Chocolate Tapioca Pudding

Time for another gluten-free dessert! And this time I was going to make Tapioca Fluff Pudding. Wayne asked if I could make a chocolate version. I'd never heard of that, but there's always a first time, so we gave it a try. I found a recipe that used chocolate milk instead of regular milk. That actually turned out to be a bit anemic, so next time I'll melt some chocolate chips in the milk as well, an idea from another recipe I found. Then, our little hand mixer died while trying to whip the egg white, so it wasn't a "fluff" version. However, everything turned out in the end, and our guests enjoyed their dessert.

Fluffy Chocolate Tapioca Pudding

• 1 egg, separated
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 3 tablespoons minute tapioca
• 2 cups milk 
• 1/4 cup cream
• 1/4 cup chocolate syrup

Beat egg white in small bowl with electric mixer on high speed until foamy. Gradually add the sugar, beating until soft peaks form. Set aside. (If your mixer breaks before completing this step, just add the egg white mixture to the pan before cooking.)

Mix tapioca, milk, cream, chocolate syrup and egg yolk in medium saucepan. Let stand 5 minutes.

Cook over 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. 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.