Alright already…I can hear you. To those of you who regularly visit this space to check and see if I have written a new something to read, then make, then eat. I am so sorry. I really am. It’s been months since those yummy pumpkin pancakes, and I have missed you so. I’ve been taking care of things, the cafe, and people. Certain people. A certain person. My dad. So I’d like to share something with all of you that makes him feel better, will make you feel better, and me too.

Tapioca pudding. Is there anything that can conjure up more memories that that? Not for me. My mother was the sort of mother who made things for us to eat when we were sad, when we were happy, when it was so cold outside it hurt to take a breath, when it was so hot and humid outside all you could do was lie on a cool bed sheet sprinkled with baby powder, wearing just your underpants, in front of an oscillating fan.

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She was a kind of culinary mind reader. She always knew somehow. She knew if your face was hot and tear-stained, if you’d fallen off your bike and had gravel embedded in your knee, if you got an A on a test, if your friend moved away, if you’d finished the last page of an extraordinary book that would later change your life and you were mourning the loss, wishing you had read more slowly. Tapioca pudding is just the thing for all of these times, good and bad, hot and cold, happy and sad, joyous and mournful.

The gift is in its simplicity, in its whiteness, its purity, its editedness…..just some milk, eggs, sugar, vanilla and the dry white pearls themselves. In summer my mother made it just before the shadows started to lengthen, the air started to cool and the streetlight began to flicker and glow. She served it chilled in a cold frosted white dessert dish. In winter she made it right before dinner, and served it warm in a shiny metal ice cream cup. Sometimes she spooned a little fresh whipped cream on top. That was heaven.

These days we make tapioca pudding at the cafe, where our customers call to see if we’ve made some and to ask us to set some aside for them. People take large containers home for loved ones who are too ill from chemo treatments, or too sore from a root canal, or just need some love on a spoon. Tapioca works its magic for all of these times, and for those dessert eaters during the lunch rush, it’s a restorative treat, an indulgence. Try making some for a friend, your family or yourself. It is truly divine.

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Fluffy Tapioca Pudding

makes 6 half cup servings

1 free range organic egg, separated and room temperature
6 tablespoons granulated sugar, divided
3 tablespoons MINUTE Tapioca (in the RED box, in the baking isle of the grocery store)
2 cups organic whole milk (Strauss in the glass bottle is a good one, from Whole Foods)
1 teaspoon real vanilla extract
SHAKE the box. The granules settle and if you don’t shake the box your pudding might not set. Separate the white from the yolk and place the white in a small, very clean bowl. The beaters must also be clean and free of any grease. Even a speck will keep the white from beating right and you will be mad.

Beat the egg white in small bowl with electric mixer on high speed until foamy. Gradually add 3 tablespoons of sugar, beating until soft peaks form.

Mix tapioca, the rest of the sugar, milk and egg yolk in medium saucepan. Let stand 5 minutes.

Cook on medium heat, stirring constantly with a whisk, until mixture comes to full boil. Boil for one minute while stirring. Remove from heat. Quickly stir egg white mixture into hot tapioca in saucepan until well blended, using a whisk. Stir in vanilla. Cool 20 minutes in the pot then stir. Transfer to a bowl, or individual bowls like ramekins or ice cream dishes. Serve warm or chilled.

If serving chilled place plastic wrap on the surface of the pudding while cooling, or you will get a skin. Serve with a tiny grating of fresh nutmeg, cinnamon sugar or freshly whipped cream. Store leftover pudding in refrigerator. If there is any.

You’re welcome, Katie.

Variations:

At the cafe we make this pudding with coconut milk and cardamom, substituting half of the milk. It’s delicious. One time we made chai tapioca, made with chai tea and milk, which was also great. I think we put cardamom and a bit of cinnamon in it that time.