Grapefruit Tapioca Pudding

Grapefruit Tapioca Pudding
Serves 3-4.

• 2 cups unsweetened almond milk
• ½ cup + ¼ cup + ½ cup & 2T freshly-squeezed grapefruit juice
• ¼ cup small tapioca pearls
• 1 heaping T vegan powdered sugar, more if needed
• 3T agar-agar flakes
• ¼ tsp. vanilla

Soak tapioca pearls for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, in a saucepan, stir together all ingredients, but only use the first ½ cup of juice. Bring liquid to a boil, stirring constantly until agar flakes are dissolved. Pour into a large bowl and let cool before transferring to refrigerator. As you wait for the pudding to thicken up, drain the tapioca pearls. Put them in a clean saucepan and cover with water. Simmer gently for 7-10 minutes, until the pearls are tender and glossy. The water will thicken a LOT – don’t be alarmed. Little by little, pour the tapioca pearls and the “water” into a handheld strainer. Turn on some cold water and let it gush over the tapioca at high-speed. Remove the pearls from the strainer with a spoon and repeat until all of the pearls are rinsed. Store in the refrigerator until pudding is firm.

Once firm, blend the pudding with the remaining ½ cup +2T of juice. Taste and add more sugar if necessary. In a small glass or bowl, scoop 1 heaping tablespoon of cooked tapioca pearls. Fill to the top with pudding and garnish with fresh chunks of grapefruit. You can stir in additional pieces of grapefruit if desired.