Just dessert

Editor's Note: Jaden Hair is moving on to bigger, if not necessarily better, things in the daily newspaper world, but she did leave us this Dear John note (which is weird, because none of us around here is named John). We'll miss her, but ya gotta love a woman who fixes dessert before she makes her exit.

Dear John,

We've had a whirlwind of a romance these past six months. You've been a wonderful partner but, sadly, I must go. I've found someone else. And no, I'm not fucking Matt Damon.

There's no easy way to break up, except to just tell the truth. He's older, more mature, and, sigh ... has a bigger masthead. I'd be lying if I told you that size doesn't matter, because right now, at this stage in my life and career, it does.

I know what you're going to say. You're my type, he's not. You're the adventurous, authentic, flip-flop wearing, beach-wandering, eating-the-best-damn-$4-burger type of guy. He's still cooking outdated "Oriental Flank Steak," which is a great recipe, but come on, it's like using the word "Chinaman." But ... with that masthead, I am choosing to overlook his flaws and perhaps teach him to hang loose a bit, Steamy Kitchen style.

No matter what, though, it doesn't change how grateful I am that you've opened your door to me every single week: listening to me ramble about feeding my kids furikake; following my adventure in cracking open that "hair twat" coconut; turning your head when I had my steamy affair with Scott's BBQ grill. And who could forget the Ode to Spam in the style of Seuss? We had some good times when I was just a nobody, a broke, struggling blogger with big dreams. You took me in and watched me blossom into a superstar.

And now, as painful as goodbyes are, I will never forget you. But it's time for me to take a big step forward and see if I can hang alongside the big guys. Thank you for your love.

xoxo, Jaden

P.S.: I'll leave you with a beautiful, tropical Asian dessert to remember me by.

You can find tapioca pearls at the Asian market. They are NOT the instant tapioca found at regular grocery stores. They come in several sizes, ranging from 2 mm to 1 cm in diameter. I've used the smallest size in this recipe. Take care not to overcook the tapioca. If you are using small 2 mm pearls, 2 minutes is exactly the amount of time you need. If you use larger pearls, cook for a little longer, maybe 15-30 seconds more, taste it and adjust. Use full fat coconut milk; I rarely use light, because the taste is quite bland. Save your calories on something else. To judge the quality of coconut milk, shake the can. If it sloshes like water, it will be tasteless. If it schlunks like thick yogurt, it's good. The brands that I consistently reach for are Simply Asia (found at Sweetbay), Chaokoh or Mae Ploy.

Tapioca Pearls with Sweet Coconut & Cantaloupe

Serves 6-8

2/3 cup 2 mm tapioca pearls

1 cup whole milk

2 cups coconut milk

3 cups water

1 1/2 cups sugar

3 cups diced fresh cantaloupe or honeydew

1. Bring water and sugar to boil. Turn heat down to low, add the milk and stir. Once the mixture is almost back to a boil, turn off the heat. Add the coconut milk and stir. Remove from heat and cool in refrigerator.

2. While coconut milk mixture is cooling, soak tapioca pearls in cold water for 20 minutes. The pearls will expand a little and turn bright white. Bring 4 cups of water to a boil and add the tapioca pearls. Stir constantly for 2 minutes. The pearls will turn translucent. Turn off the heat and drain the pearls in a fine sieve. Immediately rinse the pearls in cold running water to stop the cooking process. Set the pearls aside until ready to serve.

3. When ready, ladle the coconut milk into each bowl, add a spoonful of tapioca, and top with diced fruit. Enjoy!