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...
I want pudding for breakfast! That looks delish!
ReplyDeleteOh Pudding for breakfast, that is delicious! They have (almost) similar pudding like this in Indonesia, it also serve for breakfast!
ReplyDeleteThat looks so creamy and delicious! YUM!
ReplyDeleteYes to pudding for breakfast! Sounds good to me!
ReplyDeleteSounds really delicious. I can relate to the waiting time!
ReplyDeleteoh, that looks great. i love pudding and now i want that! and it looks simple enough to make! great idea!
ReplyDeleteWow, I really wonder what an eggless pudding or custard would be like? It sounds interesting.
ReplyDeleteIt also sounds like this dish would be great comfort food for my cold right now, if I can stand the 25 minutes of stirring as well.
That looks really good! Oh, and good luck on the move!
ReplyDeleteThis is really yummy! I made it for myself for breakfast this morning! Now my kids are getting up....I guess I will have to make more for them! Thanks for sharing. I love your blog!
ReplyDeleteIm puertorican i have this all the time its soooo good but my family call it crema
ReplyDeleteThank you for this recipes bring me back to my childhood
ReplyDeleteI am also Puerto Rican (born in Mayaguez) where the word "maíz" originated - it is the word for maize or corn.
ReplyDeleteWe did not use the word Maizena for this dish as maizena is the corn starch used in the making of what we call " crema ". I would add lemon or orange zest along with some juice from either fruit with a tab or two of butter plus coco cream to give it a superb flavor. If you use coco cream you will not need to add sugar.
In Puerto Rican dishes you generally do not measure how much ingredients you add to the dish. Instead, you do so "al gusto" which means "to taste". Thus, add as much sweetener, cream, or whatever as you see fit.
Whenever I make muffins, pies, cakes, pancakes, or any form of dessert, my favorite addition is sweetened coco cream - nothing adds as much flavor as this wonderful ingredient does.
Enjoy!
In Puerto Rico we make this cream with the yoĺks. We beat the whites to a "merengue" with sugar, and put a beautiful pick on top of the maizena.
Deletehttp://www.unilever.es/Images/maizena_harina450x450_tcm126-331706.jpg
ReplyDeleteNote how the box reads "Maizena - Harina fina de Maiz" which means 'refined corn flour' or corn starch. Again, maizena is only a reference to the corn flour/starch, not to the breakfast dish. At least this is how I was taught in my youth.
other examples of maizena product brands used to make a wide variety of treats & meals:
http://tinyurl.com/pmw8bfg
I grew up with this, both for breakfast and as dessert. I add one egg yolk and a teaspoon of vanilla like my grandma and mom did. Yummy!
ReplyDeleteActually not a PR dish at all...comes more from Central American countries...believe it or not, most dishes latino mostly come from South or central American countries, including not spain...from the indigents
ReplyDeleteSo excited to find his recipe! My abuelita made it for me often for breakfast & sometimes it was waiting for me when I got home from school.
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately I never learned how to make it. Can't wait to make it now!!
Thank you so much for this recipe. My mom would make this for me and I loved it. She passed away when I was 13 and I never knew what it was called nor how to make it. Thank you again
ReplyDeletePuerto Ricans make it with egg as well. In fact it is exactly how both my grandmothers used to do it. Egg makes it taste creamier and richer than just the corn starch alone. Or it could have just been that extra abuelita love that it was made with!
ReplyDeleteOne of my favorite breakfasts. My mother always used eggs when she made this dish as well as lemon zesty.
ReplyDelete