As mentioned in Day 86 of The Challenge
When I was little I didn't like tapioca because it looked like (and sort of had the texture of) frogs eggs. As an adult I don't necessarily think that comparison untrue, but I have come to appreciate other aspects of it. It was a comfort food my dad made for me. It is creamy and rich and comforting. I had only ever had it plain, but had been wanting to make it, and happened to have a tub of quince slices in the syrup produced from boiling them, so I decided to combine the two and it came out quite delightfully.
Ingredients:
3/4c tapioca
1 1/2 -2 c quince syrup (no added sugar, but just from cooking the quince in water)
1-1/2 c milk
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp almond extract
A handful of golden raisins
6-8 slices of quince
1/2 tbsp butter
2 tbsp cinnamon sugar
2 tsp ground almonds
To serve:
cream, brown sugar, cinnamon sugar, whatever takes your fancy.
1) Cook the tapioca and golden raisins in the quince syrup and milk, vanilla and almond extracts, stirring almost constantly, especially as it thickens, 15-20 minutes until the liquid is absorbed and the grain is cooked and tender.
2) In a small frying pan, melt the butter. Add the cinnamon sugar and cook until it melds with the butter and starts to caramelise. Add the quince slices and the almonds, stirring to coat the quince evenly in the cinnamon caramel and the almonds.
3) Spoon tapioca into small bowls and top with the quince slices. Serve with cream, brown or cinnamon sugar, cocoa spice or plain.
This was exactly what I needed, traditional comfort food, but with something else to it too. The only drawback was the almond extract, which was perfect when hot, but then was a little overpowering when it cooled. If you plan to eat this cold, I would cut the almond extract in half or skip it all together.