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Tapioca Raspberry Verrines – Heart Of The Matter

I thought that after some rich mousses, very sweet pastries and buttery brioches, B. and I could use a little dessert break. I know our waistlines and hearts would thank us…it is spring after all! There are plenty of gorgeous seasonal fruits available at the market and since we did a good house spring cleaning our eating would not suffer a lighter dessert fare.

I also thought that Ilva’s and Joanna’s event The Heart of The Matter was a great pretext to come up with a little easy, tasty creation using what I had picked up at the market one morning. I love raspberries….maybe as much as I love lemons. Stranded on a desert island, I would be completely satisfied with a bowl of these and a dollop of whipped cream. I don’t use tapioca very much because of the gelatinous texture it takes when it is cooking. I was on the lookout for big pearled tapioca but the Asian market I go to was closed so I had to fall back on the regular kind. I was not really sure of the end result when I cooked the tapioca layer of the verrine but it thickens a bit when cooling and becomes more like rice pudding once completely refrigerated.
This dessert uses minimum sugar, milk (you can use low fat), and plenty of fresh fruit. Even the topping won’t put your heart into shock!

Tapioca Raspberry Verrines, from Tartelette, inspired by the cover of this book:

Serves 4

1/3 cup tapioca
2 1/2 cups milk (I used 2%)
1/2 cup sugar, divided
1 1/2 cups raspberries (could use frozen)
1 1/2 tsp. gelatin
1 Tb. water
1 cup graham cracker crumbs
2 Tb. sugar
1/4 tsp. ground ginger
1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
2 Tb. butter

For the tapioca pudding:
In a heavy saucepan combine the milk, tapioca and 1/4 cup sugar. Cook over medium heat until the mixture thickens up, about 10 minutes, stirring every so often. Remove from the heat and let coo to room temperature.

For the raspberry layer:
Combine the remaining sugar and the raspberries in a saucepan and cook over low heat to break the raspberries a little so that they release their juices and soften up.
In a small bowl, sprinkle the gelatin over the tablespoon of water and let it get soft.
Remove the raspberries from the stove and gently stir in the soften gelatin. Stir until it is completely incorporated. Let cool to room temperature.

For the topping:
In a saucepan, combine the graham cracker crumbs, sugar, spices and butter and cook until the mixture lumps up and gets toasty. Let cool completely.

Assemble the verrines:
Divide the tapioca pudding and raspberries evenly among 4 glasses or other containers.
Right before serving, sprinkle about 2 Tb. of the crumb topping among the verrines.

Funny thing is that this was meant to be shared between friends in sunday night, but a terrible wind storm kept each couple home so we had ours and we had theirs on monday night… I hope that if they read this they will invite us again…!

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Comments


Anonymous April 18, 2007 um 12:05 am

wow. this dessert combines everything i love the most! tapioca (well, that and rice pudding), raspberry and cinnamon. delicious!


Ilva April 18, 2007 um 4:55 am

I’m so happy you too are participating, thanks! And I love the recipe!


Anonymous April 18, 2007 um 5:48 am

Beautiful treat! I love the different colours and textures you’ve got happening here, a nice light dessert that sounds like a great way to end a meal!


Gattina Cheung April 18, 2007 um 8:36 am

oh I luuuuuve tapioca!!!
Your dessert has such beautiful color and texture!


Anonymous April 18, 2007 um 9:42 am

hmmm,it seems so delicous!
leonine194.canalblog.com


Warda April 18, 2007 um 10:14 am

This is just beautiful. Now I know what I am gonna do with my tapioca that I bought 2months ago. Bonne journee Helene.


Lis April 18, 2007 um 10:32 am

That’s gorgeous!! I love the raspberry layer over the creamy pudding.. yum! And like the most perfect topping EVER!

xoxo


Freya April 18, 2007 um 12:46 pm

These look so wonderful! I love the little glass dishes too!


Cheryl April 18, 2007 um 12:58 pm

This is beautiful and I love the glass you put it in. Looks like a work of art.


Anonymous April 18, 2007 um 3:58 pm

A bowl of raspberries and a dollop of whipped cream sounds great, stranded island or not. Tapioca and raspberries are such an unexpected combination, the textures and colors look divine and I’m sure it tasted wonderful!


Anonymous April 18, 2007 um 4:56 pm

Hi Helen! What a gorgeous and light dessert… it makes me think of summer!


Patricia Scarpin April 18, 2007 um 5:41 pm

Helene, I’m inviting you now. Do you have a pen to write down my address? ๐Ÿ˜‰

Don’t forget to bring dessert, ok? ๐Ÿ˜‰


Thistlemoon April 18, 2007 um 6:03 pm

Your blog always has the most beautiful pictures! Everything looks so tantalizingly good! – probably doesn’t hurt that most of them are sweets! Yummy!


Anonymous April 18, 2007 um 7:35 pm

I haven’t had tapioca in a while. I always love how those little slippery balls felt so good on the tongue. Great picture, picture too Helene…love the layers!


MyKitchenInHalfCups April 18, 2007 um 9:18 pm

How perfect! Tapioca is such an old fashion dessert (even my mom made it) but I totally love it and the raspberry puts it in a rarified atmosphere of glory! Lovely.


Mercedes April 18, 2007 um 9:26 pm

those are beautiful, I love the crumble on top.


Brilynn April 18, 2007 um 9:41 pm

I’ve never used tapioca, but I think I would like it. This looks great!


Claudia April 19, 2007 um 12:08 am

I just bought some tapioca – I’m going to try this – it looks glorious!


Peabody April 19, 2007 um 6:48 am

It looks so pretty…though I do think it still might make my waist line expand a little ๐Ÿ™‚


Jacqueline April 19, 2007 um 7:34 am

thankyou. and thankyou so much for posting all of the events on your blog, it helps a lot and keeps me motivated to continue baking day after day.
xoxo


Connie April 19, 2007 um 10:15 am

so pretty! i bet your friends now are jealous


yadamnpastrychef April 28, 2007 um 3:19 pm

What is the translation of "verrines"? I am always looking for an excuse to use pearl tapioca at work (the texture is murderously inviting to me) and to lighten up my desserts. This one meets both goals. Can you give me a little background, seeing as I am Souf Cackalacky born and bred and thusly unable to read French (or English for that matter).

thanks,
ydpc


yadamnpastrychef April 28, 2007 um 3:22 pm

What is the translation of "verrines"? I am always looking for ways to use pearl tapioca and to lighten up my desserts. This dessert fits both. Since I am Souf Cackalacky born and bred, I am unable to read much French (or English for that matter), so the link to Amazon was pretty, but not very informative for me.

Thanks for your time,
ydpc


Cherry Blossom January 23, 2010 um 6:26 pm

This is an adorable treat – i am hooked – i liked the pan i love it sooo much – thanks so much for your recipe


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