Tembleque

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...Trembleque is a famous Puerto Rican dessert that usually ends meals prepared for special occasions and celebrations. It is a rich and creamy pudding that is easily made and enjoyed by all who love sweet endings and the flavor of coconut. If you count yourself among that legion, I think this pudding, whose name actually means "wiggly", will appeal to you. It appeared on my table tonight because I've been experimenting with flavor combinations for a post on trends identified in the McCormick Flavor Forecast for 2012. There will be more about that next week. I thought this dish would work well with one of theirs, so I gave it a try tonight. I used the recipe on the Goya website as my bible, but deviated from it a bit because I thought the pudding needed more flavor than the coconut milk provided. My change was a no brainer. I simply added coconut extract to the pudding at the end of cooking. Coconut rum could also be used, and had I any in the house, I probably would have gone that route instead. Lovers of really sweet desserts will like this pudding. It is easy to make, kind on the budget and brimming with the fresh flavor of coconut. If your tastes run to barely sweet European desserts, run do not walk to the nearest exit. I'll have something more to your liking later in the week. In the meantime, here's the recipe for Tembleque.

Tembleque - Coconut Pudding...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite inspired by Goya Foods

Ingredients:

2 cans (13.5 oz. each) coconut milk

2/3 cup sugar

1/2 cup corn starch

1/4 teaspoon salt

Optional:

1/2 teaspoon coconut extract

Toasted coconut

Ground cinnamon

Directions:

1) Combine coconut milk, sugar, cornstarch and salt in a medium saucepan set over medium-high heat, stirring to dissolve cornstarch. Cook, stirring constantly, until mixture comes to a boil and thickens, about 5 minutes . Stir in coconut extract, if using.

2) Pour into six 6-oz. molds, or one 3-cup mold. Cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate until cold and firm, at least 3 hours, or up to 48 hours.

3) To unmold, run thin knife around edge. Invert mold (or molds) onto serving plate. Top with toasted coconut, if desired. Sprinkle with cinnamon, if desired. Yield: 6 servings.