Were you aware that July 15 is National Tapioca Pudding Day? There are those who love this dessert so much they'd fight for it to be given its own month, let alone a day. I'm one of those folks.

If we had a universal "Comfort Foods" list, I bet this pudding would be right at the top. It's good warm on a chilly winter night and delectable cold on a hot summer day. Add some sliced fruit on top and you could even call it breakfast!

I just read that many people have never heard of tapioca pudding. Hard to believe. But it's well-embedded in our nation's food history, which says, by the way, that the most popular flavors are vanilla and chocolate.

Tapioca is the starch from a cassava root. This starch forms the soft, tiny balls in the pudding, which gives this pudding its unique texture.

Well, all this said, you know what to do on this day, don't you? Right, eat some tapioca pudding. In fact, why not throw a pudding party? Summer's a good time for an outdoor gathering (a traditional BBQ will work), and you could do a dessert bar featuring various kinds of puddings and add-ins. Of course, tapioca would sit center stage.

It's simply a remarkable treat. How many puddings do you know of that lend themselves easily to adaptation for an IBS-friendly diet? Not that many. But fortunately, lactose-free cow's milk behaves just like regular milk in recipes. So if you or family or friends have this issue, treat them to tapioca pudding (made with lactose-free milk)!

While you can buy tapioca pudding pre-made at your grocery store (Jello and Kozy Shack are two common brands), like most everything, it tastes so much better made from scratch.

Two things that enchant be about tapioca pudding (besides its creamy taste and wonderful texture) are how easy it is to make and how versatile a dessert it is. I've used the same standard recipe for years. Perhaps you're familiar with it:

Traditional Tapioca Pudding

Prep time:
Cook time:
Yield:

Serving size: 1
Calories per serving: 780

Ingredients:

1/2 cup small, pearl tapioca (you can usually find it in the baking section of the grocery store, do not use instant tapioca)
3 cups whole milk (or skim milk with cream added)
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1/2 cup sugar
1 1/4 teaspoons vanilla extract


Directions:

1. Cook the tapioca in milk with salt, slowly adding sugar until the tapioca thickens: Combine tapioca, milk, and salt in 1 1/2 quart pan on medium high heat. Stir while bringing to a bare simmer. Lower the heat and cook uncovered, at the lowest possible heat, adding sugar gradually, until the tapioca pearls have plumped up and thickened.

Depending on the type or brand of tapioca you are using and if you've presoaked the tapioca as some brands call for, this could take anywhere from 5 minutes to 45 minutes of cooking at a very low temperature.
Stir occasionally so that the tapioca doesn't stick to the bottom of the pan.
2. Temper the eggs with a little hot tapioca: Beat eggs in a separate bowl. Whisk in some of the hot tapioca very slowly to equalize the temperature of the two mixtures (to avoid curdling).
3. Return eggs to pan with tapioca. Increase the heat to medium and stir for several minutes until you get a thick pudding consistency. Do not let the mixture boil or the tapioca egg custard will curdle. Cool 15 minutes. Stir in vanilla. Serve either warm or chilled.
NOTE: If you want to make a more light and fluffy, but still rich, tapioca pudding, separate the eggs. Use the egg yolks to stir in first to the pan with the tapioca. Once the pudding has become nice and thick, beat the egg whites in a separate bowl to soft peaks. Remove the pan of tapioca pudding from the stove, fold in the beaten egg whites into the pudding.

Recipe formatted with the Cook'n Recipe Software from DVO Enterprises.

When talking versatility, think of all the things you can add in to tapioca pudding (not that it needs anything extra). Chopped nuts and dried fruit (especially apricots), crushed caramel candies, shaved milk or semi-sweet chocolate, or cookie crumbles are just a few add-in ideas. And it's always yummy when layered with either canned or fresh fruit in season.

You can also use coconut milk as an alternative to the typical dairy milk standard tapioca pudding recipes call for. Or you could change out the vanilla extract with coconut, maple, even cherry. Really, the possibilities are endless.

And I close with one of my very favorite approaches to this dessert. This method takes your tapioca pudding from a humble family favorite to a delightful special occasion dessert. It's about the finish-a brulee finish, that is.

Start by ladling your finished pudding into individual ramekins; cover and chill them for 4 to 24 hours.

When ready to serve, move an oven rack to the top shelf and preheat the broiler. Place the chilled ramekins on an ungreased baking sheet. In a small bowl, combine 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon with 2 tablespoons sugar. Sprinkle each ramekin of pudding with 1/2 teaspoon of the cinnamon sugar.

Broil with the oven door ajar until the sugar is bubbling and starting to darken, about 2 1/2 minutes. Supervise carefully to make sure the sugar does not burn. Then cool the pudding for a few minutes before serving. This is really an outstanding take on traditional creme brulee. Simply put, TOP HONORS TO TAPIOCA PUDDING!