I admit, I’m not a fan of tapioca. I know lots of people love it, but it just never clicked for me. Doing some research led me to discover there are two preparations for tapioca and both result in what Americans think of as pudding – a creamy, soft dessert. It can be served warm or cold, topped with various garnishes like nutmeg, fresh fruit, whipped cream, etc. This particular recipe is for tapioca cream, which I think will be more fluffy and airy than a thicker pudding.

For the more traditional pudding texture, beat the eggs whole, then add a bit of the warm tapioca & milk mixture to bring them up to temperature; then add this to the tapioca & milk mixture, finish cooking.

For tapioca cream, separate the eggs. Beat the yolks and add them to the tapioca & milk mixture as described above. Once this has reached the desired thickness, whip the egg whites until soft peaks arise. Carefully fold this into the tapioca.

You may have noticed that this recipe does not indicate eggs at all! I suggest using 2 eggs based on many other recipes I found online. The method is also incomplete. She must have known how to make it and didn’t need to write down whatever is missing. If you have a complete method please share!

Tapioca Cream

1/4 c pearl tapioca

1/3 c sugar

2 c scalded milk

1/4 tsp salt

1 tsp vanilla

2 eggs

Pick over tapioca and soak 1 hour in cold water, strain. Add milk & cook in double boiler until tapioca is transparent; add half the sugar to the milk & remainder of egg yolks…

Pick over tapioca and soak 1 hour in cold water (or use a quick-cook tapioca), strain, add milk and cook in double boiler until tapioca is transparent. Beat the egg yolks in a separate bowl, then carefully add them to the tapioca/milk mixture. Do not cook the eggs by adding them to the hot mixture. Add half the sugar. Carefully cook the pudding until the desired thickness is reached. Make sure to stir it so it doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pan. Whip the egg whites until they are fluffy and soft peaks form. Fold this into the warm mixture. Serve either warm or chilled.