I’m feeling nostalgic for Brazilian desserts from my childhood so today I decided to make ‘pavê de baunilha’ (vanilla pavé). If you’d like to attempt this decadent piece of heaven, bear with me because some ingredients may not be exactly the same. Here we go: /1
You’ll need 1 can of condensed milk, 1 egg, milk, 2 Tbsp corn starch, 2 Tbsp of sugar, 1/4 tsp vanilla extract, flavorless cookies (I’ll explain) and Cat help us, whatever we can find that’s closest to “Creme de Leite”. /2 
Pour the condensed milk into a pot. Separate the egg, put the yolk in the pot and reserve the white. Keep the empty can of condensed milk, it’s now your measuring cup. Add two cans of whole milk to the pot, add 2 Tbsp of corn starch, whisk it all together. /3
Cook it in medium-high heat until thickened, whisking frequently especially towards the end. This takes about 6 minutes. Mix will be the consistency of cream, now quite as thick as pudding. While it cooks, line up a rectangular Pyrex with flavorless cookies. By that I mean /4
cookies that are so bland there is barely any flavor to them. In Brazil those are called “maizena” cookies, made with corn starch. I have no idea what matches that but if you can’t find something like that, replace it with Lady Fingers. They work really well. /5
Pour enough of the hot thick cream over the layer of cookies so you can spread with a spoon and cover the cookies entirely. /6
Use the back of a spoon to spread evenly. Then add another layer of cookies, and another layer of cream. I typically use 1.5-2 packages of cookies. /7
End with a layer of cookies. So that’s 3 layers of cookies, 2 layers of cream. Now beat the egg white until firm peaks form. /8
Add 1/4 tsp vanilla extract, 2 Tbsp of sugar and I hope you still have that empty can of condensed milk, because you need to measure one can of... I honestly don’t know. I’ve heard it referred to as evaporated milk, but that’s not as thick. Maybe Creme fraîche is closer. /9
Whatever you decide to use, it should be a can of thick milk cream. Fold it into the egg white, vanilla and sugar until blended well./10
Spread over the top cookie layer. Cover the Pyrex with plastic and refrigerate for at least 2 hours before serving. This is a delicious but very rich dessert, enjoy in moderation 😊#QuarantineFood
Here’s the result. #QuarantineFood
