Tapioca Pudding

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Ingredients:

bullet ½ cup pearl tapioca (large pearls preferred)
bullet ¼ teaspoon salt
bullet 2 eggs – separated
bullet 2½ cups milk
bullet ½ cup sugar
bullet ½ teaspoon vanilla extract

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Instructions:

bullet Soak tapioca overnight in 2 cups of room temperature water.
bullet Drain.
bullet In double boiler, heat milk just until no longer cold.
bullet Add salt and tapioca.
bullet Continue heating until small bubbles appear at sides of the pan.
bullet Cover, turn heat very low and cook for one hour. Make sure that the mixture does not simmer or boil!
bullet Add small amount of the hot mixture to the 2 egg yolks, and quickly blend thoroughly.
bullet Add the egg yolk mixture to the hot milk mixture, stirring constantly (!)
bullet Place the double boiler over medium heat and cook until the tapioca mixture is very thick (about 15 minutes).
bullet Beat egg whites until stiff (may use ¼ teaspoon of Cream of Tartar).
bullet Slowly fold the hot tapioca mixture into the egg whites.
bullet Stir in the vanilla.
bullet Serve warm or chilled.

Tapioca is a flavorless starch, made from treated and dried cassava (manioc) root,usually in the form of beads or pearls  The word is derived from the Tupi language of Brazil (from tipi'óka), and refers to the process by which cassava (Manihot esculenta) is made edible.

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based on recipe from Reese (supplier of large pearl tapioca)