Vanilla Bean Tapioca with Brûléed Top
When I was little and I lived in this adorable little town in Michigan, Suttons Bay. There was a local grocery store that had tapioca pudding that my mom would buy, and I loved it. Once I moved out of that town, I never really had tapioca pudding again. I’m sure that the grocery store pudding I had and loved wasn’t homemade, but it was glorious enough for it to be a nostalgic dessert for me. This recipe is a little more bougie, I used vanilla bean paste and bruleed the top and paired everything with macerated berries. The finished product is 10/10 perfection, and it’s easy to make!
Tips for making this pudding would be to soak the tapioca pearls overnight in the fridge, and to cook the pudding until it really starts to thicken, but not too much. I made this three times to get the consistency that I liked. The first time I made it, I didn’t cook the pudding long enough and it was a little watery. Then the second time I overcooked it and the consistency wasn’t really like a pudding anymore, plus the pearls soaked up a lot of the moisture. The third time I made it, I made sure that the consistency was thicker after I added the eggs and then I removed it from heat.
I enjoy this pudding room temperature after letting it cool for a little while after the initial cooking. But if you like your pudding cold, you can let it get to room temperature and then cool it for a couple of hours. Either way, it is DIVINE!
Some Cooking Essentials:
All-Clad Pot
All Clad Measuring Cups
Pyrex Mixing Bowls
Pyrex Measuring Cup
Torch
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Vanilla Bean Tapioca Pudding with a Brûléed Top
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup small pearl tapioca
- 4 cups whole milk
- 2 cups heavy cream
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 4 teaspoons vanilla bean paste
- 4 large eggs
- 1 generous pinch of salt
- 3 tablespoons salted butter
- ⅓ to ½ cup granulated or raw sugar for brûlée topping
- 1 cup fresh strawberries, hulled and sliced
- 1 cup fresh blueberries
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar (adjust to taste)
- 1/4 cup lemon juice
Instructions
- Place the tapioca pearls in a bowl and cover with cold water. Soak overnight in the fridge, or soak in hot water for 1–2 hours if you're short on time. Drain before cooking.
- In a large saucepan, combine milk, cream, and sugar. Bring to a gentle simmer over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Don’t let it boil.
- Stir in the tapioca. Reduce heat to low and simmer gently, stirring often, for 20–25 minutes, until the pearls are translucent and the mixture has visibly thickened.
- In a medium bowl, whisk the eggs. Slowly ladle in about ½ cup of the hot tapioca mixture while whisking constantly. Then pour the tempered yolks back into the pot, stirring continuously.
- Cook for another 2-5 minutes on low heat, stirring constantly until the pudding coats the back of a spoon.
- Remove from heat. Stir in the butter, salt, and vanilla bean paste.
- Pour into a large shallow bowl or baking dish. Press a layer of plastic wrap directly onto the surface of the pudding to prevent a skin from forming. Let cool to room temp, then chill uncovered for at least 4 hours or overnight.
- Remove plastic wrap.
- Sprinkle sugar evenly across the top (⅓ to ½ cup depending on size of your dish). Try to cover the surface in a thin, even layer.
- Place the dish under the broiler (top rack) for 1–3 minutes, just until the sugar starts to melt and bubble. Keep a close eye on it—it can burn fast.
- Finish caramelizing the sugar with a kitchen torch to create an even golden, crackly shell. Let sit 1–2 minutes to set.
- Combine all ingredients in a bowl and toss gently to coat the berries in the sugar and lemon juice.
- Let the mixture sit at room temperature for 20–30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the strawberries soften and the juices release.
- Chill until ready to serve. Spoon over (or beside) the brûléed tapioca pudding.
