Creamy tapioca pudding with strawberry fennel puree

Ah, the calm before the storm, or rather the storm before the calm.

Tomorrow I am expecting my three darling girlfriends over for our second book club meet up (perhaps with an episode of Pushing Daisies to follow for good measure). As you can imagine I am working my way through the house like a madwoman vacuuming, wiping, washing and pushing my husband out of every room I am in. Knowing I would be busy during most of the morning I planned the night before to make a treat first thing that I could reward myself with once I was done. I believe cleaning is always sweeter if there is a sweet ending.

Yoshi loved the leftovers.

ease: 4.5/5. You need to be at the stove.
prep time: 5mins to get tapioca on the stove and strawberries pulverised.
cooking time: 25mins.
total: 30mins plus chilling time if you prefer it cold and more set.

taste: 3.5/5. The first taste you get is a big punch of tart, grainy strawberry puree followed by a hint of licorice fennel and lastly the creamy subtle, gelatinous tapioca pudding. Whilst I loved the texture of the pudding I didn't really enjoy the grainy strawberries (which using a sieve probably would have corrected, but I couldn't be bothered), I think I would have loved this even more with some stewed apples or even rhubarb so the tapioca could shine through a little more.

Some people commented that the tapioca was too runny and didn't set so I reduced the water by 1/4cup and it set perfectly. This made 3 decent servings.

would I make it again: Yes - with a different fruit topping and perhaps half a vanilla bean for the tapioca pudding.

recipe: Fruit-on-the-bottom Tapioca Pudding