Friday, June 14, 2013

Strawberry and Buttermilk Tapioca Flamingo


This Sunday at the Fairmount Neighborhood Farmers Market you can look forward to fresh produce from Sweetwater Farm and pasture-raised poultry from Fair Valley Farm including:

strawberries (try this tapioca flamingo)
fava beans and sugar snap peas (delicious in wheat berry salad)
pattypan squash and zucchini (nice shredded with shallots and herbs)
spring onions, fresh spring garlic, and garlic scapes (make garlic scape pesto pizza)
kale, chard, collards, braising greens mix, lettuce, and salad mix 
potatoes, beets, broccoli, and Italian green cauliflower (nice in packets on the grill)
salsa and pickles from Sweet Creek Foods
pastured chicken (try this recipe with Chinese five spices)


So plan to make a stop at the market part of your Farther's Day festivities, and be sure to pick up a pint of strawberries to celebrate.


Strawberries always strike me as an old fashioned fruit, which inspired me to try this charming 1949 recipe entitled "Tapioca Flamingo" anthologized in Amanda Hesser's tome of New York Times recipes. When I mentioned tapioca to my children, their only association was with bubble tea, a situation I felt needed immediate remedying, because tapioca pudding is really a lovely comfort food, even if you'd never find it on a restaurant dessert menu between chocolate mousse and creme brulee. The original flamingo recipe called for pineapple juice to be gelled with the extracted juices of sugared and macerated strawberries, but flipping ahead half a century I came across a 1996 Molly O'Neil recipe for panna cotta that used buttermilk, which appealed to me more as a tart backdrop for the berries. The flamingos were a big hit with the whole family, light and refreshing, with their lovely pink color and kitschy retro feel.


Strawberry and Buttermilk Tapioca Flamingo
1/2 lb strawberries
1/2 cup sugar
1 1/2 cup buttermilk
3 scant Tbsp quick-cooking tapioca
pinch of salt
1/2 cup heavy cream, whipped

1. Hull and half the strawberries and combine them in a bowl with the sugar. Crush with a fork or potato masher and let stand for about 30 minutes.

2. Set a strainer over a bowl, drain the strawberries, and set aside. You should have about 1/2 cup juice. 

3. In a small saucepan, combine the strawberry juice, a pinch of salt, and the tapioca. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring. Remove from the heat and stir in the buttermilk. Then fold in the drained strawberries well.  

4. Let the pudding cool in a bowl or transfer into 4 parfait glasses or bowls. The mixture will thicken as it cools. Once it reaches room temperature, transfer to the refrigerator to chill. When ready to serve, whip the cream (add a pinch of sugar if you like). Top the pudding with a dollop of whipped cream and serve chilled.

1 comment:

Anna said...

They look beautiful! I love the old-fashioned parfait glasses for serving.