Why does tapioca fail to set? I've been making tapioca pudding with large pearls for nearly twenty years. I've used the same process every time, and most times it thickens, but occassionally it just doesn't. I soak my pearls over night. I use a double boiler. I use a combination of whole milk and half and half. I use excessive numbers of egg yolks, and whip the whites for addition at the end. I stir continuously after the tempering and additon of the egg yolks. I've read (somewhere) that the tapioca loses it's thickening ability if left on the shelf too long. Just this weekend, I made two batches of tapioca, with two different packages of pearls, that were purchased from different sources, the day before use. Both were soupy failures. I've made literally hundreds of delicious batches of thick, scrumptious tapioca in my life, but sometimes it just fails. I suspect (though have no proof) that it is the quality of the pearls purchased from the retailer. It's also possible that using an electric burner, vs gas, could have an effect. But, with a double boiler, that shouldn't really make a difference. Anyway, it's really frustrating, when you want to provide a special treat to your family, and it fails. Twice. Arghhh! Martha

It's a regional thing.....where did your grandmother live? In the midwest ( and I am talking Ohio to Iowa) they use jello as "seasoning". I believe the cream was whipped and the dry jello mixed in, then the drained peaches and the marshmallows folded in and allowed to sit over nite. Using this method the Jello doesn't "gel". The Amish down the road from me make such a thing out of tapioca, jello, whipped cream or cool whip and mini marshmallows. It's not really dessert but more of another side like pickles or applesauce. Linda C

While I was still working, one of my co-workers brought this to an office potluck. It was so, so good. She had already printed out the recipe, because she knew many of us would want it. Flan a la South American My most basic and most impressive dessert recipe is flan, the way I learned to make it as a child in South America: 1) Heat oven to 350, with roasting pan or Pyrex half-full of water inside for water bath. Line a flan mold (small Bundt pan is a good alternative) with caramelized sugar: place ~1/3 cup sugar in a saucepan (or if you have a flat-bottomed mold and a sturdy potholder just do it right in there), stir over medium heat until sugar melts and turns a dark amber color, then add ~1/4 cup water (carefully, the hot sugar will spatter) and stir until hardened sugar re-melts, then simmer for about ten minutes until thickened. Pour into mold, swirl around to cover sides as well as possible, although it doesn't have to reach all the way to the top. When cool, sugar will be sticky but still pliable, NOT entirely hardened or you'll never be able to unmold. 2) Combine: one can sweetened condensed milk; same can full of whole milk; four eggs; 1 teaspoon vanilla extract. Beat until smooth. Pour into burnt-sugar-lined mold. Place in water bath in heated oven. 3) Bake 30-40 minutes. When done, custard will be set around edges and very jiggly in the center. Do NOT leave in longer than 40 minutes or flan will overcook and weep, and have a fried-egg taste around the edges. You have to take a leap of faith and remove the pan from the water bath after 40 minutes--as long as the custard doesn't actually splash when you jiggle, it's done and will be perfect when it cools. 4) Cool on a rack--do not refrigerate--until just barely lukewarm. Run a knife around the outside and inside edges of the flan to loosen. Unmold onto a dish with sides, let caramel syrup run down for a few minutes. Don't turn up your nose at the sweetened condensed milk. It makes the flan much tastier than one made with just plain eggs + milk/cream. This is the kind of dessert that makes people lose their minds. They never have to know one of the ingredients came out of a can if you don't tell them.

Okay, guess what I'm having for breakfast this very minute! Right out of the bowl and still warm. I think you only get rubbery at the bottom if you don't adequately incorporate the beaten whites. They will hold up to some stirring. I remember from long ago sometimes you can get some separation after it sits awhile (i.e., a little clear liquid at the bottom of the bowl). I've had, and enjoyed, tapioca made with whole milk and fat-free. That may have something to do with the potential for separation. I use 2% for everything, unless a recipe insists on whole milk. To avoid separation and/or rubbery bottom, I would plate/bowl from the original bowl, rather than filling each dish from the outset. You may prefer a very homogenous blend, but I kinda like a bit of egg white for texture. Also, depending on what you include with the tapioca, I think you can safely cut back by 25-50% the amount of sugar Minute calls for. Sugar does help egg whites inflate though.