This recipe for Spiced Tembleque de Coco is perfection with the tart, juicy burst from the pomegranate arils and mandarin oranges.
I’ve fallen completely in love with coconut milk. I loved it enough before, but now it’s official. This Tembleque de Coco sealed the deal.
I bookmarked this recipe in Joy of Cooking a long time before I stopped eating dairy. We’ve had a lot of sickness at our house the last two weeks, so I made pudding. Like you do.
My husband said his mother used to make a nice warm pudding when he’d come down with a cold as a kid. I ate a little bowl of this warm and it was definitely comforting.
Tembleque translates to trembling. I chose to make individual puddings rather than a large one. The original recipe calls for oiling a mold and turning it out onto a platter – trembling I’m sure – for a more dramatic presentation. These little puddings didn’t tremble too much, but they were sure delicious.
I infused the coconut milk with whole spices and a few strips of orange zest. Feel free to leave them out if you’d rather have a plain coconut pudding. I also halved the recipe.
If you want to make one big pudding, double everything and put it in an oiled 1 1/2 quart dish. Proceed with the directions as written. A big pudding would be a fantastic addition to any holiday dessert table or as a deceptively light dessert following a holiday dinner.
The creamy coconut was great with the tart, juicy burst from the pomegranate arils and mandarin oranges. I would have loved to have fresh slices of mango with this too. Any fruit would be fantastic here.
Enjoy!
Spiced Tembleque de Coco with Orange and Pomegranate
A creamy, non-dairy pudding infused with delicious spices and orange zest, and topped with fruit.
- Total Time: 40 mins
- Yield: 4 1x
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup cornstarch
- 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
- 2 1/2 cups canned coconut milk, light or full-fat, divided
- 3–4 tablespoons pure maple syrup
- 3 whole cloves
- 2–3 allspice berries
- 2 green cardamom pods
- 1/2” piece peeled ginger, cut into four 1/8″ slices
- 2–3 strips of orange zest (removed with a vegetable peeler, orange part only)
- 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
- For serving:
- 1–2 cans mandarin orange segments, or 2 fresh clementines, peeled and segmented
- 1/4 cup pomegranate arils
Instructions
- Sift cornstarch and whisk with salt in a medium bowl.
- Whisk in the maple syrup slowly, followed by 1/4 cup of the coconut milk. Set aside.
- In a pan, heat the remaining coconut milk with whole spices. Bring to a simmer and turn off heat. Let steep for at least 30 minutes.
- Strain the mixture through a fine-mesh sieve into a clean bowl or large measuring cup. Discard the spices and orange zest.
- Whisk the cornstarch mixture onto the coconut milk. Pour back into the saucepan and bring to a boil.
- Whisk constantly and cook for 1 minute, until thickened. Remove from heat and pour into four 8-ounce bowls. Press plastic wrap on the surface and chill until cold.
- To serve – top the pudding with mandarin oranges and pomegranate arils. Serve chilled.
- Prep Time: 35 mins
- Cook Time: 5 mins
- Category: desert
- Cuisine: Spanish
4 Comments
Okay, the recipe sounds delicious but the photography? GORGEOUS!!!
Absolutely beautiful!
These sound wonderful and I love your presentation!
Can i use tapioca starch as a cornstarch substitute?