This past week I drove up the Caribbean Coast of Mexico and as I passed north of the area known as the Emerald Coast I stopped at a new restaurant overlooking the inland valley. This is one of those places that one hopes to discover and is a joy to come across. Although modest it was evident that the owner cared about food and was doing the best that she could. The tables and chairs were plastic, the building concrete and not yet finished but the kitchen was wide open, totally clean and the view spectacular. I ordered shrimp al mojo de ajo (garlic) and it was excellent. I was fascinated at the way that she managed to get the shell off the shrimp along its body but still have the head and tail intact. When asked how she did it she said it was easy but I doubt that I could have accomplished the feat. While none of this was fancy it was nicely presented with the 7 large shrimp, with heads and tails, and accompanied with the usual shredded lettuce/tomato/cucumber salad. It is hard to not have a delicious shrimp meal along the Gulf coast but this was one that was really prepared with care. However, what was most welcome was the dessert. We had noticed the tall coconut palm trees that grow profusely in this region and I had a hankering for a dessert with coconut in it. That seemed to be a nice combination with the shrimp. I spied a big plate filled with coconut treats. These are usually so sweet that, for me, they are inedible. Nevertheless, this batch looked different. The coconut ball was baked but she could not tell me exactly what the ingredients were since they were made by someone else! I was told that this confection is called Cocada and is obviously a local treat since these were advertised all along the road. I decided to investigate this and among the hundreds of recipes that I have found the following is the most similar to those that I had. It turns out that Cocada is a rather generic name given to different kinds of coconut desserts through out Mexico and South America. Sometimes the confection is more like a flan than coconut balls. The following recipe is the nearest I can fine to the wonderful treats we had along the Emerald Coast of Veracruz…. And very easy to make!

A hard coconut candy or Cocada is sold throughout Mexico and Latin America and is usually found in stands in colorful cellophane-wrapped balls. This wonderful and creamy version can be served in small attractive bowls and keeps well in the refrigerator. It is best served at room temperature.
Cocada (Oven baked Coconut Treats)
1 lb Grated coconut
4 Egg yolks
2 c Sugar
1 c Milk
2 tb Butter or margarine
Preheat oven to 350 F. Mix sugar, butter, egg yolks, milk and coconut together with a spoon. Put the mixture in a beautiful soufflé dish and bake it until the top is a golden color. Remove and let cool before serving.
Enjoy!!