Tapioca pudding. Photo © J. Java | Fotolia.

July 15th is National Tapioca Pudding Day, honoring a dessert so creamy, it was once known as tapioca cream. Tapioca pudding used to be as popular as rice pudding and was served in school lunchrooms. While its popularity began to wane some 50 years ago, it’s still popular with people who like creamy puddings.

Modern processing of tapioca began in the second half of the 19th century. As an easily digestible starch, tapioca pudding was often prescribed for children, the elderly and the infirm.

So what is tapioca pudding?

Tapioca is made from the root of the cassava (pronounced kuh-SAH-vuh, also called manioc, arrowroot and yuca—not yucca), a woody shrub native to South America that is cultivated for its starchy, tuberous root (a major food source, cooked like potatoes).

Tapioca is also a thickener. Add a tablespoon of arrowroot (dried ground cassava) or two tablespoons of quick-cooking tapioca pearls to berry pies or other pie recipes known to be runny. The arrowroot or tapioca will “thicken the sauce” as the pie bakes.

In the Tupi-Guarani* language, the processed cassava is called tipioca. Tipi means residue and ok (not O.K.) means to squeeze out. This describes how the starch is produced—by steeping the crushed root fibers in water and squeezing out the liquid. Spanish and Portuguese traders transposed the word to tapioca. TRIVIA: The milky, bitter liquid (yare) squeezed out of the pulp is poisonous, and was used to make poisonous darts.

*The Tupi-Guarani are one of the main indigenous ethnic groups of Brazil. It is believed that they first settled in the Amazon rainforest, but spread southward beginning about 2,900 years ago to gradually occupy the Atlantic coast of what is now Brazil.

This recipe couldn’t be easier. Just bring the ingredients to a boil and let stand for 15 minutes. The recipe, made by our mom, is adapted from The Fanny Farmer Cookbook.

Tapioca Pudding Recipe Ingredients

 
Tapioca Pudding Preparation
1. Break egg into a medium saucepan and beat with a fork (just enough to blend the white and yolk).
2. Add tapioca, sugar, salt and milk. Stir over moderate heat until the pudding boils.
3. Remove from heat; let stand 15 minutes. The pudding stiffens as it cools.
4. Stir in vanilla; pour into serving bowl or individual ramekins or goblets. Refrigerate for several hours or until ready to serve.

Preparation Options
1. For a fluffier tapioca pudding, separate the egg and cook the yolk with the pudding. Beat the white until stiff, beat in 1 tablespoon of sugar and fold into the finished pudding.
2. Tapioca pudding can be baked. Add 1 tablespoon butter to Step 2, pour into a buttered baking dish and bake for 45 minutes at 325°F.

Find more pudding recipes in our Gourmet Desserts Section.

We love it: Kozy Shack Apple Cinnamon bread pudding. Photo courtesy Kozy Shack.

We are despondent when we should be happy. Why?

We’ve just finished our last four-pack of Kozy Shack Apple Cinnamon Bread Pudding, and our two closest markets don’t carry it. (Supermarkets in New York City are on the small side, owing to high rents).

We must go without. But everyone who lives near a “normal” supermarket and likes bread pudding or flan should pick some up and enjoy it on our behalf.

Kozy Shack has recently added bread pudding to its line of puddings. The three varieties are Apple Cinnamon, Cinnamon Raisin and Peach.

In individual four-ounce servings, each flavor has an appropriate sauce on the bottom of the cup. You can invert the puddings onto a plate for a pretty dessert (see photo). Or enjoy them as a snack, consumed right out of the cup.

The Scoop

 
Head out to your supermarket, and tell us how you like it.

BREAD PUDDING RECIPES ON THENIBBLE.COM

This refreshing, chilled raspberry soup can be garnished with blueberries for a red, white and blue dessert. You can do the reverse as well: blueberry soup with a raspberry garnish. Make it in five minutes in a blender or food processor.

The recipe is courtesy of EatWisconsinCheese.com, a great source of recipes with all kinds of dairy products produced in our second largest dairy* state.

*The top 5 dairy producers, by total milk production, are California, Wisconsin, Idaho, New York and Pennsylvania.

CHILLED RASPBERRY YOGURT SOUP
Makes 4 six-ounce servings.

Ingredients

A delicious summer soup. Have it for
dessert. Photo courtesy EatWisconsinCheese.com.

 
Preparation
1. Place all ingredients in blender and blend until smooth.
2. Serve immediately, or cover and refrigerate for up to 4 days.
3. Garnish with additional yogurt and raspberries, if desired.

More Fruit Soup Recipes

Biramisu: tiramisu with a porter reduction.
Photo courtesy Portobello Restaurant |
Orlando.

Love tiramisu? Love beer? Combine them in this novel recipe, called Biramisu.

It could be a big hit on your Father’s Day menu.

The beer-accented dessert was created by Chef Tony Mantuano (Chef/Partner at Spiaggia Chicago and a Top Chef Masters contestant) as a collaboration with Executive Chef Steven Richard of Portobello Restaurant in Orlando, where it is on the menu.

The recipe uses an organic porter from Orlando Brewing, but you can substitute another porter or a dark ale with coffee and chocolate notes.

Get the recipe.

For another beer dessert, check out our Chocolate Stout Float.

When was the last time you made a dessert using fresh apricots?

For most of us, the answer is: never.

So here’s a quick and easy recipe for Balsamic-Glazed Apricots With Ricotta Clouds.

If you think that “caramelized apricots” and “honey balsamic glaze” require a lot of work, this video will show you that both are done in a snap.

So take advantage of fresh apricots now in season and turn out a delicious, crowd-pleasing dessert.

Grilled fruit is a welcome treat. Photo
courtesy Melissas.com.

Counterweight the heavy fare consumed over holiday weekends with a dessert that’s light, delicious and of course, easy.

A fruit salad (do you have time to carved a watermelon basket?) is always welcome; as are fruit skewers, easily made by adding cut fruits and whole berries to wooden skewers and inserting into a half melon placed face down on a tray.

But grilled fruit skewers are even more fun.

Here’s a basic recipe for grilling all fruits. (And you don’t need skewers—you can grill watermelon and pineapple slices, and halved tree fruits.)

For the recipe in the photo, which is courtesy Tom Fraker of Melissas.com, you’ll need:

Melissa’s uses its own Sugar Cane Swizzle Stix instead of wood skewers, and adds a dessert sauce. We prefer the natural, sweet flavor of the fruit without a sauce.

Preparation
1. Carefully pierce a piece of pineapple with a swizzle stick. It will be necessary to make a pilot hole with a large wooden skewer first so you don’t split the fruit. Tthen do the same with a strawberry. Repeat the sequence until one skewer is complete, with two pineapple chunks and two strawberries per skewer. (If you’re using wood skewers, this step is not necessary.)
2. Repeat the procedure for the remaining Sugar Cane Swizzle Stix or skewers.
3. Grill the skewers directly on the grill or in a grill pan until you see grill marks. Turn over and repeat. Can be served hot or cold.

Want something more elaborate? Try these recipes:

Vanilla pudding with a bottom layer of banana cake. Photo by Dream79 | Fotolia.

Today is National Vanilla Pudding Day.

Would you believe that the creamy, sweet comfort food started out as a very different dish: a bland, white stew made with chicken or fish, plus sugar?

As far back as the 12th century, it was enjoyed by the wealthy at regular meals, and fed to them when they were under the weather.

In the 17th century, the original dish—which most likely would have few takers today—evolved into the dessert pudding we know and love.

Check out the history of vanilla pudding, along with a vanilla pudding recipe and a bunch of suggested garnishes.

The recipe can be varied to make butterscotch pudding and chocolate pudding, too.

For a special treat, fill tart shells with the pudding; garnish and enjoy a special dessert.

Happy National Vanilla Pudding Day!

Novel dessert: cream cheese, marshmallow
creme and kiwi in a mango wrap. Photo
courtesy New Gem Foods.

It’s a wrap—a dessert wrap, that is.

Sandwich wraps have swept the country by storm. Instead of two slices of bread, many people prefer to roll their favorite sandwich fixings in a large tortilla.

You can roll dessert fillings in the same manner to make a dessert wrap: sweetened ricotta with chocolate shavings (instead of a cannoli), bananas, fruit salad and yogurt.

A few years ago we published dessert tortilla recipes made with Tumaro’s dessert-flavored tortillas: Apple Cinnamon, Blueberry, Chocolate and Pineapple. Alas, these flavors have been discontinued. Not enough customers got the message.

You can use a regular tortilla—a thin, honey-flavored tortilla, if you can find a package. But there’s another option.

NewGem Foods makes alternative sushi wraps, called Origami Sushi Wraps. Originally intended for people who don’t like the traditional nori (seaweed) wraps, they’re made by dehydrating fresh fruits and vegetables.

In addition to savory flavors such as BBQ, Carrot, Corn, Red Bell Pepper and Tomato Basil, there are sweet flavors: Apple Cinnamon, Mango, Peach and Strawberry. The wraps can be found in Costco, Trader Joe’s, Wegman’s and food retailers worldwide. They can also be purchased from the company website, which has plenty of recipes for you to try.

Time to make dessert wraps! It couldn’t be easier.

Marshmallow Mango Cone Recipe
Makes approximately 100 small cones. Cones can be prepared an hour in advance and refrigerated.

Ingredients

Of all the recipes we tried with our recent shipment of Harry & David Royal Riviera Pears, the simplest and perhaps most satisfying has to be poached pears with chocolate sauce.

Along with the pears, we also had on hand jars of the new flavors of The King’s Cupboard dessert sauces: Bourbon Caramel, Chocolate Crème De Menthe and Chocolate Irish Cream. Voilà!

POACHED PEARS RECIPE

Ingredients

Poached pears with chocolate sauce. Photo
courtesy The King’s Cupboard.

Preparation
1. Combine first five ingredients in a 4-quart saucepan. Bring to a boil.
2. Reduce heat to a simmer and add pears to the poaching liquid.
3. Simmer pears for 30 minutes or until tender when pierced with a fork.
4. Remove pears and chill standing upright for several hours or overnight (we keep them in the poaching liquid to infuse more wine flavor).
5. To assemble, place pears on individual serving plates. Warm chocolate sauce in microwave (start with 20 seconds). Spoon sauce over pears. Garnish with mint leaf or berries.

Alternate Sauce
Instead of using chocolate sauce, you can reduce the poaching liquid to one cup, and spoon over the pears. Garnish with crème fraiche, crumbled blue cheese or blue cheese ice cream.

Alternate Recipe
A related dish, Poires Belle-Hélène (in English, Pears Belle-Hélène), combines a poached pear and chocolate sauce with ice cream and slivered almonds.

There are lots of chocolate sauces out there. The best ones are made from, not surprisingly, the highest quality chocolate.

While we’ve had a variety of tasty dessert sauces, four brands have been named Top Picks: The King’s Cupboard, Robert Lambert Chocolate Sauces, Sassy Sauces and Somebody’s Mother’s. Except for Robert Lambert, which focuses on chocolate only, the brands offer both chocolate and caramel sauces.

The King’s Cupboard has introduced three new flavors:

Three new dessert sauce stars. Photo
by River Soma | THE NIBBLE. Tray from PacificMerchants.com.

The products are kosher-certified (dairy) by OU. Crème de Menthe and Irish Cream are also certified organic.