My Kitchen My World - Puerto Rico, Recipe My Kitchen My World

Posted the 16/11/2008 00:00:00 By Fun Foods On a Budget! (Visit website)

This week's chosen country isn't technically a country - it's a U.S. territory. But the MKMW moderator believes that Puerto Rico should be treated as its own country for the purposes of this blogging event. I'm glad - we got to enjoy a real treat this week! You see, Puerto Ricans are really smart when it comes to food. They make a deliciously creamy pudding, call it Maizena, and eat it for breakfast!

I made this on Thursday morning, and it was perfect. The morning was rainy, chilly, and dreary. It was wonderful to have this warm, creamy, comfort-food dish for breakfast.

Maizena
2 tbsp. cornstarch
1/8 tsp. salt
3 tbsp. sugar
1/8 tsp. cinnamon
2 cups milk (I departed from authenticity here and used 3 eggs plus enough milk to make 2 cups. This cut down the cooking time and upped the protein)

Whisk together the cornstarch, salt, sugar, and cinnamon in a large saucepan. Stir in the milk (and eggs, in my case) to evenly blend ingredients, and set over medium-high heat. Continue whisking and cooking until custard reaches a thick consistency, 25 to 30 minutes (with the eggs, it took about 5-10 minutes). It is important to stir the entire time, or the custard can easily burn or clump. The custard will continue to thicken as it cools. Spoon into bowls to serve.

As I pointed out, I added eggs to the regular recipe. The idea of a shorter cooking time really appealed to me, since my kids don't like to stand around waiting for their breakfast - they want it now! It tasted absolutely delicious - my kids felt like they were getting a special treat for their breakfast, as did I! This would even work well as a dessert. But I would really love to try this recipe the way the Puerto Ricans make it - without eggs. That is, if I think my arm can hold up to 25 minutes of whisking...