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Manjar de coco
Manjar de coco: wobbly coconut-milk blancmange with a dark prune syrup
Sunday lunch at a grandmother's in Rio, Minas or Pernambuco often ends with a manjar, a snowy ring of coconut blancmange turned out of its mould and drowned in glossy, nearly black prune syrup. It is smooth and cool, with a soft wobble, the mild sweet coconut cream set off by the deep, winey taste of the prunes. The dessert is set with cornflour alone, so it is gluten free, and it has to be made at least 4 hours ahead. Under-cooking the cornflour is what usually goes wrong: the manjar tastes chalky and breaks when turned out. Chef's tip: wet the mould with cold water instead of greasing it, then shake out the drops; the manjar slides out cleanly with a coconut taste unspoilt by oil.
- Total time
- 30 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 8
Ingredients
For the manjar
For the prune syrup
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Method
0/6 doneStep 1: Rinse a 1.5 litre ring mould with cold water and shake out the excess.
Step 2: Whisk 3 cups whole milk, 1 ¾ cups coconut milk, 4 oz sugar and 2 ⅞ oz cornflour in a saucepan until there are no lumps. Stir in 1 ⅜ oz desiccated coconut.
Step 3: Cook over a medium heat, stirring constantly, until it boils, then keep stirring for 3 minutes more, until very thick and glossy and no longer tastes floury.
10 minStep 4: Pour into the mould, tap it on the worktop to settle, cool for 30 minutes and chill for at least 4 hours, until firm.
Step 5: For the syrup, put 5 ½ oz pitted prunes, 4 oz sugar, 1 ¼ cups water and 3 whole cloves in a small pan and simmer for 12–15 minutes, until the prunes are soft and the syrup is thick enough to coat a spoon. Cool.
15 minStep 6: Run a thin knife round the edges of the manjar, put a plate on top and turn it out with a sharp shake. Pour the prune syrup over just before serving.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 330 kcal
- Protein
- 5 g
- Carbs
- 52 g
- Fat
- 12 g
- Fibre
- 2 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does manjar de coco take?
- About 30 minutes in total: 10 minutes to prepare and 20 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 8 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- Can I make it ahead?
- Yes. It keeps well, so you can cook it earlier in the day or the day before and reheat it.
- What can I use instead of whole milk?
- Semi-skimmed milk with 1 tbsp cream per 240ml (1 cup).
- What can I use instead of coconut milk?
- Single cream, same amount (not dairy free).
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