World Cup Fever
With the world watching the beautiful game hosted in the gorgeous, soulful country of Brazil, we can't help but direct our attention to elements that may bring the Brazilian experience to our domain without actually being there. Aside from having Tim Maia, Jorge Ben, Gal Costa classic records on the 1s & 2 or streaming tracks by the more contemporary Criolo, Marcelo D2 and listening to a dose of favela funk in Room 2046, what better way to experience Brazil than to indulge in the nation's popular treats?
During the quarter final of the FIFA World Cup game between Brazil and Colombia on July 4th, we tweeted that we'd make some brigadeiro (truffle-shaped chocolate sweets) from the delightful This is Brazil cookbook if BRA were to win it. Naturally, they did defeat team Colombia 2-1. Keeping our word (in this case tweet), team Room 2046 borrowed the easy-to-follow recipe from the book, went to work immediately, and voilà:
Below is the recipe for brigadeiro (chocolate and condensed milk sweets), popular nationwide, especially at children's birthday parties, taken from This is Brazil: Home-Style Recipes and Street Food by Fernanda de Paula & Shelley Hepworth available for purchase here.
BRIGADEIRO
makes 12
395 G (14 OZ) TINNED CONDENSED MILK
20 G (3/4 OZ) BUTTER, PLUS EXTRA FOR GREASING
30 G (1 OZ/1/4 CUP) DUTCH (UNSWEETENED) COCOA POWDER, SIFTED
CHOCOLATE SPRINKLES FOR ROLLING
Combine the condensed milk, butter and cocoa powder in a saucepan over a medium-low heat. Cook, stirring bowl vigorously, for 10-12 minutes, or until the mixture thickens enough to hold together without spreading.
Pour the chocolate mixture into a greased bowl and set aside to cool to room temperature (or chill for a few minutes in the refrigerator).
Grease your hands with butter and form the chocolate mixture into balls, using 1 tablespoon for each ball. If the balls do not hold their shape, cool the mixture for an additional 5 minutes.
Roll the balls in chocolate sprinkles to decorate, and serve in mini paper cases. Store the sweets in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days.
For this batch, we used both chocolate sprinkles and coconut flakes to create our own variation, but you may substitute them with chopped pistachio, almonds, walnuts or other types of sprinkles. It was easy to make and our customers who had the chance to try absolutely loved these treats. Taste great with coffee too! Next time you're in Room 2046, we may just surprise you...
If you're not a fan of chocolate, here are some options to bring that Brazilian (or tropical) experience to wherever you may be:
From left to right: Crush Mugs, Single Boxcar Planter, Pineapple Mug, The Tropical Modern House, This is Brazil, Portuguese Wooden Blocks
Tudo bem!
