“What’s for dessert?”
Do you hear this as often as I do? I have friends who never eat dessert. “Ils sont malades ?”
Actually, my dad is one. He occasionally eats dessert, of course, like everyone else, also because sometimes, he does not have the choice. But at the same time, he is not too interested in them. Let’s put it this way: he would never leave room for dessert (all right, I think he must have been traumatized as a kid or something). We have never figured it out. My dad would always favor the main course, or a piece of cheese, over a slice of cake, even the most tempting piece of rustic homemade fruit tart.
As to us, P. and I will always have dessert. We, obviously, have not been traumatized. And with us, desserts do not necessarily need to be complicated, or fancy. They simply have to be labeled dessert. Sometimes, only a piece of quality bittersweet chocolate will do, especially after lunch. But often, I will have made a vanilla flan, snow eggs, a petit pot de crème au chocolat, a fruit gratin, a rice pudding — do you see a pattern? — or a dessert like the one I am going to introduce you to.
But perhaps you have already done something like this before? I am sure you must have.
Before I met P., I was not particularly a fan of coconut. And I rarely used tapioca. But you see, when you live with someone for a long period of time, I am not teaching you anything: you quickly start to take on some of your partner’s habits, sometimes for the best, and sometimes for the worst.
With P., I learned to appreciate both tapioca and coconut. After receiving so many requests to use these two ingredients, I finally gave in, and well, here we are. I now use fresh coconut a lot in desserts. As to tapioca, I still have room for improvement. But, since I have just refilled my cupboard with all kinds of tapioca products, different beads sizes and tapioca flour, I am well geared for a lot of future experiments.
This dessert? Eggs, milk, coconut milk, coconut, sugar, and tapioca pearls looking like beaming jewels.
Wonderfully satisfying, especially because it was really simple to prepare, and mainly because it was called dessert.
“We are having coconut tapioca puddings, ” I shouted back, from across the room.
Why would you not want to leave room for dessert?
You need:
- 4 Tbsp small tapioca pearls
- 2/3 cup coconut milk
- 1 +1/2 cups milk
- 3 Tbsp cane sugar + more to coat the molds
- Pinch of salt
- 1/3 cup grated coconut
- 2 eggs, lightly beaten
- Butter for molds
Steps:
- Rinse the tapioca pearls, and strain.
- In a pot, bring the coconut milk, milk to a boil with the sugar and salt.
- Slowly pour the tapioca in and reduce the heat to a very low simmer. Cook for about 17 min or so, until the pearls are translucent and soft.
- Pour in a bowl and let cool.
- Preheat your oven at 350 F.
- Add the grated coconut to the previous preparation. Then add the eggs, and mix.
- Butter four small ramekins, and coat with sugar. Remove the excess. Divide the preparation between them.
- Cook for about 35 to 40 min, or until they are puffed and golden in color (they will fall). Remove from the oven and let them cool. I find them best eaten lukewarm, or at room temperature (but not cold).
Ingrédients :
- 40 g de petites perles de tapioca
- 165 ml de lait de coco non sucré
- 335 ml de lait
- 40 g de sucre de canne blond + un peu plus pour les moules
- Pincée de sel
- 30 g de noix de coco râpée
- 2 oeufs, légèrement battus
- Beurre pour les moules
Étapes :
- Rinsez les perles de tapioca sous l’eau froide, et égouttez-les.
- Dans une casserole, amenez le lait de coco et le lait à ébullition, avec le sucre et la pincée de sel.
- Versez doucement les perles de tapioca, et réduisez le feu à doux. Cuisez les perles de tapioca pendant environ 17 min, ou juste assez pour qu’elles soient translucides et tendres.
- Versez dans un bol et laissez refroidir.
- Préchauffez votre four à 180 C.
- Ajoutez la noix de coco râpée au mélange précédent. Puis ajoutez les oeufs, et mélangez.
- Beurrez quatre petits ramequins et saupoudrez l’interieur de sucre. Enlevez l’exces. Divisez la crème entre les ramequins.
- Cuisez au four pendant environ 35 à 40 min, jusqu’à ce que les puddings soient dorés et gonflés (ils vont retomber). Retirez-les du four et laissez-les un peu refroidir. Je les trouve meilleurs mangés tièdes, ou à température ambiante (mais pas froids).