Quindim (Quindão)

This bright yellow and decadent custard has a curious name: Quindim. This super popular Brazilian dessert has its origins in Portugal – where sweets are commonly made of a mixture of egg yolks and sugar. The coconut was probably added during the 17th century by the African slaves (this explains the name of the dessert, which comes from the Bantu language). Portugal and some African regions have an enormous influence in Brazilian cuisine – and that is awesome!! 

Often baked in a cupcake pan, my Quindim is a recipe that I got from my mom and, technically, it should be called Quindão because it is baked in a large dish and served in slices.

Well, whatever you call it or wherever it comes from, one thing is for sure: this is delicious and easy to make! If you look at the picture closely, you will notice that there is a crust on the bottom of the custard. The great surprise is that the crust forms naturally on the bottom (or actually on the top, but it becomes bottom once the dessert is flipped). This crust adds an extra layer of texture without any added work! So we are talking about a 5 ingredients delight that all the effort that it takes is to place all ingredients in the blender, and then in the oven. Voila! Easy like that. Serve small slices, since this is a fairly rich dessert. Enjoy!

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22 Brazilian Recipes for the World Cup

If you are throwing a party to watch the games during this World Cup, you must try some of these recipes!! And it doesn’t matter if you are planning on putting out a huge buffet or just a couple of appetizers, I promise I got something for you… And guess what? You and your guests will love it!! Bring on the Brazilian fun!!

Read more: 22 Brazilian Recipes for the World Cup

Cod Casserole with Hearts-of-Palm (Bacalhau Fresco com Palmito ao Molho Branco)

In Brazil, the dishes that are traditionally served on Good Friday are the ones with some kind of fish, especially salt cod (bacalhau). I love salt cod!! My sister is an expert and she makes some amazing salt cod recipes for our family every year!! Salt cod is delicious, but a bit tricky to be prepared… It must be desalted in water overnight, and the water must be changed several times (people say at least 7 times). I have to confess that as much as I love salt cod, these days I prefer to substitute fresh cod in some of those traditional Brazilian recipes. 

This Cod Casserole with Hearts-of-Palm is a creamy and delicious recipe that I adapted with the use of fresh cod. This dish is easy to make and WAY faster to prepare, since I used fresh cod. Hearts-of-palm are a bit acidic and the white sauce balances that out, giving this dish a smooth and velvety texture. To give a bit of a fresh touch, I used scallions and cilantro to finish the white sauce, but Italian parsley would also taste incredible in this recipe. I hope you enjoy sharing this recipe with your family!

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Jamaican Style Fish and Shrimp with Coconut Milk, Papaya and Plantains

This light, slightly sweet Jamaican Fish and Shrimp recipe was created after an incredibly tasty dish that my husband and I had during our visit to Jamaica. We love traveling and we are the kind of people who go out and explore, so we had the chance to try all kinds of different dishes during our stay. We tried from the simplest and also the most elaborate Jamaican delights and, hands-down, this recipe was our favorite. So once I got back home, I HAD to replicate it.

Figuring out the flavors in Jamaican cuisine is not that hard for me – Brazilian cuisine is quite similar – which means that both cuisines use plenty of tropical fruits, herbs, coconut milk and seafood. The techniques are simple too. Although, in the recipe that I am sharing here, I tried papaya and bananas (plantains) for the first time mixed in a savory sauce – and it was phenomenal! In Brazil, papaya and bananas are typically served in desserts and cakes, so I loved to have tried something unexpected!

I want to say a big THANK YOU to Chef Shane Thompson from Blue Mahoe (at the Spa Retreat Hotel, in Negril) for serving me something that delighted and inspired me. ONE LOVE.

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Olá amigos!

My name is Cynthia Presser (pronounced Seen-Cha), and I'm passionate about cooking. My birth name is Ana Cynthia Ferreira and I grew up in the tropical surroundings of Brazil.

I spent most of my life in the Southern part of Brazil, in a region that is near Argentina and Paraguay. My dad used to be in the cattle raising business, and our family often traveled to different ranches - which gave me the opportunity to explore other fascinating parts of Brazil. It's a very large country (bigger than the US in continuous land). My birth place is diverse, multicultural, and vibrant. It is a land of simple but exotic people. Brazilians are energetic and passionate.

The food I grew up eating is a mix of all those elements – and it is delicious!

I have always loved to eat! From an early age, I was fascinated by food photography. As early as 13 or 14 years old, I began clipping recipes from magazines and organizing them into a journal. If there would be a recipe that looked delicious in one of mom's or aunt's cookbooks, I would copy it into my journal. At that point, it was all about how the recipe looked like on paper.

I was about 16 years old when I first attempted to cook some of those recipes I was collecting. At first, I wasn’t very good, but it did not take long before I started serving some very tasty meals! The more successes I had in the kitchen, the more I wanted to experiment. Soon, I was developing my own recipes! At the age of 20, my friends started asking me to help out with dinner parties for their birthdays, graduations, engagements, etc. That’s when I realized that cooking was a passion! Unfortunately (or not), my realization came after I was already going to an advertising school, and switching gears professionally was not going to be well received by my family – especially trading the marketing and advertising for… cooking!

After college, I packed my bags and, at 24 years-old, I decided to explore the world. In the year of 2000 I landed in San Diego, California, with $1,200 in my pocket, a suitcase of belongings, and my recipe journal.

In San Diego, I enrolled in school to improve my English, and worked in all kinds of small jobs to support myself: nanny, waitress, and coffee shop barista to name a few. I made so many friends that I decided to extend my stay and start fashion school. A couple years later, I started my career in fashion retail which I found to be very fun. I was happy, but not fulfilled professionally. I was always cooking and experimenting in the kitchen, but at that point I did not have the courage to just go for it.

In 2006, I met the man who would change my life forever. In 2008, Steve proposed to me in a beautiful winery in Temecula, California. In 2009, I became his wife in the unforgettable location - Playa del Carmen, Mexico.

Shortly after our wedding, we found out that I was pregnant. It was a great surprise, but it also made us realize that we lived in San Diego without any family members around. All my family was in Brazil, and all his family was in Indiana. So, we decided to give it a shot in Indiana - my suggestion! At the time, my husband had the ability to work from anywhere, but I did not. I quit my career in fashion retail, and for a little while I just focused on raising our baby boy, Sebastian.

Being at home made me enjoy cooking more than ever! Also, I was now living in a place with very little presence of my culture which made me crave the food from Brazil even more. I realized that the time to persue a culinary related career had finally come!

In 2011, my passion for my culture and my background in cooking pushed me to start my website “Cynthia Presser – Cooking with a Twist”. The website quickly grew to thousands of visitors per month. That same year, I started a cultural event called “A Taste of Brazil” in Fort Wayne, Indiana, which was a very fun evening celebrating Brazilian music, dance, and food.

At the end of 2011, I started writing my first cookbook Cooking with a Brazilian Twist. The book is a compilation of 100 of my best recipes. It was published in 2013. Very well received, Cooking with a Brazilian Twist is a large, high-quality hardcover coffee table book. The recipes are approachable, full of flavors, and they provide readers with a true Brazilian cooking experience. The book also contains additional recipes from around the world as well as fusion cuisine. In 2019, Cooking with a Brazilian Twist was ranked among the top five Brazilian cookbooks. 

In 2012,  I was chosen to participate in the first season of the ABC's reality cooking show The Taste, which featured Anthony Bourdain and Nigela Lawson. It was a great, fun experience that gave me the chance to promote Brazilian cuisine for an even larger audiance - and I also made some great friends on set. 

The website and events kept growing, and so did our family. In 2013, I gave birth to our second baby boy, William.

In 2015, our family moved to much warmer weather in Tampa, Florida. A place that made us feel completely at home from the start. 

In the next years that followed, I kept working on developing recipes, promoting the Brazilian culture and raising our family. I also had the opportunity to showcase some of my recipes at the NBC's Today Show. I was thrilled to have been invited to take part at several of the show's segments, which always highlighted the food from my background.  

My philosophy is that cooking has to be creative, spontaneous and fun. Cooking is a lifestyle.

Through my website, events, and cookbook, I try to share the joy of cooking, eating, and being a proud Brazilian native living the American dream.

To the American people, who have been nothing but gracious to me, I offer in return the best part of myself: my cooking.

Com Amor,

Cynthia

(Cynthia Presser is a cookbook author, food blogger and private event's chef. She resides in South Tampa, Florida, with her husband Steve, and sons Sebastian (born 2009), and William (born 2013). Besides spreading her love through cooking, Cynthia enjoys art, languages, traveling the world, practicing yoga, sipping on good wine, and long days at the beach with her family).

Panqueca de Carne Moida (Brazilian Crêpes with Meat Filling)

Crêpes are really thin pancakes and they can be used in both savory and sweet recipes. I grew up eating them at home – my Mom makes the best ones! In fact, this is a very special recipe post because during the testing and photo shoot I had the chance to be hands-on in the kitchen with my Mom; and since she is the crêpes expert, this time I could take a step back and watch the process, photograph, and take some really good notes. We had a lot of fun! The whole family ended up getting involved: my husband, my 4-year-old, and even the baby ended up participating on the process.

Cooking with my Mom is an opportunity that I unfortunately do not have very often. She still lives in Brazil and I live in the US. But I just recently had my second baby boy so she flew to Indiana to spend some time with us. When baby William give us a little break, I often ask her to help me prepare some of the recipes I grew up eating.

My Mom’s “Brazilian Crêpes with Meat Filling” are delicious and fairly simple to make (the step-by-step with pictures is helpful!). You can make the crêpes in advance and store in the fridge for a couple of days. You can also be creative with filling: besides the meat and vegetables, I also love to use shredded chicken with corn. For the sweet lovers, my absolute favorite is dulce de leche. Once you have the crêpes ready, the possibilities are endless and SO GOOD!!!

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Butternut Squash and Sage Risotto

Slightly sweet and nutty, this risotto recipe is one of my favorites. If butternut squash is in season, I always make sure I include this recipe when I teach a risotto class. People usually like it a lot!
Also, nowadays we hear a lot the concept “Meatless Monday”… I don’t necessarily cook vegetarian food every Monday, but I think that this is a great recipe for those who like the idea of eating without any kind of meat once a week or more. The reason why? This risotto is rich, decadent, and the cubed butternut squash have a meaty texture that replaces the meat texture well.
Finally, I want to encourage you to try making risotto the traditional way – which means standing next to the stove and stirring pretty much constantly for a perfect al dente rice texture. Believe me, it’s more fun than you think; especially when wine and friends are involved ;) Happy fall!

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Avocado Brigadeiros (Brigadeiro de Abacate)

Rich and sweet with a hint of lime, my Avocado Brigadeiros are super simple to make and definitely a crowd pleaser! The famous Brazilian chocolate bonbons called Brigadeiros were the sweets that inspired me to make this avocado version. Guess what else served as an inspiration for me? The Incredible Hulk – yes, he did! I know there is nothing sweet about Hulk’s personality, but my son really wanted a superhero party for his 4th birthday this year, so I created several different kinds of flavored Brigadeiros to go with the party theme. Of course that somehow the Incredible Hulk Brigadeiro would HAVE to be green! That’s how my delicious Avocado Brigadeiro was born! Kids and adults loved it, and my husband even said it was his favorite out all the other flavors I made!! Now, if you look at the picture above, you can definitely notice that its looks are classy enough to go with any party, and not necessary with just a crazy kid's party. So make it for your next event, but be sure to eat in no longer than 48 hours after the preparation time. Enjoy!

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Pumpkin Flan

Pumpkin is a very popular ingredient in cakes and pies, but not many people know how wonderful it tastes when added to a flan. In Brazil, pumpkin flan is just yet another variation of a classic dessert. I like to think that anything goes well when mixed with a classic flan recipe, so it could not be any different for this one. Creamy, sweet, with a hint of cinnamon, this Brazilian dessert is a must try for pumpkin lovers. Serve with freshly shaved coconut flakes on top, adding a twist on this delicious and unusual fall recipe. I hope you enjoy!

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Spaghetti Squash Lasagna

Are you looking at the picture above and thinking “WOW! This lasagna looks yummy”? Now, I am going to break you the news: it is not lasagna, but a much lighter and healthier dish, that still has the heartiness and comforting flavors of regular lasagna. How? Thanks to a delicious vegetable that works very well with all kinds of pasta sauces: spaghetti squash! I often use this wonderful vegetable as a substitute for pasta with the addition of any pasta sauce, especially when I want something hearty, but gluten-free and light. I am not going to lie to you and say it tastes just like lasagna noodles, because it doesn’t. It is different, but it works in a way that adds flavor and texture to any “pasta-like” dish. It is gluten-free, lower in calories and carbs if compared to regular noodles. But above it all, it tastes really really really good!!!! I used sweet Italian sausage in the sauce, with the addition of carrots, onions, tomatoes, green peppers and fresh herbs and I layered with ricotta and mozzarella – just like regular lasagna. It worked!!!  My husband was licking the plate! Replace the Italian sausage with more vegetables, if you want something meatless. All the vegetables used in this recipe were locally grown (most of them organic) and they were delivered at the convenience of my door steps by Green Bean Delivery! To get a PROMOTIONAL CODE and learn more about this great service provided by Green Bean Delivery, read my Cook’s Notes on the bottom of the recipe…  Spaghetti squash is on season now and I hope you get to try it in this dish!

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