Serves 10

Time 30 Min.

Ingredients

• 4 pounds coconut (about 1 or 2 whole mature coconuts, or 2 cups fresh coconut meat)

• 1/2 cup cornstarch

• 2/3 cup sugar

• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

• 1 teaspoon orange-blossom water

• Ground cinnamon, for garnish

Tip: Mature coconuts, the ones ideal for making coconut milk, should be brown, hairy and very heavy. If you shake them around, you should be able to hear the water inside.

You can use canned coconut milk instead, if you like, instead of fresh. The result will be less fragrant and slightly sweeter than fresh milk, so reduce the sugar to 1/2 cup.

Directions

1. To make fresh coconut milk, extract the coconut water and coconut meat from the coconut: Hammer a screwdriver into the coconut’s three eyes, and pour the coconut water through a fine-mesh strainer into a blender. Wrap the coconut in a towel to balance it, and crack it open with a hammer or the dull side of cleaver. Remove the tough outer shell, then use a vegetable peeler to remove any remaining brown skin on the coconut meat. Rinse the meat thoroughly, then roughly chop it. Add 2 cups coconut meat and 3 1/2 cups hot water to the blender, and process. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve, pressing at coconut solids with the back of a spoon. Wrap the solids in a piece of cheesecloth, and squeeze firmly with your hands to get every last bit of liquid out. (Reserve coconut solids for another use.)
   

2. In a saucepan, combine the cornstarch, sugar and salt, and mix together with a whisk. Lightly whisk the coconut milk if it has separated, then whisk 4 cups coconut milk into the cornstarch mixture. Add the orange-blossom water.
   

3. Put the saucepan over medium-high heat, and whisk until the mixture starts to thicken. Lower the heat to medium-low, and continue stirring until a few bubbles start to appear and break on the surface and the mixture is just barely boiling. Remove from heat and immediately pour into 10 dry ramekins, using a scant half cup for each portion.
   

4. Allow it to cool at room temperature for about 30 minutes, then cover with plastic wrap, and chill in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours, or until completely cold. Use a small palette knife to release the edges, and tip the tembleque out onto serving dishes (or, alternately, serve directly out of ramekins). Garnish with a dusting of cinnamon.

Adapted from "Coconuts and Collards: Recipes and Stories from Puerto Rico to the Deep South," by Von Diaz (University Press of Florida, 2018).