I met a new ingredient last week: Sweetened condensed coconut milk. Found it at Longs Drugs, just as curious reader Jeanette Wong said I would.

Wong had picked up a few cans and asked for ideas for using them. So I picked up a few cans and the experiments began.

This product comes from the Thai company Nature’s Charm. As with regular sweetened condensed milk, water has been removed and much sugar added. The coconut product has bits of suspended coconut fat in it but otherwise looks like condensed milk.

It is a vegan alternative to the standard milk product and Nature’s Charm says it can be used in all the same ways. Good sources of recipes, therefore, are the websites of Eagle Brand and Nestle Carnation, makers of the two most common brands of sweetened condensed milk.

The first recipe here is a version of key lime pie, a classic use of the dairy version. The second is a very chewy brownie based on a recipe from Eagle Brand. You could make it vegan by replacing the butter with vegetable shortening. Note that neither of these desserts tasted much of coconut.

I tried a little of the coconut milk in my coffee. It was very sweet and tasty, but a little oily from the coconut fat.

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Calamansi Tarts

>> 1 (11-ounce) can sweetened condensed coconut milk

>> 3/4 cup calamansi juice (bottled or fresh)

>> 4 egg yolks

>> 1/4 cup sugar

>> Zest of 1 lime, optional

>> 9 graham cracker tart shells

>> Whipped cream, for garnish

Heat oven to 375 degrees. Whisk together coconut milk, calamansi juice, yolks, sugar and lime zest, if using. Pour into tart shells, filling almost to the rim. Bake 25-30 minutes, until outer edge is set. Center will still be jiggly. Cool on rack, then refrigerate until set, about 2 hours. Garnish with whipped cream and more lime zest. Serves 9.

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Chewy Graham Cracker Brownies

Adapted from Eagle Brand

>> 4 cups graham cracker crumbs

>> 2 (11-ounce) cans sweetened condensed coconut milk

>> 3-1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

>> 1/4 cup butter, melted

>> 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 13-by-9-inch baking pan with baking parchment.

Combine all ingredients in bowl and mix until blended. Spread in prepared pan. Bake 25 to 30 minutes. Center will still be soft. Cool; cut into bars.

Nutritional information unavailable.

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