Recently, the local Asian market began carrying loads of fresh coconuts. They are really popular in my house. We usually just eat them plain, but today I felt like making a sweet dish with the coconuts.
I mixed a thickened crème anglaise made of heavy cream with the coconut water. I used heavy cream instead of milk because I wanted the final product to remain creamy even though I substituted in coconut water for some of the dairy. The result was a creamy and decadent pudding. I garnished the dessert with some toasted, sweetened, shredded coconut, and it was ready to serve. If you can find some young coconuts in your local market, give it a try!
1. Info for Fresh Coconut Pudding
- Cook Time: 50 min
- Total Time: 1 hr 20 min
- Servings: 10
- Calories: 174 kcal
2. Ingredients for Fresh Coconut Pudding
- 1 fresh young coconut
- 5 egg yolks
- 1-1/2 cups heavy cream
- 1/2 cup coconut milk
- 1 pinch salt
- 1 pinch nutmeg, freshly grated
- 5 tablespoons sugar
- 6 tablespoons corn starch
- 2 teaspoons lime juice
- 1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract (or vanilla beans)
- 1 teaspoon imitation rum extract
- 1 tablespoon sweetened coconut flakes, slightly toasted
3. Directions:
- For the fresh young coconuts, line a wooden cutting board with 2 or 3 layers of kitchen towels. Place the coconut onto the kitchen towels. Using a cleaver, cut the top off. Gather the coconut water in a pitcher and scrape the coconut flesh. Repeat the same procedure with the other coconut.
- In a bowl, dissolve the corn starch in about 1/4 cup of heavy cream.
- Using a handheld mixer, whisk the egg yolks with the sugar until you get a pale, yellow foam. Add the vanilla extract, rum extract, nutmeg and salt.
- On the stove, bring the coconut water to a boil in a deep sauce pan. Add the heavy cream and coconut milk. Bring the liquid back to a boil and add the corn starch mixture. Whisk constantly to prevent the mixture from sticking to the bottom.
- Combine the dairy liquid with the egg mixture by slowly adding a ladle of the dairy liquid at a time to prevent the yolks from curdling.
- Transfer all the mixture back to the deep sauce pan. Cook until the cream thickens, stirring constantly using a wooden spoon for about 8-10 minutes. Turn off the heat and add the lime juice. Transfer the crème anglaise to a bowl. Place the bowl into an ice bath. When the cream is cool completely, cover with a piece of plastic wrap; make sure the plastic wrap is directly in contact with the pudding to keep it from forming a skin. Let the cream cool completely.
- Place the coconut pudding in little bowls. Bring the pudding back to room temperature. Sprinkle with sweetened coconut flakes.
- Serve immediately.
- Bon appétit!
