Well here’s my next installment of the big US trip me and my new hubby went to Maui, Hawaii for a part of our honeymoon. I ALWAYS wanted to visit Hawaii, the culture, food and laid back lifestyle attracted me to these islands in the vast Pacific ocean. So I was ecstatic when we decided to make it one of the places to visit on our honeymoon.

From the moment we arrived there till when we left, those six days were a great exploration and journey into Hawaiian food for me. We tried so many dishes, from the traditional luau Kalua pig ( cooked in the ground for up to 16 to 20 hours!), mahi mahi grilled fish, portuguese spicy sausage, crab cakes to the yummy desserts like Hawaiian Haupia and Pineapple, Coconut Tiramisu Cake.

Battered Shrimp, Sushi Rolls                              Fresh Crab Cakes

Mahi Mahi Fish Tacos                     Grilled Mahi Mahi

Fresh Fruit Pineapple Boat

I decided to emulate the recipe of the Hawaiian Haupia, a delicious coconut pudding a bit similar to the Filipino dish of Bibingka, a jelly like consistency with a creamy, milky texture.  And a more exotic version of the Creme Brulee made from Coconut milk and added fresh pineapple pieces.

Hawaiian Haupia

Recipe

2 cups coconut milk

1 cup whole milk

6 tablespoons sugar

5 tablespoons cornflour

Pour one cup of coconut milk into a saucepan. Combine sugar and cornstarch stirring into coconut milk. Heat over low stirring consistently until thickened.

Add remainder of coconut milk and whole milk and continue to heat until thickened. Pour into a square pan and chill until firm. That’s it!! Take out cut into squares and serve!

Coconut Creme Brulee

Recipe

4-6 tbsp caster sugar

4 large free-range egg yolks

200ml double cream

100ml full-fat canned coconut milk

Preheat the oven to 180°C/gas 4. In a bowl, whisk 2 tbsp of the sugar into the egg yolks. Pour the cream into a saucepan. Give the coconut milk a stir in its can before measuring out the amount you need into the saucepan. Gently heat the creams, stirring to combine, until they are just below boiling point. Pour onto the yolks and whisk together. Pour into ramekins or shallow brûlée dishes.

Put the dishes into a baking tray and pour enough just-boiled water from the kettle to come halfway up the sides of the ramekins. Bake for 20-25 minutes until set but with a slight wobble. Remove from the baking tray and leave to cool.

Preheat the grill to medium-high. Sprinkle the remaining sugar evenly on top of each pudding (at this point you can add some sliced pineapple on the top and sprinkle with sugar) Grill for 3-4 minutes until the sugar has melted and caramelised. Desiccated coconut can be sprinkled all over too. Leave to cool, then put in the fridge and chill before serving.

Enjoy!! This creamy, exotic dessert!