Orange & Passion Fruit Pudding (only 5 ingredients!)

It's simple desserts like this which fill me with joy. This vibrant orange pudding only contains 5 ingredients (actually technically only 4 because two of the ingredients come from the same oranges...) and is very easy to make (as long as you don't take your eye off it when it's cooking!) This recipe is part of Costa Rican Food month, which kicked off a couple of days ago with the very special Resbaladera (Rice and Barley Milk Drink). I had to post this recipe next because it was one of my absolute favourites!

The reason it is part of Costa Rican food month, is because I have based this recipe on a Costa Rican dish - Atol de Naranja. An atole/atol is a Central/South American dish which is thickened with either cornstarch or hominy grits. It is often consumed as a hot drink, however I decided to make mine a cold dessert pudding instead. I've also added a tropical touch with the gorgeous fresh passion fruit on top which really took this simple dessert to a whole new level!

So- with all the changes is it actually an authentic Costa Rican dish? I have no idea! Maybe a Costa Rican can tell me. What I can tell you is that this dessert is spectacular. So just make it :)

Ingredients
3 cups fresh orange juice (should be about 3-4 oranges worth)
1 tbsp orange zest (tip: zest orange before juicing)
1 cup cornstarch
2 cups brown sugar
4 passion fruits

To Make
1. Place the orange zest and 1/2 cup of the orange juice in a saucepan.
2. Add the cornstarch and stir well until completely dissolved and with no lumps.
3. Gradually stir in the remaining orange juice and the sugar.
4. Place the saucepan over a medium to low heat and stir continuously while you slowly heat it through.
5. As the pudding heats it will begin to thicken, stir continuously to prevent lumps forming. Heat until the pudding is thickened (this should take about 10 minutes, but may take less or more time depending on how hot your stove is).
6. Once the pudding is thick transfer immediately into 8 individual serving bowls (or glasses). Place in the fridge and chill for a couple of hours until completely cold.
7. Top each serving with the pulp of 1/2 a passion fruit and serve.

Serves 8 (note: makes fairly 'modest' servings, if you want large servings you can use this recipe to serve 4-6 people with larger serves).

This month I'm featuring lots of delicious food from Costa Rica.

Check out my other recipe posts:

Resbaladera (Rice & Barley Milk Drink)

Paprika de Papa (Paprika Fried Potatoes)

Chayote con Maiz (Chokoes and Corn)

Home Made Salsa Lizano 

Arroz con Leche (Rice Pudding)

Gallo Pinto (Beans and Rice)

Hearts of Palm Salad with Lime Coriander Dressing

Mushroom Ceviche

I've also been nominated in 2 categories in the 'The Homies' blog awards for 2013. It's an annual award run by The Kitchn, and it's a bit of a popularity contest - so your support would mean more to me than I could possibly express!

If you enjoy my recipes or my photos then please take a moment to hop into The Kitchn using the links below, if you think I'm worthy, that is :)

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Thanks for all your support over the years and I hope you enjoy perusing my blog and trying my recipes!