BUTTERSCOTCH TAPIOCA

"Here is a comforting childhood favorite with the rich flavor that grownups crave. It is especially good made with raspberries, which add gems of color and their own distinctive tart-sweetness."

3 tablespoons quick-cooking tapioca
2 cups milk
1/3 cup brown sugar, packed
1/8 teaspoon salt
2 egg yolks
1 tablespoon butter
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup fresh or frozen raspberries (optional, for topping)

In a heavy saucepan, combine the tapioca nad milk and set aside for 5 minutes.

Add brown sugar, salt, and egg yolks and mix well. Cook on low heat, stirring often, for 15 to 20 minutes, until the mixture begins to bubble and thicken. The tiny pearls of tapioca will become more visible as they cook.

Remove from heat and stir in the butter until it melts. Add the vanilla. The pudding will continue to thicken as it cools. Pour equal amounts into four serving cups and top with the raspberries, if desired. Chill for about an hour.

Variation:
For a very low-fat pudding, omit the egg yolks and butter and use skim or 1% milk.

Serves 4, Yields 3 cups
From the Hardcover edition.
Excerpted from Moosewood Restaurant Book of Desserts by The Moosewood Collective
Excerpted by permission of Three Rivers Press, a division of Random House, Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.