Quindim
Quindim (ⓘ) is a popular Brazilian baked dessert, made chiefly from sugar, egg yolks, and ground coconut. It is a custard and usually presented as an upturned cup with a glistening surface and intensely yellow color.
Quindim is also a rhinoceros character (named after the dessert) featured in Monteiro Lobato's children's books.
Ingredients and preparation
A typical recipe would call for 250 - 500 g of sugar, 10 to 20 egg yolks, and 100 to 250 g of ground coconut. Butter (up to 200 g) is a common addition. Some recipes add other ingredients, such as 2–3 egg whites, a tablespoon of ground parmesan cheese, 100 ml of milk, coconut milk, or water, a dash of salt, or a teaspoon of vanilla extract.
In the simplest recipes, the ingredients are blended together with a spatula or wooden spoon. If butter is used, it should be melted and combined with the sugar first, and this mixture then combined with the yolks, coconut, and other ingredients. Some recipes say to prepare a hot syrup with sugar and water, to which are added the melted butter and other ingredients. Others recommend allowing the mixture to stand in the refrigerator overnight before baking.
In any case, the mixture is poured into a greased cupcake pan, placed into another baking pan with 1–2 cm of water, and baked at 150–180 C or 350ºF until a golden brown crust forms and an inserted toothpick comes out clean. The quindims should be left to cool in the pan, then removed while still warm by upturning the mold and gently prying them out. When served, the crust becomes the bottom. The top should be a rich translucent yellow custard-like substance.
The mixture can also be made in a large ring mold (like a Savarin mold) in which case it is called a "quindão" and served in slices.
Origins
The heavy use of egg yolks is characteristic of many Portuguese sweets and pastries, such as the papo de anjo ("angel's double chin") and fios de ovos ("egg threads"). Their combination with coconut and sugar was probably created by African slaves in 17th century Brazilian Northeast, where coconuts were abundant and sugar (from sugarcane) was a major industry.
The word itself comes from a Bantu language, and originally meant "the gestures, or demeanor, or humor characteristic of adolescent girls." [1]
See also
References
- ^ John T. Schneider (1991). Dictionary of African Borrowings in Brazilian Portuguese. Buske Verlag. p. 254.