Mr. Hot and I recently enjoyed some decadent Brazilian desserts at Samba Montclair.

We sat outside and sampled Guava Mousse, Brazilian Carrot Cake - with chocolate rather than the traditional cream cheese - Passion Fruit Mousse, and Flan. All so refreshing and satisfying!

After our desserts, Ilson Goncalves, the owner of Samba Montclair, brought over a iron vessel filled with tiny gluten-free Brazilian yucca rolls. They just came out of the oven and were crisp on the outside, and soft and cheesy on the inside. What a great alternative to standard rolls! I had to have the recipe!

Ilson was kind enough to share it with us. Enjoy:

PÃO DE QUEIJO – Brazilian Cheesy yucca bread

500g Sour yucca Starch (Polvilho Azedo)
2 cups of milk
1 cup of cooking oil
4 eggs
2 cups of grated parmesan cheese or any hard cheese, can be a mix
1 tbsp of salt
How to prepare:

Boil the milk the oil and salt together.
Pour the hot mixture it into a large bowl with the sour starch and mix with a wooden spoon. The mixture will look like a large ball of gummy paste.
Let it cool and mix in the cheese and the eggs. Get your hands in there and squelch everything together into a smooth thick dough.
Grab chucks of it with your fingers and roll in the palm of your hands making little balls just smaller than a golf ball.
Place the dough balls on a tray. Pão de Queijo will grow around 20-30% as they cook, so leave some space between them.
Place them in the top shelf of your oven at 190c and let them grow for 15 minutes.
Reduce the temperature (around 150c) and cook for another 15 minutes. They should look golden brown and crackly and crusty outside. But inside your Pão de Queijo will still be nice and gooey… and cheesy!

*Recipe courtesy of Ilson Goncalves, owner of Samba Montclair.