Homemade tapioca

We eat a lot of tapioca in our house this time of year.  In fact my husband has a tapioca compartment as well as a peanut compartment and a chip and salsa compartment that he has to fill on a regular basis, normally at night before he goes to bed.  Now if I were to indulge myself and fill my compartments before bed, I would be gaining weight every week with no end in sight.  Not so my dear husband, I'm not quite sure how he does it but I wish I knew his secret.

I thought I would share our recipe with you since it is such a big hit around here.  I will warn you that is has a lot of eggs in it therefore it has lots of fat and calories.  This is an estimation of a recipe since I don't always measure exactly.

Goat milk Tapioca Pudding

1 and 1/2 cup tapioca pearls
1 gallon raw goat milk
1 cup sugar or maple syrup (you can add more but we don't like it too sweet)
9-12 eggs beaten in separate bowl
1/2 tsp salt
vanilla

You have to soak the tapioca at least 6 hours before you cook the pudding so I usually start the tapioca soaking before I go to bed the night before.  Place the pearls in a bowl and cover with warm spring water.  Allow for expansion since the pearls soak up the water and get softer.
The next day place a gallon of milk up in a heavy bottom pot.  

• Crack the eggs in a bowl and beat until bright yellow.
• Add the sugar and salt to the milk and heat until steamy
• Add some milk to the eggs and stir in to temper the eggs then add the eggs to the pot of milk stirring constantly
• Heat and stir well until thickens and coats a spoon.  I use a hand blender as well as the spoon to make sure it is creamy.
• When the tapioca is thick add the vanilla and stir in well.  
• Let cool, stirring occasionally as it cools, refrigerate
• Once nice and cold enjoy.

It is important to stir as it cools because a lot of the tapioca pearls will end up on the bottom half of the pudding if you don't.

Quiche A.K.A "Egg Pie"

So we made "Egg Pie" last night for dinner.  I have been meaning to make it for a couple of weeks now but just got around to it.  It might have had something to do with the High temperatures we have been having and me not wanting to turn the oven on to bake the pies.  Quiche is one of the meals we eat when we have a lot of eggs and a lot of milk to use so we generally have it in the spring and summer.  When I make it I also try to make extra to have for lunch the next day.  It is great warm or cold right out of the refrigerator.
  
Quiche is one of those recipes that you can be creative with and use some of the ingredients that you have on hand.  Some of the ingredients we use are:  sausage, peppers, caramelized onions, sauteed spinach or Swiss chard, hamburger, ham, bacon, sauteed or roasted veggies, mushrooms, and leeks.  The different cheeses we use are: Swiss, cheddar, mozzarella, and feta.  You are only limited by your imagination.


A quick word on cheese.  We like to use raw cheese when we have it or can make some.  You ask why?  It is healthier for you to eat.  The good bacteria and enzymes haven't been cooked out of it, not to mention it really tastes yummy.  I guess it is debatable whether or not putting the raw cheese in the quiche and cooking it kills these bacteria and enzymes.  But it still tastes yummy and I'm hoping that something survives the oven.

The crust on the quiche is so easy to make and really adds to the flavor when combines with the egg and cheese.  I will give you and exact recipe for the crust and an approximate recipe for the filling since I make adjustments every time I make "Egg Pie".

Tart Pastry

3cups flour (we use whole wheat)
1 egg yolk (put the white in with the filling mix)
1tsp salt
1/4 lb unsalted butter (cold)
2T ice water

Place dry ingredients in food processor, add chopped butter and egg yolk.  Mix to just enough to blend well.    
Pour into a bowl and add just enough water to make pastry stick together.  Pat flat, cover with plastic wrap and put in the fridge to cool while you cook up some of the filling ingredients.

5-10 minutes later, take out of the fridge and pat into pie plates.  One pastry recipe will cover two 8 inch pie plates. If the dough gets too sticky put in the fridge for a few minutes to firm up.

Egg Filling:


8 eggs (plus egg white from pastry)
1/2 gallon of milk
1/2 tsp salt
dash of hot sauce / or pinch of cayenne
Nutmeg (optional) we don;t use this

Mix well and once you fill the pie pan pour over the top and place in oven at 350 degrees.  Cook until middle is firm.  Let sit for a few minutes to firm up, cut and enjoy.

Sausage Pie without filling

Sausage Pie with Egg filling.

Carmelized Onion

Carmelized Onion with Filling

"Special" swiss chard, leek, and feta filling.

Making Maple Walnut Ice Cream

We made our first goat milk ice cream for the year last week.  I can't even begin to describe how creamy and good it was.  We normally make what is considered a french ice cream because I make a custard type pudding and cool it before we freeze it.   I was talking with a friend after we made it and she was asking about the cooking process because she was wanting to make a "raw" milk ice cream.......All this time I have been calling our ice cream raw goat milk ice cream and now I realize that it isn't technically correct to call it that. 

So we have tried both "raw" and "cooked" Maple Walnut ice cream.  The verdict of the family is that they really like the creamy texture of the custard ice cream better than the un-cooked.  Being their Mom and liking them to get food that is really healthy for them, I will probably try to slip some "raw" ice cream in there occasionally.

Here are the 2 versions just in case you have some extra milk and want to try it out.

Custard style:
8 cups raw goat milk + 1 cup cream
12 whole eggs
2 cups Maple syrup boiled down to 1 and 3/4 cup
2c walnuts (toasted) chopped into smaller pieces
1tsp salt

Reduce maple syrup and set aside.  Beat eggs in separate bowl until lemony colored.  Heat milk and cream until steamy.  Add  some milk to eggs and stir to temper eggs.  Add eggs to milk stirring constantly, add salt and syrup.  Bring to boil and cook, stirring constantly until thickens and coats the spoon.  Take from heat and cool completely, stirring as cools.  Add to freezer and freeze adding walnuts when 1/2 to 3/4 way done.

To make the "raw" version: change the milk/cream/egg quantities and leave the rest the same.  Do not cook just mix together and freeze. Adding walnuts 3/4 way through.

6 cups raw goat milk +3 cups cream
6 whole eggs

This recipe is healthier if you use pastured chicken eggs.
Let me know what you think