Tapioca

While Chicago gets plummeted with snow, just south in Indianapolis we are awaiting this BIG winter event they keep talking about. We'll see if we get anything. In any case, it doesn't matter to me--I had a great week of pie making for various and sundry people. Chicken pot pies, mostly--I made about 6. And one cherry pie.

I've always struggled with certain pies--cherry included--where they end up runny. Tasty, but runny. I was a firm believer that cornstarch was the way to go as a thickening agent (instead of flour). But in my quest for the right consistency, I did a little research and discovered something I never knew: tapioca isn't a KIND of pudding, it is a starch that is used to MAKE pudding. For those of you who already knew this, go ahead and laugh at me.

That led me to try tapioca as my thickening agent for my cherry pie. I did tell the recipient of this particular pie that I had tried something different and I wanted full disclosure on their perception of my new discovery. I'm still waiting for the results--only because the recipients have yet to dive into the pie.

The beauty of this potentially snowy/icy weekend is that I will be able to continue my quest for the perfect pie consistency and test other recipes as well. Nothing warms you up like a warm kitchen!