making my roots.

it'll be my older brother's birthday tomorrow and one of his favorite filipino desserts is maja blanca. so, as a surprise, i decided to make a couple of batches for him. :D maja blanca is sort of a cold soft-set pudding/panna cotta that's got a coconut base and flavored with sweet corn. it's a very traditional dessert that's also surprisingly easy to make. when i did some research on it, the variance in the recipes were very little. so, i took some notes from this recipe and tweaked it to more my liking. in other words: a slightly less guilty dessert with more creamy coconut and sweet corn!

 
Maja Blanca
(slightly adapted from Lemon and Anchovies)

1 (14oz.) can coconut milk (Aroy-D or Chaokoh brand)
1 can coconut cream (Savoy brand)
1 can cream style sweet corn
1 (11oz.) can extra sweet corn niblets or 2/3 (15oz.) can of whole sweet corn
1 can fat free condensed milk (or plain if you can't find it)
1 pint (16oz.) fat free half and half
1/2 cup sugar (use less if you don't want it that sweet)
3/4 cup corn starch
1/2 cup of shredded sweetened coconut

In a large saucepan, heat together the coconut milk, coconut cream, canned corn, niblets, and sugar over medium heat. Cook for about 10 minutes, stirring constantly to incorporate. Add the condensed milk and continue over medium heat for about five minutes.

In a large glass measuring cup, stir together the half and half and corn starch until smooth.

Add the corn starch/milk mixture to the saucepan and cook for another 8-12 minutes, stirring constantly. The mixture should thicken slowly towards the end of the cooking time.

Once the mxture is at your desired consisentcy, take off the heat and pour into a 8x8 baking dish or into separate glasses (I decded to put it in two seperate containers). Leave to cool to room temperature.

Meanwhile, in a small shallow pan, toast the flaked coconut over low heat. Cool completely then garnish the maja blanca with the toasted coconut. Chill for a few hours (or overnight) in the refrigerator to set then serve cold. (You can also chill the maja blanca first then top with the garnish right before serving.)