Brazilian Tapioca Crepe with Cheese and Jam

Step 1

Pour 1 cup tapioca starch and 0.25 teaspoon salt into a medium bowl and stir together with a fork until combined.

Step 2

Add 0.75 cup warm water to the tapioca mixture and stir with a fork for 1 minute until the texture looks like wet sand with no dry specks—the starch will not fully dissolve.

Step 3

Place a 10-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat and add 1 tablespoon butter, tilting the pan so the butter coats the entire bottom surface evenly.

Step 4

Wait about 45 seconds until the butter stops foaming and smells lightly toasted, which tells you the pan is hot enough.

Step 5

Pour 3 tablespoons of the tapioca mixture into the center of the skillet, then tilt and rotate the pan in circular motions for 20 seconds so the batter spreads into a thin, flat circle about 7 inches across.

Step 6

Cook without moving the crepe for 45 seconds, watching the edges—they should look dry and slightly crispy, and you may smell a faint toasted aroma.

Step 7

Sprinkle 2 tablespoons shredded cheese onto one half of the crepe and add 1 tablespoon jam directly on top of the cheese.

Step 8

Cook for another 20 seconds without moving, until the cheese begins to look shiny and soft.

Step 9

Fold the crepe in half using a rubber spatula, pressing gently so the jam and cheese stay inside, then slide it onto a plate.

Step 10

Add 1 tablespoon butter to the skillet, repeat steps 4 through 9 with the remaining tapioca mixture, cheese, and jam to make the second crepe.

Step 11

Place both crepes on a serving plate while warm—they taste best eaten within 2 minutes while the edges are still crispy and the cheese is melted.