Very yummy tapioca pudding!

bowls

During the Christmas holiday I pulled my beloved Grandmother’s pudding bowls out of the cupboard, excited to find time to make tapioca pudding, which I love! I use a recipe I think I pulled decades ago out of the Pacific Sun when we still lived in Marin Co. It’s a teeny bit time consuming but absolutely delicious and I’m happy to share with you. And I’m particularly happy to share with my dear blogging friend Liz in the UK, who has recently educated me that while tapioca pudding is common in the UK, it’s apparently most often associated with a gloppy mixture served in the cafeteria at public schools, I believe with a dollop of jam or some such concoction, so let’s undo that memory with this new good one, shall we??

If you are like I am you grew up with Minute Tapioca and never really took the time to figure what it actually is. We are using pearl tapioca from the health food store for this recipe, and, for the record, tapioca is extracted from the root of the cassava plant, known originally in South America but now cultivated and used worldwide.

So here we go. You will be needing these ingredients:

TAPIOCA PUDDING

1/2 cup pearl tapioca
2 1/2 cups milk
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 cup sugar
2 large organic eggs, separated
1 tsp. pure vanilla

First, soak the pearl tapioca in two cups of room temperature water overnight. Drain before using.

Heat the milk in a double boiler just until no longer cold. Add the pearl tapioca and the salt. Then continue heating the mixture until tiny bubbles begin to appear around the edges of the milk. Cover the mixture, turning heat to very low, and cook for one hour. You need not stir, but you must make sure the mixture neither simmers nor boils, so a bit of monitoring is in order.

Separate the egg whites from the yolks. Beat the egg yolks and sugar together until light yellow in color. Then add a bit of the hot mixture to the egg yolk mixture and blend thoroughly. Now add the egg yolk mixture to the hot milk mixture, stirring constantly. Place the double boiler over medium heat and cook about 15 minutes, until the pudding is very thick. I stir often during this process.

Beat the egg whites until stiff.

whipped

Then slowly fold the hot tapioca pudding mixture into the egg whites. Lastly stir in the vanilla.
mix
Ladle into dishes.

This is heaven in a dish! You may serve warm (best) or wait and serve chilled.

tap-done

I hope you will be inspired to make this at home and serve to your family, who will be most grateful! I think it’s especially comforting after a winter’s meal. Let me know!

Love and kitchen blessings,
Kathryn xoxo

Book News: Latest news is that I’ve accepted an invitation to be a monthly contributor to a group blog called Flora’s Forum, which I think you will enjoy. Please see my blogroll for link. It’s an interesting bunch of contributors and I’m looking forward to adding my voice. Thanks to Sandra Knauf for the invitation. Also watch for an upcoming excerpt from Plant Whatever Brings You Joy in Western North Carolina Woman. Lastly, many thanks to those of you who purchased copies of Plant Whatever Brings You Joy as holiday gifts for your loved ones. So much appreciated!

6 Responses to “Very yummy tapioca pudding!”

  1. Nice share. Honestly, I didn’t have the best memory of tapioca either, but your version changed that. It’s a lovely texture and flavor. Yum!

  2. Aww, thanks, Antonia! Bet your grandmother used Minute Tapioca. Pretty sure. 😉 I’ve since learned from Liz that schoolchildren in the UK refer to tapioca pudding as “frogspawn”! Not exactly appetizing but I’m hopeful she will try my version! LOL! Mom xoxo

  3. Ok, we are inspired, temps in single digits, we have the pearl tapioca and almond milk. Trying honey instead of sugar. Starting tonight.

  4. Wonderful, Julie! I just heard from my friend Pamela in Hawaii, who makes it with coconut milk, so it’s fun to hear of variations! Stay warm! Enjoy! Kathryn xoxo

  5. Ever since this post, we have been experimenting with tapioca for Sue. We are using the crockpot, substituting honey for the sugar and almond milk for milk. Have gotten Bobs Red Mill tapioca, ordered on line from Amazon. Instead of separating the eggs, we are beating them up with the cold milk, tapioca and honey, putting it in a crockpot on low for most of a day until the texture is right and turning it off before adding the vanilla. The type of honey affects the flavor. Right now we are working through a jar of tulip honey for tulip or yellow poplar tree blossom honey, dark and adds a Carmel flavor. Current recipe is 1+cup tapioca, don’t soak if using Bobs Red Mill but if using the bigger Reese’s, you should, six eggs beaten in 1/2 gal of almond milk and one cup honey, cooked on low for most of the day stirring occasionally. Add 1 tablespoon of vanilla when done. If you add the vanilla earlier, it will cook out. Thanks for the inspiration. With fruit, etc. makes a great breakfast that is gluten free. A pot lasted the week with a few desserts for me.

  6. Julie, this is marvelous!! I love that you got inspired and I love even more that you are sharing your discoveries with us! Thank you so much! Sounds delicious, and what a wonderful idea to slow cook it in a crockpot! Hugs! Kathryn xoxo

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