The June Festivals (known as Festas Juninas), are popular Brazilian festivities that take place in the month of June... And this year we will be celebrating the June Festivals with a five-ingredient, naturally gluten-free, refreshing Paçoca Mousse (Paçoca Cremosa) -- made from roasted peanuts or paçoca candy, sweetened condensed milk, heavy cream, sugar, and salt.
During the June Festivals, celebrants thank Saint John for the rain and the abundant harvest of corn (maize). A huge event space is set up called an arraial, which is merrily decorated with strings of colorful flags and paper balloons, and filled with tents or rough-hewn stalls. The festivities are illuminated by floating paper lanterns, dazzling fireworks, and bonfires... There is lots of lively music, as well as quadrilha folk dances that center around a mock bride and groom -- as you can see in this VIDEO.
As part of the fun, people dress up in typical country yokel outfits with straw hats, painted-on freckles, and gap-teeth. Women often wear checkered gingham dresses and pigtail braids.
And how can we forget all the delicious food! The most typical items are usually made from yellow corn (maize), and include such dishes as Boiled or Grilled Corn on the Cob, mungunzá doce (sweet corn-coconut pudding), canjica nordestina or curau (creamy corn pudding), pamonha (a type of Brazilian Sweet Corn Tamale), cuscuz de milho (Brazilian cornmeal couscous), sweet popcorn, and Bolo de Milho (corn bundt cake). Further, there are many other dishes that are made from rice (arroz doce or rice pudding), spices, coconut (such as cocada or Brazilian coconut bars), and peanuts (such as our paçoca mousse). And one of the most popular drinks for the June Festivals is quentão de vinho (a hot cider made with spices, orange, and red wine)!
Paçoca is a typical candy of Brazilian caipira (hillbilly) cuisine, made out of ground peanuts, cassava flour, sugar, and salt. It is most prevalent in the interior of the southeastern states of Minas Gerais and São Paulo, and is known for its dry texture and sweet taste.
If desired, you can transform our paçoca mousse into popsicles (ice lollies) by simply inserting popsicle sticks and freezing the paçoca mousse cups.
As you can see, you don't have to be there in Brazil celebrating the Festas Juninas in order to enjoy our paçoca mousse, or any of the other dishes mentioned above.
Enjoy!
Roasted Peanut Mousse (Paçoca Cremosa)
Ingredients
- 1½ cups unsalted roasted peanuts or 10-12 (1-ouce) paçoca candy
- 1 can sweetened condensed milk 14 oz
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream (if using paçoca candy, use only ¼heavy cream)
- ⅓-1/2 cup sugar
- 1 pinch salt
Instructions
- Blend all ingredients in a blender until obtaining a smooth, homogeneous mixture.
- Pour mixture into mini shot cups (about 3 tablespoons per cup) and refrigerate for at least 4 hours before serving.
- If desired, the top of the paçoca mousse can be garnished with chopped roasted peanuts or ground paçoca candy. Yield: 3 (8-ounce) cups or 16 mini shot cups.
Recipe Notes
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Please note that health-focused and diet information provided on easyanddelish.com is for educational purposes and does not constitute medical advice, nor is it intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent disease. Consult with your doctor or other qualified health professional prior to initiating any significant change in your diet or exercise regimen, or for any other issue necessitating medical advice.
Credits:
"Arraial" image from EBC under Creative Commons Atribuição 3.0 Brasil.
Coffee and Crumpets says
Hi Denise! Wow, this mousse looks SO good! I love condensed milk...straight out of the tin...with a spoon on most days! But I guess I can take some time to make this 🙂 Love the photo of the girls 🙂
Raymund says
Roasted peanuts, condensed milk and cream whats not to like in this delicious dessert. Yum!
Deb|EastofEdenCooking says
What a lush dessert! The mousse shines as bright as the summer sunshine!
Chris Scheuer says
What a delightful celebration and an even more delightful dessert to help commemorate it. Love this wonderful sounding mousse! Your daughters are precious!
Juliana says
I remember Festa Juninas...it was so much fun...your girls are so cute Denise...
Now I must confess that I have never had this kind of paçoca...creamy, sounds and looks delicious...something I must try.
Have a great week my dear 🙂
Little Cooking Tips says
Hi Denise,
such wonderful info for life in Brazil! We also have many festivities here, throughout the summer, that are actually Christian-transformed ancient-Greek festivites to celebrate the Hunt, the Harvest etc. Nowadays we celebrate the "Seed-bringer Mary" and so on and so forth, you get the picture 🙂
Your daughters look unbelievably cute!:)
Now the dessert: SO easy to make! And yet this must be sooo delicious absorbing all the peanut flavor. Does it taste like creamy peanut butter?
Loved the popsicle idea as well, very practical!
Lots of love,
Panos and Mirella
xoxoxoxoxo
Denise Browning says
Hi, Panos and Mirella!
Thank you! This dessert is creamier yet not as thick as peanut butter... and it is sweeter with just a little touch of salt to bring out all the flavors. PB is mildly salty with a little touch of sweetness -- exactly the opposite of our dessert! Wishing you both a great week! xx
Sugar et al. says
Oh my! What a gorgeous dessert Denise! Condensed milk and peanuts...why can't I have a taste right now! Can't wait to make this. Amazing recipe!
John/Kitchen Riffs says
Love the idea of peanut mousse! Gotta try this. And that festival sounds like so much fun! Thanks for introducing it to me.
Anna @ shenANNAgans says
Condensed milk.... #YARM This recipe has gone straight to the top of my sweet treat cooking list. Holy moly, soooo good! 🙂
Love the look of the festival too, your babies are adorable, and look like they are right in the spirit of the event. Love a good dress up I do, wish we celebrated like this too.
Mi Vida en un Dulce says
La Fiesta de San Juan...I love traditions...
Dedy@Dentist Chef says
hmm, damn delciious peanut mousse!!!
we used to served this with boiled cassava....
Gourmet Getaways says
Lovely girls and oh so yummy-looking Paçoca! We want a dozen now, please!!!
Julie & Alesah
Gourmet Getaways xx