I have always considered myself quite a nice person. I like food of all shapes, flavours and colours. From every country and continent. I don’t discriminate, I am an equal opportunity eater. It’s only the doctors who say I’m intolerant. And certain foods who refuse to tolerate me. They certainly refuse to recognise and respect my right to eat them without major physical discomfort and distress.


Gluten and lactose are not my friends.


Despite the negative attitudes surrounding me from many of those I love best, (cakes, ice cream, hot toast) I decided to become a chef. Not always easy when you live in a bread and milk filled world. I like to think that this has helped me become a better person as I embrace my differences and refuse to let the gluten get me down. I believe InTolerance. I am the InTolerant Chef.

Food should not be about what you can’t eat, but what you can and what you enjoy eating. This blog is about my journey of cooking and eating and discovery. It’s not a definitive guide to allergy awareness nor do my intolerances make me an expert. Your body is your responsibility, not mine. I only know what works for me.


I can tell you this..... No glutens were harmed in the making of this website.

June 13, 2012

Gingered Asian Pearl Caramel

















Yummy!






I subscribe to 'just a few' cooking related magazines



















My justification is that they keep me up-to-date with industry trends and knowledge, seasonal ingredients, give me inspiration and, best of all, they're tax deductible! Obviously I am actually spending wisely and investing in my future- right?

To keep me sane and to avoid being taken over by mounds of paper,  I have a very careful system of magazine perusal that ensures I get the most from each offering.

1. Pull magazine from letter-box giggling gleefully
2. Rip off plastic coating and stare at the pretty picture on the cover
3. Put magazine face-down while I prepare cup of tea
4. Curl up in chair and read magazine from cover to cover. No skipping. I read what the editor has to say, who the contributors are, letters to the advice column, advertisements- the whole lot
5. Sigh with contentment, after another fix of gorgeous styling and innovative cooking
6. Periodically flick through magazine for next couple of days, deciding what I really want to cook and what styling tips I love
7. Rip these pages out carefully, stapling together if necessary
8. File in relevant folder/book
9. Pass slightly thinned magazine onto various friends and if they complain of missing pages promise to ask them for dinner to cook that recipe
10. Cook those lovely recipes, and hopefully blog about them thus sharing the love even more


This month, I was collating the saved recipe collection, when I realised that two of them were very, very similar. I hadn't even noticed until then, but they had both absolutely delicious to me, Coconut and Ginger Baked Tapioca Custard from Donna Hay Magazine, and Coconut Custard with Crushed Raspberry Sauce from Australian Good Food. Both recipes were an egg based baked custard containing coconut cream and lovely little pearl tapioca- sounds delicious! I liked elements from both recipes and decided in the end to go for a mash-up of the two while still adding in my own little touch here and there.

I hope you like my hybrid recipe, hopefully the best bits from all, while leaving out any undesirables and calories



















1 cup Tapioca Pearls (both)
135g grated Palm Sugar (DH, GF 1/2 Castor)
1/4 cup Water (DH)
4 Eggs (DH, GF used 3)
1 can + 1/2 cup or 525ml Coconut Cream (DH 400ml+3/4cup cream, GF 500ml)
1/4 cup finely chopped Ginger in Syrup (me) (DH 1 tab ground ginger, GF vanilla and nutmeg)
5 Cardamon Pods, bruised (me)
Pinch of Salt (me)

Syrup (DH)
135g grated Palm Sugar
1/2 cup Water
(GF used coconut crisps and raspberry sauce)





Soak the sago pearls for 20 minutes in a bowl of cold water (GF) then drain
before:

















after:



















Place the palm sugar and water in a pan, stir over heat until dissolved (DH)




















Cook the pearls in pan of boiling water for 15 (DH) to 20 (GF) minutes until translucent, then drain and rinse with cold water


















Place the  sugar syrup, eggs, coconut, ginger, cardamon and salt in a bowl and whisk to combine (DH)
(GF heated the coconut cream first, then poured it into the eggs etc.)






















Add the tapioca and mix well, making sure it doesn't clump together



















Pour into a 1.5lt (DH) or 1lt (GF) oven proof dish, then place this into a larger dish to act as a water bath to cook the custard nice and evenly and gently (both)

Pop the larger dish into the oven then pour in enough boiling water to come halfway up the sides of the inner dish



















Bake for 50-60 mins at 150*C until just set (DH), 45-50mins 160*C until surface is firm to with a slight wobble (GF), or 150* for 70 mins or until you suspect the oven temp is screwy then up it to 170* for another 20 mins and custard has a lovely coloured skin on top, seems set on the sides with a bit of a wobble in the centre (me)



















Syrup (DH)

Pop sugar and water in pan and dissolved. Bring to the boil and cook for a few minutes until thickened. Cool
Drizzle over custard to serve





















Individual Tapioca Ginger Cremes (me)


Grease individual serve ramekins
Pour in a couple of tablespoons of syrup mixture to thickly coat the bottom of the dish


















Gently pour in custard mix to fill then bake in water bath for 20 mins until a firm wobble when shaken



















Cool in fridge
Place serving plate over top of ramekin
















bravely flip over, shake gently, lift ramekin off and allow syrup to drip out over lovely little pudding the way you would with a creme caramel


















Serve with extra syrup and thick coconut cream on the side if so desired







Well my Dear Readers, what do you think of the mash-up? I did follow the Donna Hay recipe more than the Australian Good Food one, but they were both so similar, and actually very like a classic Creme Caramel recipe as well.

My husband isn't much of a fan of sago but he does love a good creme caramel, so I told him I had created a Gingered Asian Pearl Caramel and he loved it! Isn't it funny how a name can alter our perceptions of a dish so easily?
















So Dear Readers, which recipe would you follow, and do you subscribe to any foodie magazines?

































.

36 comments:

  1. I am exactly like that when my magazines arrive in the mail. I love uninterrupted bliss while I go from page to page - no skipping! It's such a treat and an indulgence but I consider it 'research'. Lovely recipe. I cooked tapioca with palm sugar and coconut a little while ago. I served it at a dinner party and it was a huge success. Tapioca has been out of vogue for ages but my magazines are telling me, it's making a comeback xx

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    1. So hard to get some quiet time for a mum isn't it Charlie? A real classic for dessert will never go out of style :)

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  2. That looks mouth watering delicious! And such a pretty dessert too! I am more of a cook book junkie, but do buy the occasional magazine.

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    1. Ina I have sooooo many cookbooks too! I try to be careful and just buy ones I REALLY want... but I want them all!

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  3. Oh I'm just a tad envious of all your magazine subscriptions! That's the first thing that had to stop when we went from two incomes to one after having kids :-( I still sneak in the odd one into my shopping trolley when hubbys not looking though! Shhhhh.... Mostly Gourmet Traveller and Donna Hay.

    I actually leafed through Donna Hay's latest and it was this very same recipe that has inspired yours today that called out to me! The gingerbread pear tart sounded amazing too. I love tapioca/coconut puddings, yumo!

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    1. These magazines are my real luxery, and they help me feel connected to the industry while I'm off. Great minds think alike Emma, that recipe is a real winner!

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  4. Anything with tapioca pearls wins for me... And I love your pudding style recipe, especially the syrup.. reminds me of creme caramel. Thanks for sharing such a delicious looking dish.

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    1. Thanks Tania, I just love tapioca too and have about 4 different varieties in my pantry as we speak :)

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  5. Your hybrid recipe looks great! I really like Donna Hay and marvel at how she and her team come up with so many new ideas!

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    1. Thanks Lorraine, her styling is just so lovely and her photography is beautiful. Puts my little Olympus to shame :)

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  6. MMMMMM,...what an amazing & stunning dessert! I never worked with tapioca before!! :( I also can thoroughly enjoy food magazines. I buy often different food magazines. I love Donna Hay's magazines a lot!

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    1. Thanks Sophie, tapioca is so fun and just so cheap too, I hope you give it a try one day :)

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  7. Rebecca, I love the sound of this! Love sago, yummy!

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    1. Hi Lizzy, sago is one of my favourites, I still remember the first time my mum made it for us with lemon juice and golden syrup- yummo!

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  8. This is aaaaaaaaabsolutely fantastic! Right on the money, a winner right there! I never thought of preparing sago this way and the flavours all just work together really well. Best of all, you make this simple dish so elegant too. I'm sure if I made this and served to guests at home, they'd be really impressed... Thanks! =D

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    1. It does look impressive, doesn't it Winston? A really nice dessert on a budget I think :)

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  9. Now I know what to do with the box of sago in my pantry! Woot! Thanks!

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    1. I hope you enjoy it Chompchomp! Let me know how you go :)

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  10. i thought this was creme caramel.. mmh sago yum!

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  11. I heart you. Sago pudding is one of my favourite foods in the whole world, and you've just reworked it! Thank you.. :)

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    1. Awww, I heart you too Celia! Sago is always so yummy :)

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  12. I love sago, too, but rarely make it because I seem to be alone in this passion. However, this might just sway those unbelievers in my house!

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    1. I hope you can turn them Amanda- they don't know what they're missing :)

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  13. I would do exactly what you do with the magazines, except I don't tear out the pages...that's a fantastic idea, it's so much easier to sort through!

    Love the sago pudding recipe, sago is such a lovely ingredient and usually there are limited ways to eat it now, there's an extra. :)

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    1. If I don't they seem to breed Jenny, and threaten to take over the whole house!

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  14. Dear InTolerantChef,

    Sago is one of my favourite Asian desserts and you have given this dish an interesting twist with the ginger.

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    1. I hope you enjoy it chopinand! Candied ginger makes everything better :)

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  15. I literally drooled when I saw the first pic - this is an amazing combination!!! Cannot wait to try it out for my GF MIL (and myself)! :)

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    1. What a lovely compliment Christie! I hope she (and you) enjoy it, let me know how you go :)

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  16. You must be so amazingly in-the-loop with everything food! Amazing collection. And wow this dessert speaks volumes to me; tapioca and palm sugar 4eva <3

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    1. Actually, it makes me realise how much I have to learn! So true, a match made in heaven Alana :)

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  17. Oh I love sago :) what a great dessert!

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  18. you're the best collator around!! I used to get Gourmet Traveller, now I get Delicious (a gift from Ben). I LOVE it. love curling up with a cup of tea and the new edition. This caramel would be very lovely too, great recipe!
    Heidi xo

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  19. How many individual serves?

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    1. Well,that would depend on the size. The recipe specifies 1 to 1.5 lt container, so if you used 250ml ramekins it would make 4 to 6 I guess.

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