Tapioca Pudding - comfort food

I almost needed to call this tapioca pudding lemon - but it wasn't flavored or dyed yellow - except by these exceptional yolks! Tapioca is a love it or hate it thing - but I promise you might be more inclined to like it if you had it from scratch. It is a much bigger pain in the butt to make but well worth it - as most things go. instant takes the work and the greatness away. 

Beat eggs yolks and sugar until light yellow?? Not with these yolks!

 Tapioca Pudding 6 servings

1/2 cup large pearl tapioca (they look like little beans)
2 and 1/2 cups whole milk
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup sugar
2 eggs separated
1 tsp vanilla

Soak the tapioca covered in water overnight. Drain the next day and add to milk in a large pot along with salt. Cook over low heat, stirring frequently - you don't want it to boil - until tender about 35-40 min. Meanwhile separate eggs and beat yolks with sugar until "light" in color (HA!) then add a little of the hot mixture to the eggs, beating to temper it and then pour into the pan and continue to cook until thickened - about another 15 min - on low and stirring so you don't end up with scrambled eggs! In another bowl beat the eggs whites until stiff then remove the pudding from the pot and fold in the whites and stir in the vanilla. Serve warm or cold with fresh fruit if you like - maybe a dollop of strawberry rhubarb jam or plain works too!