Puerto Rican · dessert

Tembleque (Coconut Pudding)

Tembleque (Coconut Pudding) reads sweetness 6.7, richness 5.4 and citrus 4.4 on Palate's 0–10 flavor X-ray — a Puerto Rican dessert, about 4 hr 29 min. Measured from the recipe itself: ingredients and technique.

The flavor X-ray — six axes, 0–10

The measured notes (of 18)

Sweetness 6.7 · Richness 5.4 · Citrus 4.4 · Nutty 3.9 · Salinity 3.6 · Floral 3.6 · Fruity 3.2 · Warm Spice 3.1 · Sourness 2.6 · Earthy 0.9

What's in it (10)

Time & effort: about 4 hr 29 min (14 min active) · effort: medium

Nutrition (per 100 g, engine-estimated): 241.5 kcal, 1.6 g protein, 16.1 g fat, 24.8 g carbs

Dietary: Vegetarian · Contains dairy — engine-derived; double-check anything allergy-critical.

How it's cooked (8 steps)

  1. The name means it trembles, and that is the test: turned out of its mould it should wobble and then stand. Coconut milk is the only dairy — this is a Christmas dessert that happens to be vegan if you leave out nothing.
  2. Warm 600 ml of the coconut milk over low heat with the cinnamon stick and the lime zest for 15 minutes. Do not let it boil; coconut milk splits.
  3. Strain out the stick and zest.
  4. Whisk the cornstarch, sugar and salt into the remaining 200 ml of cold coconut milk until absolutely smooth — about 2 minutes, and there must be no lumps at all, because they will not dissolve later.
  5. Pour the cold slurry into the warm milk and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly with a flat-ended spatula so nothing sits on the bottom. After about 9 minutes it will thicken suddenly and start pulling away from the sides of the pan in a mass. That is the moment to stop.
  6. Off the heat, stir in the orange blossom water and the rum.
  7. Rinse a mould or individual ramekins with cold water and do not dry them; pour the pudding in and refrigerate at least 4 hours until set firm.
  8. Toast the coconut flakes in a dry pan over medium heat for about 3 minutes, shaking constantly, until they are gold at the edges. Turn the tembleque out, dust heavily with ground cinnamon, and scatter the toasted coconut over.

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Every number above is Palate's engine-measured estimate, computed from this recipe's ingredients and techniques — not human-tasted ratings or reviews.