Cheese Puffs
I grew up eating what we call in Brazil “pão de queijo”. It is a puff made basically of cheese and tapioca starch. There is a specific type of tapioca starch to be used which is slightly sour and a specific type of cheese to be used which is semi-cured, salty and pungent.
In Australia, I can get quite good results with the common tapioca starch found at any supermarket and have been playing with different cheeses and combinations of cheeses.
This is the Coeliac Awareness Week and I thought that posting this recipe was a nice way of acknowledging that because this recipe is gluten free!
Ingredients
200 ml milk (any kind you prefer)
100 ml extra virgin olive oil or melted butter, plus extra for greasing
1 tsp sea salt or none if your cheese of choice is already salty
300 g tapioca starch or arrowroot
2 large eggs
200 g cheddar cheese, or kefalograviera, or a mixture of cheddar and parmesan (50:50), grated
extra olive oil or butter for greasing, or 12 paper muffin cups, or silicon muffin tray
Method
1. In a sauce pan, over medium heat, warm up the milk with the oil and salt. Stir it occasionally and don’t let it boil;
2. Put the tapioca starch into a food processor, add the warm milk and oil mixture and process until well combined. Stand the mixture in the food processor bowl until it cools down so the eggs don’t scramble when you add them;
3. Add the eggs and cheese to the cooled mixture and blitz for 20 seconds or until the mixture is smooth and creamy. Cool it in the fridge or freezer until the mixture is completely cold and has thickened a bit;
4. Meanwhile, prepare the baking tray: grease a 12-hole muffin tin with olive oil or butter, or line the muffin tin with paper cases. A silicone tray doesn’t need anything;
5. Preheat the oven to 200°C;
6. Fill the muffin holes so they are about three-quarters full and bake for about 25 minutes or until golden brown.
This is a gluten free recipe and suits well anyone with gluten intolerance, wheat allergy, or suffering from coeliac disease. But, it does contain quite a bit of dairy and, although not many people are aware of it, some coeliac and gluten intolerant people will face temporary dairy intolerance if their gut is inflamed and they are going through an acute phase of the condition.
The temporary dairy intolerance is caused by the impaired production of an enzyme called lactase which is produced in the gut. This enzyme is responsible for digesting lactose, the sugar naturally found in cow’s milk and, in small amounts in other dairy products like cheese and yoghurt. When the gut is inflamed, it is possible that lactase will not be produced at all or produced in insufficient quantities, leading to lactose intolerance, as it can’t be properly digested.
Good thing is that, if gluten is taken away from the diet, the gut regenerates and lactase production resumes and the person can enjoy dairy again.
What is the difference between gluten intolerance, wheat allergy and coeliac disease?
Well, that is a topic for a whole new post. But don’t allow your child to put up with bloating, pain, diarrhoea and other discomforts as they may be suffering from one of these conditions. It can lead to malnutrition because the gut struggles to digest food and absorb nutrients properly. Take advantage of a Discovery Chat with Fern. You will talk for 20 minutes and find out how she can assist you to get your child out of their misery. It’s free!
Enjoy baking! :-)
