Punk rockin' with "Die Hard"

In one of Cassie's internship interviews, she was asked to improvise on "The Wheels of the Bus" in the style of punk rock. How bizarre is that?! Cassie was flabbergasted because she didn't even know what punk rock is, so apparently I neglected to educate her in the music of those great Queens punk rockers the Ramones. It’s never too late to discharge your parental obligations, I say. So here is your 4:27 introduction to punk rock—with the greatest bridge ever—courtesy of Guyz Nite and Die Hard:

 

 

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You never know where you might find your next worthwhile recipe. The latest issue of the Virginia Magazine had an article ("Eat, darlings. Thirsty? Wahoo recipes for the soul") featuring recipes by UVA alumni. Mom and I tried and liked two of them, including this one for Brazilian cheese buns and a roasted broccoli, red onion, and double Cheddar galette (which we made with a spelt pastry crust instead of the Cheddar pastry crust in the recipe).

 

After we made the cheese bread, I searched online for "Pão de Queijo" and found that pretty much all of the other recipes use a method like making choux pastry (for gougères [cheese puffs], cream puffs, eclairs, profiteroles, etc.), such as in this video from America's Test Kitchen. I assume that's more authentic, but we like this ridiculously simple recipe from one of the proprietors (and '95 UVA alum) of the C'ville specialty-food store and café Feast, which she says she learned on a trip to Brazil in 2015.

 

 

Pão de Queijo
(Brazilian Cheese Bread)

Adapted from Kate Collier via Virginia Magazine (Winter 2020)

Time: ~35 minutes (12 minutes active)

 

The picture accompanying this recipe in the Virginia Magazine shows some fairly well-browned buns. As you can see in my photos, my bread never made it to the GBD (golden brown & delicious) stage. I'm guessing that's because I used almond milk instead of dairy milk to make the batter. If you leave the buns in longer to try and get some browning and it's not happening, they'll just get hard like little ping-pong balls. They'll still be good, but the buns are better when they're still a little soft when you press the tops gently.

160 grams (⅔ cup) dairy or nondairy milk (see note)
53 grams (¼ cup) extra-virgin olive oil
1 large egg (~50 grams out of the shell)
½ teaspoon fine sea salt
¾ cup (~42 grams) finely grated cheese (any hard cheese, such as Parmesan, Romano, Gruyère, Dubliner, or a sharp Cheddar, or a combination, grated on the small holes of a box grater)
170 grams (1½ cups/6 ounces) tapioca flour/starch

    1. Place a rack in the center of the oven; heat to 400 degrees. Spray two 12-well mini muffin tins with nonstick cooking spray.
    2. Add all of the ingredients to a regular blender, in the order listed, or the largest blender cup of a bullet-style personal blender, in the reverse order. Pulse until everything is completely combined, scraping down the sides of the blender cup as needed.
    3. Pour the batter evenly into the mini muffin tins; each well will be about two-thirds or more full, depending on your tin. Bake until the buns are puffed and the tops are lightly browned but still just a little soft when you press gently, about 20 minutes (but see the headnote).
    4. Cool for 2 minutes in the tins, then turn out into a serving bowl or platter. Serve immediately while they are still warm and gooey. Makes two dozen.