Heidi Swansons Tapioca Pudding Recipes

TAPIOCA PUDDING

Steps:

• Add milk, cream, sugar and salt to a saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a simmer, then stir in tapioca and reduce heat to low. Cook, stirring often, until mixture has slightly thickened, and the tapioca pearls have plumped and softened, about 45 minutes.
• Add the eggs to a bowl and whisk to combine.
• Add a spoonful of hot tapioca mixture to the beaten eggs, stirring well as you pour it in. Repeat with another few spoonfuls of hot tapioca, stirring after each. (This helps temper the eggs and bring them to a warm temperature without "scrambling" them.)
• Add tempered egg mixture to the saucepan with tapioca and stir well to combine. Cook for 2-5 more minutes, just until thickened (keep in mind it will continue to thicken as it cools). Remove from heat and stir in vanilla.
• Transfer to a serving bowl and place a piece of plastic wrap directly on the surface of the pudding (to keep it from forming a rubbery skin on the surface). Allow it to cool before serving. Serve either warm or chilled.

TAPIOCA PUDDING

Steps:

• Pour 3/4 cup of the milk into a medium-sized, thick-bottomed pot. Add the tapioca and soak for 60 minutes. Whisk in the egg yolks, salt, sugar, and the remaining milk. Scrape the vanilla bean along its length with a knife and add that bean "paste" along with the bean itself to the pot (if you are using vanilla extract in place of the vanilla bean stir it in at the very end, after the pudding is completely cooked).
• Over medium heat slowly bring the mixture just barely to a boil, stirring all along - this should take about 15 minutes. Reduce the heat and let the mixture fall to a simmer - you keep it here until the tapioca is fully cooked, another 20 minutes or so. Keep in mind this time can be significantly longer (or shorter). The tapioca will tell you when it is ready if you watch carefully. The tapioca beads will swell up and become almost entirely translucent. The custardy part of pudding will thicken dramatically as well - keep tasting and assessing at this stage. It is even more critical to keep stirring at this point avoid dreaded scorching.
• Remove from heat and let cool a bit. This tapioca tastes its best when served warm, but is still delicious cold as well.

HEIDI SWANSON'S TAPIOCA PUDDING RECIPE

Steps:

• Pour 3/4 cup of the milk into a medium-sized, thick-bottomed pot. Add the tapioca and soak for 30 minutes.
• Whisk in the egg yolks, salt, sugar, and the remaining milk.
• Scrape the vanilla bean along its length with a knife and add that bean "paste" along with the bean itself to the pot. If you are using vanilla extract in place of the vanilla bean stir it in at the very end, after the pudding is completely cooked.
• Over medium heat, slowly bring the mixture just barely to a boil, stirring all along; this should take about 15 minutes.
• Reduce the heat and let the mixture fall to a simmer; you keep it here until the tapioca is fully cooked, another 20 minutes or so. Keep in mind this time can be significantly longer (or shorter). The tapioca will tell you when it is ready if you watch carefully. The tapioca beads will swell up and become almost entirely translucent. The custardy part of pudding will thicken dramatically as well - keep tasting and assessing at this stage. It is even more critical to keep stirring at this point avoid dreaded scorching.
• Remove from heat and let cool a bit.
• This tapioca tastes its best when served warm, but is still delicious cold as well.