Tapioca

I feel sorry for people who tell me that their mother’s cooking was terrible: I can’t imagine eighteen years of eating bad food. Fortunately, my esteemed lineage included a mom who was a fantastic cook. Unfortunately, though, she was lacking the baking gene, so cookies and cakes were few and far between. She did, however, make wonderful tapioca pudding, which she served warm in a bright-red ’60s-style glass bowl. She always added an entire capful of aromatic vanilla extract to the pudding, stirred in at the last minute. Being hopelessly nostalgic (especially when it comes to desserts), I can still smell it to this day. Of course, back then there wasn’t much fusion cooking going on, but nowadays Thai coconut milk is readily available, and I use it in my version of tapioca pudding. In addition to vanilla extract, I include a vanilla bean for good measure. I don’t have any children, but if I did, I would hope this pudding would be just as memorable for them as my mom’s is for me.

One of the reasons comfort foods are such a big part of this book is that in times of stress, it’s natural to seek out foods that have never let you down. So it is with tapioca pudding, a staple throughout the world. The cassava root, which is made into tapioca pearls, is rich in carbohydrates and gluten free, making this dessert a good treat for people who want to maintain weight without taxing the digestive system. A little chocolate sweetens the package, making this an ideal dessert to eat by the fireplace. Be sure to use very high-quality chocolate to enhance the yum factor. You can make tapioca without presoaking, but plan on an extra 10 to 20 minutes of cooking time.

This creamy (yet vegan) dessert can follow a meal from just about any cuisine: Caribbean, Indian, Mediterranean, West African, Asian, North American.…

Maybe I like rhubarb so much because I started eating it when I was a child; my mother’s strawberry-rhubarb pie is one of my earliest memories. And I love summer fruit soups; that’s something I learned from François Payard. So this combination is a natural for me. You need just the pod from the vanilla bean for this dessert, so if you have saved some used pods, now is the time to recycle. And you will need a whipped cream charger (see page 279) for the foam. You will have leftover consommé (which you can freeze) and foam; you simply can’t successfully foam less liquid than is in the recipe.

Feniger first encountered this fragrant pilaf while visiting her friend Alan Wagner, who cooks at an ashram in India. The pilaf has since become a popular addition to Street's menu. The first thing you'll notice is the tapioca pearls’ gratifyingly chewy, almost slippery texture. Then you'll take in the pop of the mustard seeds, the denseness of the taro, the fresh coolness of the cilantro, and the savor of the peanuts and cumin. The most elusive flavor is that of the dried neem leaves. They’re an optional ingredient—you can leave them out and the pilaf will still be delicious—but they have an interesting astringency.

Beneath a creamy layer of tapioca pudding lurks a silky strawberry base. Ground fennel seeds perk up the flavor of the fruit.

The unique texture of tapioca—creamy pudding studded with soft, slightly chewy pearls—inspires intense devotion among fans. This version gets lively citrus flavor from four incarnations of orange: zest, juice, liqueur, and fresh pieces of the fruit.

If you've never had pie made from wild blueberries before, you'll be bowled over by the intensity of this one. The light, tender crust provides a sublime foil for the deeply flavorful fruit. Take heart if you can't find fresh wild blueberries in your area—frozen ones also yield excellent results.

Nestled in a flaky crust, nectarines and raspberries seem to tease the best out of each other — these pies are fragrant and floral, sweet and tart. Even if you've never had the combination of fruits before, it instantly tastes like an American classic.

In adding translucent pearls of tapioca to the mushroom broth in this recipe, we've borrowed one of chef Daniel Boulud's methods for giving body to a light sauce.

Made from yuca (pronounced "YOO-ca"), pearl tapioca can be found at Asian markets and specialty foods shops. Active time: 2 hr Start to finish: 2 1/2 hr

Putting this moist pudding under the broiler for a few minutes allows the brown sugar topping to melt into a sweet syrup.

There's a touch of lemon in this summer pie.

Top this homey dessert with green grapes and orange slices for a pretty presentation.

The size of tapioca pearls varies widely. What one brand calls "small," another brand might term "large," so don't pay much attention to the label. Instead, look for pearls that are 1/8 to 3/16 inch in diameter for making this dessert.

Try this sweet alternative to fat-and cholesterol-laden crème brûlée.

Simple yet sumptuous desserts like this one — where readily available ingredients such as bananas or yams are cooked in sweet coconut milk — are a specialty of Malay cooking. The pudding is traditionally made with pearl sago and palm sugar.