We have another pretty, fresh seasonal berry-filled dessert to share with you which has a unique texture thanks to the addition of tapioca, and it is truly bursting with flavor.
Grandma's recipe called for Port, something neither of us had ever tried before much less purchased. We opted for the bottle below as it was the cheapest and we didn't want to spend a lot on something we weren't sure we would care for left over. Port is a heavy, sweet dessert wine (makes sense in this context!) and it really wasn't too bad if you're into that kind of thing. We kinda like it. Would it be a sin to say it might even be good over ice, kinda like Sangria without any work (or fruit)? At least the cheap stuff?
Anyways... When you check out the recipe you'll see it calls for quick-cooking tapioca. We like to make things more difficult for ourselves though, both for the sake of authenticity and to help educate ourselves and our readers. And it just really is kind of a fun challenge to test our skills in this way. So we bought the real stuff, which had to be soaked overnight. We did not have to adjust the recipe in any other way and it worked great! Those little suckers soaked up so much raspberry goodness, contributing to the overall effect of raspberry flavor bursting in our mouths!
We decided to reduce the amount of sugar in both the pudding and the whipped cream, which we think turned out to be the perfect amount, really allowing the flavor of the berries to shine. You can always adjust the sweetness to suit your own taste. This may actually be necessary as some berries are more tart and some are more sweet.
The last little experiment we tried was to use an immersion blender to make the whipped cream, and holy schnitz! It was whipped in like 2.5 seconds! In fact, Tara wasn't convinced it was possible for cream to whip that fast and perhaps overwhipped the cream. It was a bit dry... So, moral of the story: If you want to try this method, please believe your eyes no matter how impossible what you see may seem.
Otherwise, the pudding firmed up nicely and was really so very tasty. We like to think it's kind of a healthy dessert, if such a thing exists. After all, tapioca is all natural and derived from cassava root and the main ingredient is raspberries, those brilliant antioxidant and vitamin rich little delights. And a bit of sugar in moderation keeps us happy. Happy is healthy.
We have to say, we are just so impressed with Grandma's Cookbook - we haven't had a dud yet! (Knock on wood. Seriously. Please?)
Adieu,
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