Whenever I go on vacation to Cuba, I always buy massive amounts of dark rum to bring back home, which I practically never drink… the guys throw a party or two and you know how the story, and incidently the bottle, ends.
Since discovering that rum also serves as a remarkable and hangover-less ingredient though, I’ve been making good use of it around the kitchen. It does a fantastic job of boosting the flavour of a chocolate ganache or, like in this case, a coconut tapioca pudding.
I took my old tapioca pudding recipe and veganized it. I replaced the cow milk by almond milk and swapped the eggs for cornstarch to get a thick texture. You could skip the cornstarch for a more creamy liquid-like result. Your call.
Forget all preconceived notions from store-bought or cheap Chinese restaurant tapioca puddings. You shouldn’t base your opinion on these poor renditions of a great dessert. The real thing is tasty, rich and creamy, and so versatile.
A bright sunny weekend brought out my tropical side. My friends and I arranged a little field trip to the Marché Jean-Talon on Sunday and I took my new camera out into the world for the first time. I took a few shots I’m really happy with. All those fruits and flowers just waiting to be photographed. I can’t wait to start honing my skills! I had never realized how much harder it is to take a good picture with a professional camera. Kudos to all the talented photographers out there, you have all my eternal respect and admiration.
While at the market, I stocked up on yellow mangoes (my favorite), strawberries and added a pineapple for good measure. Together, with a hint of lime and agave nectar, the fusion yielded the best fruit salad ever to hit my taste buds. No kidding. I barely used any sweetener; fruits are naturally sweet after all. After one bite, I was so excited that I cut the remaining fruits and made a big batch for our lunches. It thought it would last a good three days in the fridge, but it was ultimately a victim of its own success…
So where was I? Oh yes, creamy tropical tapioca pudding! With rum! With a pudding like that topped with a fruit salsa like this, nothing was gonna stop me now.
Needless to say, my roommates were pretty delighted to be greeted with this treat after a long day at work. Not to mention the Banana & PB muffins that were in the oven and spreading their aroma… But that’s another story :)
This tropical pudding is perfect for hosting. It can be prepared in advanced and served at the opportune moment.
Bon appétit!
Vegan Rum Coco Tapioca
Ingredients
Rum Coconut Tapioca
- 1 can full-fat coconut milk
- 1/2 cup almond milk
- 1/3 cup raw sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 generous tablespoon rum
- 1/4 cup fast cooking tapioca
- 1/4 cup roasted coconut flakes
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch¸
- 1 tablespoon water
Tropical Fruit Salad
- ½ cup strawberry diced (about 4 strawberries)
- ½ cup yellow mango diced (half a mango)
- ½ cup pineapple diced
- 2 fresh mint leaves minced
- 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lime juice
- 1 tablespoon agave syrup or honey, but it will no longer be vegan
Instructions
- In a small bowl, combine fruits, lime juice and agave nectar together. Keep in the fridge until ready to use.
- In a medium saucepan, whisk together the coconut and almond milk, tapioca pearls, sugar, vanilla and rum. Let sit for 5 minutes.
- Mix water and cornstarch in a small bowl and set aside.
- Cook tapioca on medium for about 5 minutes, until it starts simmering. Add cornstarch mixture and cook for another minute.
- Remove from heat and let sit for 20 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes.
- Divide in 12 verrines, or if you’re feeling generous like me, 6 small bowls. Place in the fridge for one hour.
- Before serving, add fruit salsa & coconut flakes
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