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1
Start by soaking the tapioca pearls in room temperature water, overnight. The next day, drain the water from the tapioca, gently rinse, and drain again. Set aside.
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2
Warm up milk, just before it comes to a boil. You do not want the milk to come to a boil, so keep an eye on it.
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3
Once milk is warmed through, add salt and tapioca pearls. Stir, being careful not to boil the milk. Once milk begins to slightly bubble on the sides of the pot, reduce heat to very low heat, and cook tapioca pearls for 60 minutes, again making sure the the milk never comes to a boil.
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4
During this time, separate egg yolks from whites, reserving both. In a bowl, add yolks to 1/2 cup sugar, and mix together to form a nice paste. Gently mix in some of the hot milk mixture to the sugar and yolk mixture. This is called tempering-the goal is to warm the yolks through without scrambling them. You can use a couple of tablespoons of that milk mixture, slowly, to achieve that process. Once you have that ready, add this mixture to the pot of milk and tapioca pearls and stir.
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5
Turn up the heat and stir, cooking for about 15 minutes or until tapioca thickens.
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6
During this time, take reserved egg whites and beat until stiff. Once stiffened, slowly stir into the cooked tapioca, adding the vanilla extract as well.
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7
Pour into serving bowls, and place into the refrigerator to completely cool (unless you like warm tapioca, that's your call).
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8
Now the fun part, at least for me and the kids. Add some fine sugar to the top of each tapioca bowl, get your kitchen brulee torch out, and caramelize the top of the sugar. Once done, add some blueberries (I used frozen for texture), and dig in.
