This recipe for thiakry was shared by my friend Alice, whose husband comes from Mauritania. When I asked her for some recipes, she sent me a few. Now, I am trying to make all of them over time. This dessert was quite unusual because it uses giant couscous as the base. The original recipe comes from Peko Peko, and then Alice gave me her recommended variations. For example, I did not add coconut and I used grapes instead of pineapple. In addition, I used dried cranberries instead of raisins, because I had those in my cupboard. The end result was refreshing and tasty. It reminded me of rice pudding. The orange blossom essence added a nice, delicate flavour.
Ingredients
Couscous
70 g giant couscous (thiakry)
5 g butter
1 pinch of salt
20 g raisins
6 g grated coconut(optional)
Sow
210 g fromage blanc or plain yoghurt
90 g evaporated milk, refrigerated
40 g de crème fraîche or single cream
1⁄2 tsp vanilla extract
30 g sugar or more to taste
1⁄8 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp orange blossom water (optional)
Small pieces of fruit such as pineapple or grapes (optional)
Instructions
First, rehydrate the raisins in a bowl of hot water and leave to rest until needed.
Next, cook the thiakry or couscous according to packet instructions. Ensure that the couscous grains are very tender. If they need more cooking, then add a bit of water and cook for a further 1-2 minutes. Add the butter, pinch of salt, rehydrated raisins and grated coconut (optional). Then cover and let rest at room temperature.
In a large bowl, mix together the fromage black or yoghurt, creme fraiche and evaporated milk. Mix until well-blended. Add the vanilla extract, sugar, nutmeg, and orange blossom water. You can add more sugar to your taste. Refrigerate for at least an hour.
Just before serving, add the couscous to the cream mixture. Serve chilled and topped with small pieces of fruit.
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