Government nutrition advisers recommended serving mildly flavored puddings like this one as a way to ensure that children (and husbands) got enough milk in their diet each day.
3 cups milk
¼ cup quick-cooking tapioca
¼ cup maple syrup
⅛ teaspoon salt
1 large egg, separated
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Combine milk, tapioca, maple syrup, and salt in a heavy 2-quart saucepan. Bring to a boil over low heat, stirring constantly.
Beat egg white until soft peaks form; set aside. Lightly beat yolk in a small bowl. Gradually beat about one third of tapioca mixture into yolk. Return yolk and tapioca mixture to saucepan of tapioca. Place over low heat and bring just to a boil.
Remove tapioca from heat. Immediately fold in beaten egg white and vanilla until well mixed. Spoon into serving dish and cool to room temperature, then chill several hours before serving.
6 Servings
“The sugar-rationing program may prove to be a blessing in disguise. For while refined sugar is packed with energy, it lacks all other food factors. Then too, many of us have been eating far too much sugar—oftentimes at the expense of an adequate daily diet which should include milk, cereals, vegetables, fruits, eggs, meat, cheese, fish, etc., which help supply the day’s protein, mineral and vitamin needs.”—Easy Ways to Save Sugar: Cooking, Canning, Jelly Making with Little or No Sugar, 1942