!  Add cream and sugar.  Continue to cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until mixture has thickened.  DO NOT BURN!  Do not cook too fast or at too high a temperature... you'll be sorry!  Or at least that's what I've heard from a "friend".  Remove from heat and stir in vanilla.  Serve warm. 

(To be drizzled over Raspberry Bread Pudding, or literally just eaten by the spoonful, in the dark. in a closet.  ALL of it...)

Raspberry Bread Pudding... Just like Kneaders used to make! And Vanilla Cream Sauce

• 1 1/2 Loaves French Bread (day or two old or let it sit out for a few hours)
• 1 Quart Heavy Cream (that's 4 C)
• 3 C Sugar (That's not quite a QUART of sugar... )
• 2 Eggs
• 1 T Vanilla
• 2 1/2 C Frozen Raspberries
• 1/2 C Sugar (NOW we're almost at a quart of sugar...)
• 1/4 C Apple Juice

In a large bowl, combine cream, sugar, egg and vanilla. Stir until sugar is completely dissolved. Cut bread into 1 1/2 inch cubes.  Add to the cream mixture, let sit for about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally to completely saturate the bread cubes.

In another bowl, combine raspberries, sugar and apple juice, stirring until sugar is completely dissolved.  Spray a 9x13 glass casserole dish and layer 3/4 of bread mixture.  Spread the fruit mixture evenly over the bread, (I kind of gently poke it down in some places to spread it more thoroughly throughout the bread in the pan...)  Top with remaining bread mixture.  Bake 40-50 minutes at 375 degrees.  (be careful and put foil on the bottom of the oven or under pan... it has been known to bubble sticky deliciousness over the sides and create a definite un-delicious smelly baked on MESS in the oven!  Sharing that particular tip for a "friend"...)

While baking make the incredible Vanilla Cream Sauce...:

• 5 C Half and Half (divided)
• 1 1/2 C Sugar
• 2 T Cornstarch
• 2 Egg Yolks
• 1 T Butter
• 1 T Vanilla

In a sauce pan heat 4 C of the half and half till hot and bubbly. Don’t scorch. In a bowl combine the remaining 1 C of h and h and the cornstarch. Whisk until completely dissolved. Add the sugar and continue mixing until the sugar is also dissolved. Add in the egg yolks, mix well. Gradually add the cold milk/egg mixture to the hot milk in saucepan, whisking constantly. Heat until mixture starts to bubble snd thicken. Do not burn. Remove from heat snd stir in butter and vanilla.  Serve warm. (This is an alternate Vanilla Cream Sauce. It’s a very different taste and texture from the other sauce... I may like it even better!)

(So I had seen the RASPBERRY BREAD PUDDING at Kneaders for years and completely dismissed it because... hello!?  Bread Pudding!  Ewww.... I mean, vanilla pudding, chocolate fudge pudding, even tapioca pudding... but BREAD PUDDING!???  Until one day I heard 3 friends all agree that Kneaders Raspberry Bread Pudding was the best thing in the world.  Not just the best "bread pudding", but the best thing ever.  Well, I had to try it.  They may have been right.  So of course, my next step was to recreate this deliciousness and add it to my repertoire.  I refer to it as "Baked Raspberry French Toast to my family... because... BREAD PUDDING!...  As usual, I read and then put the best parts of several recipes together.  Then through trial and error, I make alterations.  This is the finished result of my research.  You're welcome!)