It is the end of the Soccer World Cup today. A global event which had its share of surprises like Italy, Portugal and Spain leaving the competition a little early and Brazil collapsing at the end.
This sporting event was taking place in Brazil this time. The opportunity for us to feature the cuisine of this country that rhymes with samba and bossa nova.
The recipe I chose for today is probably the easiest recipe of the history of 196 flavors. I already took it easy with my Andorian recipe which consisted of bread, garlic, tomato and olive oil. Well, this one is even easier!
What a change from homemade smoked chicken, cheese making or the cabbage fermentation. The only difficulty with this recipe is to find the two ingredients that compose it.
Romeu e Julieta obviously gets its name from the Shakespeare play. This dessert which is widespread in Brazil consists of cheese and guava paste.
The cheese that is used is kind of a dense cheese called queijo minas or queijo mineiro. It is from the region of Minas Gerais, the second most populated region in Brazil. This region of about 20 million people is a little larger than France! Queijo minas is slightly salty and does not have a strong flavor.
The other cheese that can be used is a rather creamy cheese, which is called requeijão. Queijo minas can also be replaced with mozzarella, but do not share that with a Brazilian!
The second ingredient of this dessert is guava paste also called goiabada. It can be purchased online or in Brazilian specialty stores. The paste consists of guava, sugar and water. The goiabada variety used in Romeu e Julieta is the one with guava fragments (goiabada cascão). Goiabada is an ingredient that can be found in all Portuguese colonies. It dates from the colonization of Brazil, where guavas were used instead of quince in the preparation of quince cheese (marmelada in Portuguese).
The combination of cheese and guava paste is called Romeo and Juliet. But this combination is available in a variety of recipes like empadas, just on toast for breakfast, cheesecake or even pizza. Yes pizza! A few weeks ago, I went to dinner with my friend Gaby to a Brazilian pizzeria. As a dessert, we were served pizza with Nutella and banana, strawberry jam, as well as Romeu e Julieta. I went to that same store to buy the ingredients for my Brazilian recipe shortly after the miraculous victory of Brazil against Chile.
My other friend Fred who moved to Seattle four months ago (may God rest his soul) was in Los Angeles for the weekend last week. The opportunity to get together to see France being eliminated from the World Cup… but also organize a little gathering.
On the menu, among other things, was Romeu e Julieta that I prepared as appetizers. I must say that the evening was so heavy on alcohol that I do not remember everything. I think my friends enjoyed this dessert that combines the fairly neutral side but salty side of the cheese with the sweetness of the guava paste. I still have some goiabada left. I think I will try next.
See in four years for a new World Cup! May the best team win!
This recipe is validated by our Brazilian culinary expert Denise Browning, author of culinary blog Easy and Delish.
- ½ lb queijo minas (or mozzarella)
- ½ lb goiabada guava paste
- Cut slices of queijo minas and goiabada.
- Combine a slice of each.
Cathy | She Paused 4 Thought says
What a fun recipe. I have made empandas with this combination, but never thought of eating it on its own. Love it.
Mike Benayoun says
Hey Cathy, great to meet you on Saturday. I looked at your blog and I LOVE the ethnic section (obviously 😉 I will probably go back for inspiration as we continue to travel the world… I see that we have published a few of the same staples for some countries including curtido (El Salvador) and brigadeiro (Brazil) . I gotta try to make samosas!