Pão de Queijo

Tapioca Cheeseballs

Celiac disease has lead us to explore gluten-free baking. It's certainly more difficult than wheat-based glutinous baking and that's frustrating. However, this recipe is straightforward and delicious. Thanks to our Brazilian friends Al and Eunice for suggesting it.

1/3 cup  vegetable oil
1/3 cup  milk
1/2 cup  water 

2   cups tapioca starch (manioc)
3/4 cup  grated cheese (parmesan)
2   eggs

salt if you want it.


Heat the oil, milk and water until stirring gives 
you a nice froth on top. It doesn't have to boil. 

Mix this into the starch and cheese (and salt), 
blend well.

Add the eggs.  Mix some more.  It should be a gloopy paste
that doesn't flow but does settle if left alone.

Form into balls on a baking sheet. I've tried to make
them as small as ping-pong balls and twice that size 
(approximately one or two tablespoons I think). You can 
crowd them together as they don't rise significantly.
When I say form into balls, I mean spoon the slooppy mix from 
the bowl onto the pan into blobs. The dough shouldn't 
actually be runny though. 

Bake them in a hot oven (375 F) for 15 minutes or so. 
You should judge them for yourself.  They should get 
a bit golden brown on top and nicely toasted on the bottom.

That's it. Wait a moment for them to cool and then 
eat them with homemade soup.

We recently tried some variations, adding herbs or chopped
up, seasoned arthichoke hearts. Experiment a little

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