Jump to recipeLemon and coconut is a flavor combination that I only recently discovered. For some reason, it never occurred to me to put them together. But when I was testing out this recipe, I was happy to find that those two ingredients play very well together!
The first time I tested this pudding, I made it with regular milk. It was delicious, but the coconut flavor wasn’t quite there. So I decided to try it a second time with coconut milk instead, not expecting it to be great. To my husband’s and my surprise, we found that the coconut milk enhanced the lemon flavor more than the regular milk. I re-tested both versions and the results were the same: we preferred the one made with coconut milk!
Okay, let’s get into making these yummy little pudding cups!
First, the ingredients. You’ll need sugar, salt, a lemon (both the zest and the juice), cornstarch, cream, vanilla extract, egg yolks, butter, and a can of coconut milk. I specifically designed this recipe to use an entire can of coconut milk so you don’t have to have a tiny bit languishing in the fridge.
Begin by whisking together the cornstarch, salt, sugar, and lemon zest in a small saucepan.
In a medium-small bowl, whisk together the egg yolks, coconut milk, and cream.
Combine the wet and dry ingredients in the saucepan.
Bring to a boil over medium-low heat, stirring constantly—or nearly constantly if you’re impatient like me. Boil for 1 minute and remove from heat.
For a smooth end product, strain the pudding through a fine-mesh sieve.
Whisk in some butter and vanilla extract while the pudding is still warm.
Allow the pudding to cool to room temperature, then chill it completely in the fridge. When you’re ready to serve, whisk in some lemon juice.
Spoon the pudding into individual serving dishes and dollop on some sweetened whipped cream.
Finish it off with a sprinkle of toasted coconut.
Notes:
- You might think that half a cup of this pudding is a small serving size. Keep in mind that it’s quite rich, so you might be surprised by how little of it will satisfy you!
- I toasted unsweetened desiccated coconut with a bit of maple syrup for the topping. You can simply toast up sweetened shredded coconut if you prefer.
- You can make the pudding and toast the coconut a day or two in advance, but don’t whip the cream until just before you’re planning to eat it.
What’s a new-to-you flavor combination that you’ve been enjoying lately?
