Vacationing on the Hawaiian island of Oahu is paradise to be sure. The perfect weather, beautiful scenery and sunny beaches are beyond imagination. Couple all of this with a plethora of international and local cuisine, and this food writer was in heaven for a week.
I came away from the trip with a bevy of recipes and ideas, and this recipe for Tropical Tapioca is my recreation of a dish I sampled in, of all places, a hotel fast food restaurant. The delicious combination of pearl tapioca and coconut milk surrounding sliced ripe bananas was absolutely heaven. When I came home, I discovered that it takes a trip to a specialty market to locate pearl tapioca, so I used the more readily available quick tapioca found in the pudding sections of most supermarkets.
Serving this luscious dessert in demitasse cups is a pretty presentation, and offers diners just the right amount of "sweet" after dinner. A sprinkling of freshly grated nutmeg or ground cinnamon would be a nice finishing touch.
- 3/4 cup 2 percent milk
- 1 14-ounce can coconut milk*
- 3 tablespoons quick cooking tapioca
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 to 2 ripe bananas, thinly sliced just before using
Layer some of the pudding in 6 demitasse or small parfait cups, then arrange some banana slices over top. Layer with remaining pudding and refrigerate, covered in plastic wrap, until ready to serve.
Makes 6 to 8 servings.
Related Recipe Categories
Desserts