Grandma Dorothy’s Secret to Making Award Winning Tapioca Pudding

I am always curious. I ask questions all the time and my kids sometimes tease me for it but you know what? Who cares! I love finding out information and was interested to know “What is tapioca made of?”

So I looked it up.

Tapioca is a starch extracted from the cassava root. It is used as a thickening agent in many foods. It can be made into flour — it has a similar texture to cornstarch — which is often times used in gluten-free breads. It can also be made into pearls in varying sizes.

Grandma Dorothy’s Tapioca Pudding

Ingredients

• 3 cups whole milk
• 1/2 cup quick-cooking tapioca
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

1. Stir together the milk, tapioca, sugar, and salt in a medium saucepan.
2. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly.
3. Reduce heat to low; cook and stir 5 minutes longer.
4. Slowly whisk 1 cup of the hot milk mixture into the beaten eggs. This is called tempering the eggs.
5. Stir the egg mixture back into the tapioca until well mixed.
6. Bring the pudding to a gentle simmer over medium-low heat; cook and stir 2 minutes longer until the pudding becomes thick enough to evenly coat the back of a metal spoon.
7. Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla.
8. The pudding may be served hot or poured into serving dishes and refrigerate several hours until cold.
9. optional-sprinkle with fresh nutmeg and a small dollop of whipped cream.

Quick Tip: So what was Grandma Dorothy’s secret? Patience and love. Even bears need a little TLC from time to time!

Photo and recipe courtesy of  All Recipes.com.