I admit it. I love trashy food - tuna noodle casserole, meatloaf, Cheetos. My recent favorite snack, inspired by a dearth of other snacky foods in my kitchen cabinet, is a slice of cheddar cheese on a Ritz. Not an Irish cheddar made with Guinness beer, or a sharp English cheddar, or even anything artisanally and lovingly hand-crafted from our side of the pond. Just a hunk of orange grocery store cheese. And a reduced fat Ritz.
I dare you to try it and tell me it's no good.
On another trashy food note, in a fit of dessert desperation last night, I whipped up a batch of tapioca pudding. Luckily, I had my wits about me and figured out a way to make it into chocolate tapioca pudding! (Okay, I read the back of the box. Still, after three glasses of wine, that was quite an intellectual accomplishment.) Mr. Food Musings and I enjoyed the warm, creamy, slippery, chocolatey pudding all the way from the tips of our tongues to the bottoms of our bellies.
Chocolate Tapioca Pudding
Yield: 6 servings
I took the recipe from the back of the Minute Tapioca box, then made a few modifications. I'm convinced my version has more chocolate oopmh than theirs. You be the judge.
1/2 cup sugar
3 TBSP Minute Tapioca
3 cups milk (use whatever you have - skim, 2%, whole or soy. Out of necessity, I used a mix of skim and soy.)
1 egg, well beaten
1/2 cup chocolate: 2 parts bittersweet chocolate (at least 70% chocolate) to 1 part semi-sweet chocolate
1 tsp. vanilla
1. Mix sugar, tapioca, milk and egg in medium saucepan. Let stand 5 minutes. (I was impatient so my mixture sat for about 30 seconds before I said to myself, "Screw this step.").
2. Add chocolate to mixture. Cook on medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture comes to full boil. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla.
3. Cool 20 minutes; stir. Serve warm or chilled.
I'll be trying this one SOON!
Posted by: Mom | April 15, 2005 at 04:01 AM
When does the chocolate go in? After the mixture comes to full boil?
Posted by: glovefox | April 17, 2005 at 02:33 AM
Oops! Check the recipe again - I revised it to indicate when to add chocolate. Sorry...
Posted by: Catherine | April 18, 2005 at 10:19 PM
What do you mean by 1/2 cup chocolate? Do you mean a bar broken up into little bits and then measured out? Any idea how many ounces we're talking here? My dad is going to be very, very excited the next time he visits me...! Thanks.
Posted by: Karen | May 10, 2005 at 12:29 PM
Karen: yes, 1/2 cup's worth of a bar of bittersweet chocolate (or semi-sweet morsels). If I were a sophisticated cook I could convert that to ounces, but, well, I'm not! Good luck!
Posted by: Catherine | May 10, 2005 at 02:17 PM
I just made the chocolate tapioca pudding...incredible! I used an equal mixture of Scharffen Berger Bittersweet and Scharffen Berger Extra Dark chocolate. Yum!!Thanks!
Posted by: Carol | January 04, 2007 at 01:34 PM
I followed the recipe above, with a few modifications of my own. We are a Lindt chocolate family, so of course the chocolate I used was the Lindt 70% Excellence Bar (I used 3 ounces). I kicked it up a bit with 2 teaspoons of Kahlua, and 1 teaspoon of cinnamon. I must say this was the best I have ever tried!! Thanks!
Posted by: Alli | February 24, 2007 at 11:44 AM
Ooh, Alli, I am loving the kahlua idea! I bet Bailey's Irish Creme would work too.
Posted by: Catherine | February 24, 2007 at 11:57 AM
My grandmother used to make this pudding when I was young and I haven't had it since. I can't wait to try this out!
Posted by: Claudine | November 13, 2008 at 10:24 AM