mexican, by jane milton
 

Serves:  6

I N G R E D I E N T S
5 cups milk
2 2/3 cups unsweetened dry shredded coconut
1 2/3 cups canned coconut milk
1 2/3 cups chicken stock (preferably fresh)
scant 1 cup heavy cream (or half and half)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground white pepper
1 teaspoon sugar
small bunch of cilantro

I N S T R U C T I O N S
Pour the milk in to a large saucepan.  Bring to a boil, stir in the coconut, lower the heat and let simmer for 30 minutes.  Spoon the mixture into a food processor and process until smooth. This may take a while--up to 5 minutes--so pause frequently and scrape down the sides of the bowl.

Rinse the pan to remove any coconut that remains, pour in the processed mixture and add the coconut milk  Stir in the chicken stock (homemade if possible) cream, salt, pepper, and sugar. . Bring the mixture to a boil, stirring occasionally then lower the heat and cook for 10 minutes.

Reserve a few cilantro leaves to garnish, then chop the rest finely and stir into the soup.  Pour the soup into a large bowl, let it cool, then cover and put into the refrigerator until chilled.  Just before serving taste the soup and adjust the seasoning as chilling will alter the taste.  Serve in chilled bowls, garnished with cilantro leaves.