Tapioca pudding. Most people either love it or hate it. Up until this week my daughter insisted she didn’t like it. Now, she keep sneaking spoonfuls from the refrigerator. Or my bowl.
I don’t remember where this recipe came from. It’s written on a 1994 Family Circus recipe card so that should tell you something. It’s OLD.
But, it’s delicious!
Personally, I love tapioca. I even love Bubble Tea, that Indian drink with large black tapioca pearls at the bottom of the cup. So, I guess you could say I love all forms of tapioca. I do occasionally use granulated tapioca to thicken pies and soups and I use tapioca flour in gluten-free baked foods all the time. Here, we will use granulated tapioca (also called quick-cooking) which cooks quickly (duh) and thickens really well.
If you’ve never made a homemade pudding then this is a foolproof recipe to start with. It uses basic cooking skills such as bringing liquid to a full rolling boil, making a meringue out of egg whites, and folding two mixtures together gently to maintain a light and airy texture.
- 7 Tbls. granulated tapioca
- 6 Tbls. cane sugar
- 2 egg yolks
- 4 cups milk
- ¼ tsp. salt
- 2 egg whites
- 4 Tbls. cane sugar
- Mix the first five ingredients together in a large saucepan.
- Heat over medium heat stirring often and constantly as it thickens.
- Bring to full-rolling boil.
- Remove from stove and cool to room temperature.
- Whisk egg whites until soft peaks form.
- Sprinkle sugar overtop in four separate increments, beating in between.
- Beat to stiff peaks.
- Gently fold in ⅓ egg whites into cooled pudding.
- Add remaining egg whites and fold gently.
- Chill thoroughly before serving.