Are you done shopping? I have one more present to make and one more to buy. (I'm not whittling legos.)
We've really been enjoying Kathy Hester's new cookbook, The Vegan Slow Cooker
- Hannah's beautiful new book, Vegan Desserts: Sumptuous Sweets for Every Season
and silicone baking mats
or a pastry bag
or a classic cookie cutter
or a madeleine pan
, actually this one could be more a lavish baking basket than a humble pair, oh but packed into a baking pan or big ol' mixing bowl rather than a basket
- Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day
(or the whole grain version
, but I haven't had a chance to check that one out) and a dough bucket
- Cook Food
and a cast iron skillet
(perfect for someone just figuring out how to feed themselves)
- Clean Food
and a bottle of ume plum vinegar
(for the healthy-inclined)
- Ratio
and a kitchen scale
(for the scientific-minded, or someone wanting to move beyond recipes)
What else? What cookbook pairings would you suggest?
So far Kathy Hester and my hand-me-down crockpot have made us two casseroles, an artichoke dip, one pot of beans, chai tea concentrate, and batches and batches of creamy, not-too-sweet tapioca (or boba pudding if you ask my cosmopolitan two-year-old). While we loved everything, making tapioca in the slow cooker was a bit of a life-changing revelation. Her original recipe makes a dainty batch for two in the smaller cooker, but I had to do something about that. On second thought, maybe you should throw a bag of tapioca pearls in there with the book and the crockpot.
Crockpot Tapioca Pudding
adapted from The Vegan Slow Cooker
makes: about 6 servings
takes: about 5 minutes, plus slow cooking time
- 6 cups nondairy milk
- 3/4 cup tapioca pearls
- 3/4 cup sugar
- pinch of salt
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
Add the milk, tapioca pearls, sugar, and salt to the bowl of your large slow cooker. Stir. Cook on low for about 3 1/2 hours, or on high for about 2. When it's done the tapioca will be swollen and soft and the pudding will have the consistency of heavy cream. It thickens as it cools. Stir in the vanilla. Keep the lid off and let it cool for about an hour. Transfer to a covered container to chill overnight.
