Fluffy Tapioca Pudding

Many years ago we canned a lot of apricots. Some of them were overripe so I turned them into apricot sauce, which we liked to use in my version of the Fluffy Tapioca Pudding found on the back of the box. Basically, I substituted some apricot sauce for some of the milk.

Apricot sauce isn't something we have in our pantry anymore, but when I wanted to use up some peaches in the freezer, this seemed like a good recipe to try. It was!

Here's the original recipe, which I doubled for our family of 8:

Fluffy Tapioca Pudding

1 egg, separated

6 Tbsp. sugar, divided

3 Tbsp. MINUTE Tapioca

2 cups 2% reduced fat milk

1 tsp. vanilla

Beat egg white in small bowl with electric mixer on high speed until foamy. Gradually add 3 Tbsp. sugar, beating until soft peaks form.Mix tapioca, remaining sugar, milk and egg yolk in medium saucepan. Let stand 5 minutes.

Cook on medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture comes to full boil. Remove from heat. Quickly stir egg white mixture into hot tapioca in saucepan until well blended. Stir in vanilla. Cool 20 minutes; stir. Serve warm or chilled. For creamier pudding, place plastic wrap on surface of pudding while cooling. Stir before serving. Store leftover pudding in refrigerator.

My apricot/peach version substituted apricot sauce or peach pureé (made using a blender or food processor) for the milk, or a portion thereof; just use 2 cups total liquid. Also, almond extract instead of vanilla is a great variation for peach desserts.