Old-Fashioned Pumpkin and Coconut Preserves: A Spoonable Brazilian Sweet With Cinnamon

Ingredients for Pumpkin and Coconut Preserves

This recipe makes about 4 cups, roughly 12 servings.

• 2 pounds peeled and seeded pumpkin or butternut squash: about one medium butternut squash, coarsely shredded. Firm, sweet flesh is best.
• 2 cups granulated sugar: turns into a thick, shiny syrup as it cooks.
• 2 cinnamon sticks: for that warm, old-fashioned aroma.
• 4 whole cloves: optional, for a little spice.
• ½ cup water: helps the sugar start melting without scorching.
• 1 ½ cups unsweetened shredded coconut: about 5 ounces. Adds texture and a gentle tropical flavor.
• Pinch of salt: brings out the sweetness.
• Extra fresh or dried coconut flakes: for garnish.

Choosing Your Pumpkin

Butternut squash is the easiest choice in the US. It is sweet, dense and available all year, and its smooth neck is simple to peel and shred. Sugar pumpkins, sometimes called pie pumpkins, also work beautifully in the fall. Avoid the large carving pumpkins sold for jack-o'-lanterns; they are watery and stringy, with little flavor.

To shred the pumpkin, use the large holes of a box grater or the shredding disk of a food processor. A food processor saves a lot of time and effort, especially with hard squash.

For the coconut, unsweetened shredded coconut is usually found in the baking aisle or the natural foods section. Sweetened coconut works too, but reduce the sugar by about ¼ cup. If you can find frozen grated fresh coconut in a Latin or Asian market, it gives the most authentic flavor. Thaw it in the refrigerator and squeeze out a little of the liquid before using.

Cinnamon sticks are worth buying for this recipe instead of using ground cinnamon. Ground cinnamon turns the syrup cloudy and brownish, while the sticks keep the color bright orange and release their perfume slowly as the pumpkin simmers.