Chocolate Tapioca Pudding - Made with Cocoa

Thought of making a cake this week in celebration of the 11th blogiversary of Delightful Repast, but Mr Delightful requested tapioca pudding, vanilla or chocolate, so I decided to make chocolate since I had already posted my Vanilla Tapioca Pudding.

Tapioca pudding was one of the delicious treats my grandmother made for all her grandchildren. My cousin Denise reminded me several years ago about Ma (that's what we all called her) having mixed results with her tapioca. One time it would be heavenly, and the next time gluey. I thought it odd that Ma would have had difficulty with something so simple, but then I figured it out.

Reading. My grandmother (like her daughters and granddaughters who followed) was addicted to reading. Growing up in a very large family in the Lake District (northwest England), her favorite task was making all the beds. Not because she especially liked making beds, but that chore gave her the opportunity to be alone upstairs and get a lot of reading done. Can't do much harm there, but ... stuff happens when you're cooking and you can't put your book down.

So I imagine on those gluey pudding days, the plot was thickening and so was the tapioca!

Now I'm not touting tapioca pudding as a health food, but I would like to point out for those of you who are watching out for such things that it is grain-free and gluten-free and can easily be made dairy-free. 

Also, since we live in an increasingly carb-wary culture, I should add that, though pure starch, tapioca is a natural source of resistant starch, the good starch that is resistant to digestion and feeds the friendly bacteria in the gut and can improve insulin sensitivity and blood glucose control. All of which I am no expert on, but this is simply by way of letting you know there is information out there.

Anyway ... tapioca pudding, chocolate or vanilla, is classic comfort food. And don't we all need a little comfort right now! Are you a tapioca pudding fan?

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Chocolate Tapioca Pudding

(Makes a little over 5 cups, 8 to 10 servings)

1/2 cup (3.25 ounces/92 grams) small pearl tapioca (not instant tapioca)
1 cup (8 fluid ounces/237 ml) very warm water
1/2 to 3/4 cup* (3.5 ounces/99 grams to 5.25 ounces/149 grams) sugar
1/4 cup (0.75 ounces/21 grams) natural unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 1/4 cups (26 fluid ounces/769 ml) organic milk
3 large organic eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Garnish: Whipped cream

* We use the lower amount of sugar and think that's perfect, but you might like a bit more.

1 In heavy-bottomed 2-quart saucepan, soak small pearl tapioca in very warm water for 30 minutes. In small bowl, whisk together sugar, cocoa, and salt. 

2 Stir the cocoa mixture and the milk into the soaked tapioca. Cook over medium* heat, stirring until sugar is dissolved. Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally, then reduce heat. Simmer uncovered, stirring frequently (and then constantly as it gets thicker) for 12 to 15 minutes.

* And I do mean medium. No matter how heavy your saucepan, if you try to hurry it along by cranking up the heat you'll scorch it. Then as you stir, the scorched patch will come off in shreds and be all mixed in with the pudding. Not good. (You may ask, Hmm ... wonder how she knows that? I'll tell you--the same way I know that stuff happens when you're cooking and you can't put your book down!)

3 In 1-quart bowl, lightly beat the eggs. Gradually stir about a cup of the hot mixture into the lightly beaten eggs, then pour back into the saucepan. The eggs will thin out the pudding. Cook, stirring, over low heat (do not boil) until the pudding thickens, several minutes. Remove from heat, then stir in vanilla extract.

4 Pour into 1.5-quart bowl; cover with lid. Let stand at room temperature for 20 minutes, give it a stir, then place in refrigerator for at least 3 hours or up to 3 days. 

Disclosure: We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon .com and affiliated sites. We are a ThermoWorks affiliate, earning a small commission at no cost to you on purchases made through our links. This helps cover some of the costs of running the blog. Thank you for your support.

Jean

Sourdough Simplified - A Tutorial

Sourdough bread is something I made once or twice a week for years, then got out of the habit of for about a year (yes, the same year, the pandemic year, masses of other people were taking it up for the first time!). 

Then I decided to make another starter and get back into it. This time I was going to simplify it even more than I already had and experiment with not feeding the starter other than when the starter was nearly gone and needed replenishing.

So I started my starter, as always with a view to wasting as little flour as possible in the discards that are part of the process of building a starter. Since I only plan to bake one loaf at a time, I only need to keep enough starter to make a loaf with a little left to replenish. 

So I decided to keep about 3/4 cup (6.75 ounces/192 grams) of the stirred-down starter in a pint canning jar and placed it in the refrigerator for the next baking day.

I use grams and a digital scale myself, but I've given the directions in ounces as well for those with analog scales and in cups and tablespoons for those who measure. 

The measures are not exact equivalents to the weights, so don't mix methods. For those interested in such things, this is a 100% hydration starter, meaning it has equal weights of flour (I use organic) and water.

And the idea (which I won't be able to report on for several months) is to be able to leave the starter, once it has matured for three months, in the refrigerator for two months or more without any attention and then take it out, stir it up, and use it as is (unfed) to make a loaf. Simplified! 

Update 04/19/21: I just left the starter in the refrigerator untouched for 3 weeks, and used it unfed like always, and it worked beautifully, just like when I was using it every week. In fact, the final rise, which was taking 3 hours, took just 2 hours.

Starting the Sourdough Starter

When starting a sourdough starter, the starter can pass one or both of the typical "tests" (doubling and floating) to determine whether the starter is ready to use but still not be ready to use, leading to a failed loaf, so I decided to give it 23 days to develop. It will continue to "mature" for 3 months. 

By making up your mind at the outset to let your starter develop over that time instead of getting in a hurry to bake a loaf, you won't risk wasting an entire batch of dough on a loaf that fails because the starter was not really ready despite indications to the contrary.

Using just minimal quantities of flour for the 23 days means the discarding will only amount to about two cups of flour. And not feeding the starter after that, simply adding more flour and water when replenishing the starter, means no discarding ever. Here's the simple plan, given in measures as well as ounces and grams:

Days 1 to 21 - In glass or ceramic 1-pint container, stir 2 level tablespoons unbleached flour and 1 1/2 tablespoons water (or 0.5 ounce/14 grams of each) until smooth. Cover loosely with plastic wrap or a slightly ajar lid. Each day, stir vigorously and then discard all but 1 tablespoon (or 0.5 ounce/14 grams) of the starter and add 2 tablespoons unbleached flour and 1 1/2 tablespoons water (or 0.5 ounce/14 grams of each); stir vigorously until smooth. Cover loosely with plastic wrap or slightly ajar lid and let stand at room temperature.

Day 22 - Stir vigorously and then discard all but 2 tablespoons (or 1 ounce/28 grams) of the starter and add 1/4 cup unbleached flour and 3 tablespoons water (or 1 ounce/28 grams of each); stir vigorously until smooth. Cover loosely. 

Day 23 - Stir vigorously and then discard all but 1/4 cup (or 2.25 ounces/64 grams) of the starter add 1/2 cup unbleached flour and 1/3 cup water (or 2.25 ounces/64 grams of each); stir vigorously until smooth. Cover loosely. 

Day 24 - Use 1/2 cup (4.5 ounces/128 grams) for a loaf. Replenish the remaining 1/4 cup (or 2.25 ounces/64 grams) of the starter with 1/2 cup unbleached flour and 1/3 cup water (or 2.25 ounces/64 grams of each); stir vigorously until smooth. Cover loosely and let stand at room temperature for 1 to 4 hours (as soon as some bubbles are forming, then put it in the refrigerator until next week.

If you've had difficulty in the past with a young starter not performing well and don't want to chance it, you can use a small amount of instant yeast (1/2 teaspoon)—in your dough only, never in your starter—until your starter has matured.

Now let's bake a loaf! You can use the same recipe to make a round boule, but I most often make a sandwich loaf. For a round boule, follow the shaping directions for Sourdough Artisan Bread.

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Sourdough Sandwich Loaf

(Makes one large loaf)

1/2 cup (4.5 ounces/128 grams) stirred-down 100% hydration starter
1 5/8 cups (13 fluid ounces/384 ml or grams) room temperature water
1 3/4 teaspoons (0.35 ounce/10 grams) salt

4 dip-and-sweep cups (20 ounces/567 grams) unbleached all-purpose flour (I use organic)

1 Stir down the starter and weigh or measure it into 2-quart glass measure. With a dough whisk or a large dinner knife, stir in water, then salt and flour. The dough will be fairly stiff, but still sticky. With one hand, knead the dough right in the bowl, just enough to incorporate all the flour, maybe about 10 to 20 times in all. Cover loosely with lid or lightly oiled plastic wrap and let stand at room temperature about 12 to 24 hours. At any point that the dough has doubled, it's good to go. It all depends on variables like your starter and the temperature of your kitchen. As the starter matures, the rise time shortens.

At some point, the first rise might take only 5 hours and the second, 2 hours. If longer rise times better suit your schedule, you can reduce the amount of starter used in the dough.  

Maintaining Starter: Unless you're baking bread every day or two, keep the starter in the refrigerator and feed only when you don't have enough starter left to make another loaf. I keep about 3/4 cup (6.75 ounces/192 grams) of starter in a pint canning jar. Though I won't be feeding the starter, after taking out 1/2 cup (4.5 ounces/128 grams) for the loaf, I need to replenish the starter in the jar and so feed it with 2.25 ounces (64 grams) each flour and water, stir it vigorously and let stand at room temperature for about 1 to 4 hours (you should see some bubbles, but not too many), then refrigerate until the next bake.

2 Grease bread pan. I use a 9x4x4-inch (1.5-pound) pullman pan. It's about the same capacity as a 9x5x3-inch loaf pan. 

3 Using no more than 1/8 cup altogether, sprinkle countertop with some flour. Gently scrape the dough onto the floured countertop. Sprinkle with flour. Press gently into a roughly 12-by-8-inch rectangle. Using a bench scraper, fold one third of the rectangle toward the center, then fold the other end to the center, like a letter. With the bench scraper, place folded dough in the pan, pressing it into the corners. Brush on a little water. Cover it loosely with an oiled or cooking-sprayed piece of plastic wrap. 

4 Let rise until doubled. If using 9x5x3-inch loaf pan, it should rise an inch or two above the rim of the pan. If using the 9x4x4-inch pullman pan, the dough should rise to below or just even with the top of pan. This can take anywhere from 2 to 5 hours. The dough needs to rise until the dough doesn't quickly spring back when poked with a floured finger or knuckle.

Tip: Check on the dough's progress regularly. After making it a few times, you'll have a better idea of how long it will take. And that will change as the weather changes. I keep my house rather cool in winter, so sourdough bread takes much longer to rise now than it does in summer.

5 Toward the end of the rising time, preheat oven to 450F/230C/Gas8. Just before baking, brush the loaf with a little water. If you add 1/8 teaspoon baking soda to 2 tablespoons water and brush the loaf with it, it will aid in browning.

6 Bake for 10 minutes. Reduce heat to 400F/205C/Gas6 and continue baking for about 30 minutes or until crust is beautifully golden and middle of loaf registers 210F/99C on instant-read thermometer.

7 Remove from pan and let cool on wire rack for 1 1/2 to 2 hours before slicing.

Disclosure: We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon .com and affiliated sites. We are a ThermoWorks affiliate, earning a small commission at no cost to you on purchases made through our links. This helps cover some of the costs of running the blog. Thank you for your support. 

Jean

Golumpki Soup - Cabbage Roll Soup

The idea for Golumpki Soup popped into my head one day when I was craving Golumpkis - Stuffed Cabbage Rolls. That's something a friend and I always make together, and I didn't want to do it without her. Plus, it's soup weather. So I thought I'd make a soup of it.

Just as I was getting ready to call her to say I'm bringing her a new soup, she called to say she'd had a rough night and wasn't feeling well today. The prospect of a soup delivery really cheered her up. I just got back home when she called to say how much she loved the soup.

It's a hearty soup, good in its own right, but not golumpkis. So I do hope you'll try both and let me know what you think. Making golumpkis is a project, but making golumpki soup is a doddle. Warning: The next paragraph may shock you or gross you out. 

I just learned that some people don't wash cabbage! Whaaaattt? Seriously, please wash your cabbage. Not just the outside. There can be not just a little garden soil but worms or other insects inside the cabbage. I have seen them for myself!

Here's what I do: Remove the outer leaves, cut into wedges, cut away the core, slice the wedges, put the sliced cabbage in the salad spinner, fill with water, swish it around, drain it, and repeat. If I'm roasting the wedges, I carefully wash each wedge and reassemble.

Your thoughts?

PS Also, you might try my regular meatless Cabbage Soup.

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Golumpki Soup

(Makes about 4 quarts)

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup (3 ounces/85 grams) chopped yellow onion
1 pound (16 ounces/454 grams) very lean ground beef
1 1/2 teaspoons paprika
1 teaspoon salt, divided
1 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper, divided
1/4 teaspoon marjoram
2 packed tablespoons dark brown sugar
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
1 quart lower sodium chicken or beef broth
1 28-ounce can petite diced tomatoes
1 cup (8 fluid ounces/237 ml) water
1 pound green cabbage (about 1/2 medium head) cored and sliced into 1/8-inch shreds
1/2 pound (8 ounces/227 grams) carrots, peeled and sliced or chopped
1/2 cup (3.5 ounces/99 grams) uncooked long-grain white rice

Note: This makes quite a thick soup, but you can add an additional 2 cups of broth or water for a soupier soup.

1 In 5.5- to 6-quart Dutch oven, heat oil and cook onion for 5 minutes. And ground beef and cook, breaking it up, until very well browned. As it's cooking, stir in paprika, 1/2 teaspoon each salt and pepper, and the marjoram. Once it is well browned (I hate gray ground beef!), stir in the brown sugar and vinegar.

Note: If your ground beef is not very lean, drain off the fat before adding seasonings.

2 Stir in the broth, tomatoes, water, and remaining 1/2 teaspoon each salt and pepper. Then add the cabbage and carrots. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, for about 30 minutes.

3 Stir in the rice. Cover and simmer for about 30 minutes. If you like a thinner soup, add more broth. Taste and adjust seasoning.

Disclosure: We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon .com and affiliated sites. We are a ThermoWorks affiliate, earning a small commission at no cost to you on purchases made through our links. This helps cover some of the costs of running the blog. Thank you for your support. 

Jean

Classic Pound Cake - Half-Pound Cake, Actually

Classic Pound Cake, perfect on its own, can be used in so many ways, making it the most versatile cake of all. The classic proportions of pound cake—a pound each of eggs, flour, sugar, and butter—have been altered over the years, but I wanted to make a cake that held as closely to that formula as possible, only smaller. 

I LOVE experimenting in the kitchen! So my recipe, which calls for approximately a half pound each of the primary ingredients, uses the reverse creaming method rather than the traditional creaming method I used in my Perfect Pound Cake - 3/4-Pound Cake.

Cake flour is supposed to be best for cakes, but I make all my cakes with organic unbleached all-purpose flour. And I haven't had any complaints yet! All my recipes specify a "dip-and-sweep" (scooped and leveled) measure of unsifted flour, which is the most consistent volume measure, weighing about 5 ounces. All my recipes are based on that and will not turn out right if the flour is measured some other way.

I think it's pretty much the perfect pound cake! I loved the texture as well as the flavor. Lemon pound cake is good, too, but I like the classic vanilla pound cake for trifle, which I plan on using half the cake for very soon. In the meantime, tell me about your favorite pound cake and how you like to serve it.

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Classic Pound Cake – Half-Pound Cake, Actually

(Makes one 9x4x4-inch or 9x5x3-inch loaf)

4 large eggs, room temperature

1/4 cup milk, room temperature

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 2/3 dip-and-sweep cups (8.33 ounces/236 grams) unbleached all-purpose flour

1 1/4 cups (8.75 ounces/248 grams) sugar

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon ground mace

2 sticks (8 ounces/227 grams) unsalted butter, room temperature

1 Preheat oven to 350F/180C/Gas4. Butter and lightly flour one 9x4x4-inch small pullman pan or 9x5x3-inch loaf tin. Putting a piece of parchment paper in the bottom, and then buttering or spraying the paper, is a good idea if you're worried about sticking.

2 In medium bowl, whisk together eggs, milk and vanilla; set aside.

3 In bowl of electric mixer or other large bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and mace; mix on low speed for about 30 seconds to “sift” the dry ingredients. Add the butter; mix on low speed to combine. Add half the egg mixture; mix on low speed to combine, then on medium speed for one minute. Add half the remaining egg mixture; mix on medium speed for 30 seconds. Add remaining egg mixture; mix on medium speed for 30 seconds.

4 Pour batter into prepared pan and run a knife through the batter four times to get rid of any air pockets. Bake at 350F/180C/Gas4 for 15 minutes. Reduce heat to 325F/165C/Gas3 and continue baking for about 50 to 55 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with just a crumb or two.

Note: My favorite timers, the three I use in my kitchen every day, are: ThermoWorks TimeStick (mine is yellow!), Taylor, and ThermoWorks Christopher Kimball Signature Timer.

5 Cool in pan on wire rack for 10 minutes, then turn onto a wire rack and cool completely. The cooled cake can be wrapped tightly and stored at room temperature for up to 5 days. Can be double-wrapped and frozen for a month; thaw, wrapped, at room temperature.

Disclosure: We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon .com and affiliated sites. We are a ThermoWorks affiliate, earning a small commission at no cost to you on purchases made through our links. This helps cover some of the costs of running the blog. Thank you for your support. 

Jean

Cherry Almond Tea Loaf

Cherry Almond Tea Loaf is a recipe I developed when I found myself with too many dried cherries on hand—a nice problem to have!—and almond flour that needed to be used before it expired.

If you've had more than enough super sweet treats this month, you'll enjoy this not-too-sweet cake with its slightly tart cherries. Be sure to use plain dried cherries rather than sugary glacé cherries.

And if you're one of those people who doesn't like dried fruits, trust me, these dried cherries plumped for a short time in a bit of hot water do not seem at all like your usual dried fruit.

I want to bake it in a 3-inch deep 7-inch round pan next time, for serving on my little clear glass pedestal cake plate. Yes, I'm still thinking "tea party" after ten months of no such thing! I hope you are doing well. See you next year!

Cherry Almond Tea Loaf

(Makes 1 9x9x4-inch or 9x5x3-inch loaf cake) 

2 packed cups (10 ounces/283 grams) dried cherries
1/2 cup (4 fluid ounces/118 ml) boiling water
1 1/2 dip-and-sweep cups (7.5 ounces/213 grams) unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 firmly packed cup (2 ounces/57 grams) super-fine almond flour (ground almonds)
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 3/4 sticks (7 ounces/198 grams) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup (7 ounces/198 grams) sugar 
3 large eggs, room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract 
1/2 teaspoon almond extract

1 In a 3-cup shallow bowl, pour 1/2 cup boiling water over the dried cherries. Cover and let stand for 20 minutes, stirring once halfway through, then drain thoroughly, reserving the liquid. Maybe give it 15 seconds or so in the microwave at that halfway point (sometimes I do, sometimes I don't). 

2 Grease and flour, or spray with cooking spray, a 9x4x4-inch loaf pan or 9x5x3-inch loaf pan. I use a teaspoon of softened butter and 1 tablespoon of flour. Preheat oven to 350F/180C/Gas4. 

Note: I love the square shape of the 9x4x4-inch loaf pan that I initially got for baking my gluten-free yeast breads but use (without its lid) for nearly everything that calls for a 9x5x3-inch pan. 

3 In 2-quart glass measure or mixing bowl, whisk together flour, almond flour, baking powder and salt. Whisking the daylights out of the dry ingredients takes the place of sifting. 

4 In 2.5- to 3-quart bowl, cream the softened butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs one at a time, adding in just a spoonful of the flour mixture if needed to keep the mixture from curdling. Stir in the vanilla and almond extracts.

5 Dump the flour mixture on top of the creamed mixture, then put the thoroughly drained cherries on top of the flour, and kind of dust the cherries with the flour. Then stir gently just until mixed. This keeps the cherries from sinking to the bottom of the loaf.

6 Stir in 1/4 cup (2 fluid ounces/59 ml) of the reserved liquid. 

7 Scrape into prepared loaf pan and bake for 15 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 325F/165C/Gas3 and continue baking for about 50 to 60 minutes. 

8 Cool in pan on wire rack for 10 minutes before turning out onto wire rack. Continue cooling for an hour.

Disclosure: We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon .com and affiliated sites. We are a ThermoWorks affiliate, earning a small commission at no cost to you on purchases made through our links. This helps cover some of the costs of running the blog. Thank you for your support. 

Jean