Tembleque (Coconut Pudding from Puerto Rico)

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1. 1Step 1: Add 1 1/2 tablespoons of water to the mold that will hold your tembleque. Move the water around in the mold to moisten it, making sure to get the center tube if your pan has one. Once you've wet the inside of the mold, leave the excess water to pool at the bottom of the mold and set it aside. Alternatively, spray your mold with a neutral-tasting, non-stick cooking spray (coconut oil is recommended) and set aside.
2. 2Step 2: Pour 3 cups of the coconut milk into a 3 or 4-quart saucier. To the coconut milk in the pot, add the orange peel, the cinnamon stick, ginger slices, star anise, whole cloves, nutmeg, and salt.
3. 3Step 3: Bring this mixture up to a simmer over medium-high heat. The fat solids in the coconut will begin to separate a bit, which will make the liquid look curdled. That's totally normal. Allow the coconut milk to simmer for a full 2 minutes. If it starts to boil, reduce the heat to medium-low.
4. 4Step 4: Stir the coconut milk once or twice during that 2-minute simmer, then turn the stove off. Use a whisk to stir in the sugar into the coconut mixture, then allow the spices to steep in the hot coconut milk for 5 minutes.
5. 5Step 5: While the spices steep in the coconut milk, make the cornstarch slurry. Add the remaining cup of coconut milk to the cornstarch in a bowl in a steady trickle, whisking constantly as you pour the coconut milk into the cornstarch to avoid clumps from forming.
6. 6Step 6: Use a slotted spoon or a small strainer to remove the whole spices from the coconut milk in the pot. Turn the stove on to medium heat.
7. 7Step 7: Add the cornstarch slurry to the coconut milk in a slow, steady trickle, stirring constantly. Once all the slurry has been stirred in, allow the tembleque to come up to steaming. Continue stirring constantly, paying close attention to the sides, which heat up faster. Incorporate the slurry from the outside of the pan into the center.
8. 8Step 8: After about 1 1/2-2 minutes, the tembleque will thicken to the point where it resembles mayonnaise. Remove the pot from the stove, and stir in the vanilla extract. Continue stirring for 30 seconds to cool the pudding slightly.
9. 9Step 9: Pour the hot tembleque into the moistened/greased mold, pouring around the mold to ensure it's added in an even layer. The water will rise up around the pudding to create a barrier that will make de-panning easier. Greased pans will not have rising water.
10. 10Step 10: Set the uncovered pan into the fridge and allow it to chill and set up completely, or anywhere from 2-4 hours. After 2 hours, or when it's no longer emitting heat, you can cover it with plastic wrap.
11. 11Step 11: When you're ready to remove the tembleque from the mold, tilt the pan in a circular motion to loosen the pudding from its sides. Dip the bottom of the pan in hot water for 1-2 minutes. Leave the tembleque inverted until you hear a "schloop!" come from the pan. That's how you know your tembleque is unmolded.
12. 12Step 12: Garnish the tembleque with a sprinkle of ground cinnamon and slivers of coconut. Serve chilled.