Vanilla-Honey Tapioca Pudding

When people hear that I grew up as an only child, they often ask I if you liked it. They as if I know any different – or have any perspective on what it's like compared to having siblings. I want to answer--I want to have an answer- but I do not. Instead, it was just me, and as an introvert, that never bothered me much. I certainly never had to compete for the last pudding cup, which my mom would often keep in the fridge (always tapioca). 

Tapioca pudding is ridiculously easy to make. No joke, it's as easy as soak, simmer, set. Serve it with fresh berries in summer, or even a touch of homemade cranberry sauce in winter. Vanilla-Honey Tapioca Pudding!

Vanilla-Honey Tapioca Pudding

Primal, Gluten-Free, Grain-Free,    |   Caitlin Sherwood    |   

Tapioca is naturally grain-free, made form tapioca root. Use small tapioca pearls to make this pudding.

Serves: 4   |    Total Active Time: 30 minutes

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Ingredients:

• 2 1/2 cups whole milk
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• ⅛ teaspoon salt (or 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt)
• 1/2 cup small pearl tapioca
• 1/2 cup honey (or 1/2 cup sugar, depending on preferences -- honey will lend a honey taste to the pudding)
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla

Directions:

1. Put the milk, cream, and tapioca pearls in a medium sized sauce pan. Allow to sit for 30 minutes for quick cooking -- or overnight (covered, in the fridge) for normal tapioca, to hydrate.
2. Place sauce pan on stove over medium-low heat. Add honey, and stir. Warm slowly until the milk is almost to a simmer, stirring frequently to avoiding tapioca sticking to the bottom, and cook until tapioca is fully hydrated (this will vary depending on type of tapioca -- quick cooking tapioca will only need 5 minutes, while regular could take up to 45).
3. Meanwhile, whisk the eggs in a medium sized mixing bowl. Set aside. When tapioca is hydrated, use a ladel to scoop a ladel of warm milk mixture into the egg, whisking quickly to temper eggs. Then, pour eggs into sauce pan, again stiring quickly to avoid curdling. Cook for 3-5 minutes more, until mixture thickens. Pudding should coat the back of your spoon. Remove from heat, and stir in vanilla. Pour into airtight container and cool in fridge 2 hours or until ready to server.
4. Divide the pudding among glasses and top with fresh berries, nuts, or marmelade.

Paleo Vanilla Custard Tarts

If you've never heard of 1-2-3 Custard, brace yourself. It's life changing. I'm talking whole new world, brand new enthusiasm for dessert, give me seconds, thirds and fifths life changing. 

When I first discovered this totally Paleo custard recipe from Primal Kitchen, that's how I felt. Before that, I didn't know what I was missing, and then BOOM! My definition of "favorite party dessert" was redefined. 

It's not just that this recipe is easy (because it is, seriously easy), it's that it is adaptable, and reminds me of those pretty fruit tarts that you might buy in a French bakery. When I was a kid, my dad would make the custard and I would get to layer the fruit in concentric circles over top. So it's a little bit fancy, a little bit nostalgic, and a lot a bit easy. Win-win! 

So more on this easy bit, in case you don't believe me yet. Like most recipes, I've adapted the original custard recipe to my own preferences. Instead of baking the custard in ramekins, I temper the filling over the stove until it turns into a thick pudding. Then I just spoon the mixture into dishes and let it chill. 

Bottom line: Three ingredients. Three steps. That's it! See...

1 can of coconut milk, two bananas, and three eggs (that's where the 1-2-3 comes from... get it?). Then you just:

1. Blend

2. Temper

3. Set

The proof is in the pudding! ;)  

I'm not a fan of mega sweet desserts, but I know one thing about this dessert: it's good whether you're Paleo, health conscious or even just into sweets. Somehow, coconut milk + bananas + eggs = silky, creamy marvelousness. 

You make this for dessert, and your guests might get so excited they'll ask to be a part of the photo shoot. True story. -------------->

(Weird, but also sort of awesome.) 

Paleo Vanilla Custard Tarts

Paleo, Primal, Gluten-Free, Grain-Free    |   Caitlin Sherwood    |   

This recipe can be made with a pie crust or with out one—either way its good!

Serves: 7   |    Total Time: 3 hours, including set time

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Ingredients:

• Optional: 1 recipe Paleo Pie Crust*
• 1 13.5-ounce can coconut milk (full-fat)
• 2 bananas
• 3 eggs
• Optional: vanilla
• Fruit of choice for decorating

Directions:

1. Prepare pie crust according to directions (prepare it in one pie pan for 1 large tart of divide it among small dishes for individual tarts).
2. In a blender, combine the coconut milk, banana, and egg. Add vanilla if using. Puree until smooth.
3. Pour the custard mixture into a sauce pan. Heat over medium-low heat. Stir with a whisk frequently. If you see the bottom begins to cook faster than the rest of the mixture, reduce the heat further. Book uncovered for 30 minutes, until the mixture thickens and reaches a pudding consistency.
4. Spoon the pudding into the dishes (or crust). Cover loosely with plastic or another lid. Place in fridge and allow to set for 2-3 hours.
5. Top custards with fruit in concentric circles. Keep in fridge until ready to serve.

Indian Carrot Pudding & Lessons Learned

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If I learned one thing in India, it was how to eat spicy food like it was nobody's business.

Just kidding! My tolerance for spice did go up a lot while I was in India, but the trip was an intense learning experience, and the number of peppers on my plate was one of the last things on my mind. I was thirteen when my dad and I landed in New Delhi, and I learned within hours of landing in the city to watch my step! Cow dung (and who knows what else) is everywhere. The weeks that ensued carried even more important lessons. 

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By the time we made it to Rishikesh, I had learned to sleep through even the bumpiest taxi rides, and between snoozes, I learned that Indian traffic is something you really do just want to sleep through (or else you'll be terrified). In Rishikesh, we stayed at an Ashram in the middle of the mountains, and observed the simple life of monk-hood. At this point I was so far removed from my home that I was already losing touch of the stark differences between my home and this one. Washing my clothes in a bucket started to seem normal (and totally necessary, cow-dung considered). 

Not far from our Ashram, in Haridwar, I learn what it felt like to be a movie star. Crowds of people swarmed us. They took our photos. They asked for autographs from the first US citizens they had even met. They were going to tell everyone they knew. 

Mountains near Rishikesh, India

Rishikesh, India

On safari in Haridwar, India

New Years in Udaipur, India

Rural India

The paparazzi followed us to the country side, where we were featured in a small village newspaper. We were treated like kings at the Mayor's ranch, where we drank afternoon Chai and enjoyed traditional Indian Sweets like Gajar Ka Hawla, or Indian Carrot Pudding. 

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After making our way through Pushkar (lesson learned: how to fight kites), and Jaipur (lesson learned: some Indian food will make you feel sick as a dog), we finally arrived in Varanasi. Varanasi is the heart and soul of Northern India. In Varanasi, I met my first Guru. I laid eyes on the Dalai Lama, and sat with thousands of his Tibetan refugees under a tent. In Varanasi, I saw a dead body for the first time. I watched Indian wrestlers fight for glory, and sent a flower floating down the Ganges River as Puja. I cried when we left. 

After arriving home, I got teary at the sight of my own toilet, feeling half guilty and half spoiled. I was never quite the same. And I craved Indian food twice as often. 

About this dessert: Indian Carrot Pudding is an simple dessert that resembles almost no dessert you find in the western world. Carrots, grated very fine, are stewn in milk and honey until soft and creamy, and then spiced with the typical warmth of India. Finally raisins and cashews are folded in, like jewels waiting to be discovered. For it's simplicity, it's an impressive treat. The best way to describe this to someone that has never experienced it is by saying it's like carrot cake in a bowl... with some Indian flare. Actually, the best way to explain it would just be to serve it and let everyone try if for themselves.

Indian Carrot Pudding - Gajar Ka Hawla

Paleo, Gluten-Free, Grain-Free    |   Caitlin Sherwood    |    Print This Recipe

Carrots are stewed in a sweet coconut milk base and then spiced with cardamom.

Serves: 4   |    Total Time: 45 minutes

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Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cup almond milk
• 1 cup canned coconut milk
• 5 large carrots (about 7-10 inches long)
• 1 tablespoon organic grass-fed butter, ghee, or coconut oil
• 2 tablespoons raw, local honey
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
• 1/8 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/16 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/16 teaspoon ground cloves
• Dash salt
• 1/4 cup raisins
• 1 star anise, whole
• 1/4 cup cashews

Directions:

1. Wash and shred the carrots. Pour milks into a sauce pan and bring to a simmer. Add the carrots to the sauce pan, continuing to simmer for 20 minutes. (Keep a close eye on the coconut milk to keep it from boiling over.)
2. After the milk begins to thicken and take on an orange color from the carrots, add the butter, ghee, or coconut oil to the pot along with the honey. Stir until the butter has melted, and then add the cardamom, ginger, cinnamon, cloves, and salt. Toss in the raisins. Stir to combine, and continue to simmer for 5 more minutes.
3. Add the star anise to the pudding, and simmer for 5 more minutes, or until more of the milk has evaporated and the carrots are very soft.
4. Toast the cashews in an oven at 350°F until golden.
5. Remove the pudding from the heat. Remove and discard the star anise, or use it as a garnish. Serve the pudding warm. Top with cashews.

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