Yesterday I wrestled 4 fresh coconuts to the ground--cracked them, scraped them and made coconut milk, cream and got 11 cups of grated coconut from it. It is labor intensive, yes. But if you find this sort of thing theraputic on a rainy day, I highly suggest it. The smell of fresh coconut is also very intoxicating! Here is more than you want to know about preparing fresh coconuts:
Depending where you are, fresh coconuts are a rare find. When you find them, buy them! By the fours and fives! You'll need them. When you buy coconuts, chose ones that are heavy for their size. They must be full of liquid. Shake it vigorously, there should be a lot of liquid sloshing around and NONE of it should be leaking out. Coconuts have three "eyes"--none of them should be mushy or leaking liquid. The hard shell of your coconut should be dark brown and completely whole--no cracks. Store your coconuts at room temperature. When you are ready to wrestle with them, poke an ice pick or a nail in the softest "eye" (sorry!) If you can poke a hole into all the eyes, great, but I have only ever found that I could poke one eye per coconut. You may have to work the pick or the nail in there really well to get a large enough hole to make room to let the coconut "water" out. SAVE THIS LIQUID! Taste the water. It will be cloudy, but should be sweet and clean tasting. If it tastes rancid, your coconut is rancid and should be thrown away. For, even having chosen what looks like a perfect coconut, you may get home only to find that your coconut has spoiled. There is no way to be absolutely sure that you have a "good" coconut while you are at the store. You have to take it home and open it up. This is one reason to buy 3 or 4 coconuts at a time. As an aside: Coconut water should not be confused with coconut milk. The difference between the two is stark, but even chefs and people who ought to know better, can't seem to get the two straight. Coconut "water," of course, is the clear/cloudy liquid sloshing around inside the coconut and the coconut milk is what is strained off after you've gently simmered together either water or milk and coconut meat. After you poke a hole in the coconut, pour the fresh coconut water into a clean bowl. (You'll need to strain it with a cheese cloth before using.) If you are not using immediately, store it in a very clean, covered glass jar and put in the fridge for up to a day. (I usually wash glass jars using boiling hot water right before I store the coconut water, this way I am sure there will be no off flavors contaminating the liquid). The liquid is intensely coconut flavored, but it loses strength after a day or so. Use it to replace milk or water in your favorite recipes or you may also drink it out right. Boiled with sugar, it makes a great glaze for cakes! Once you've drained your coconuts, place them whole on a foil-lined cookie sheet. (Don't crowd them). Place the cookie sheets on the bottom rack of an oven preheated to 400 degrees for 15 to 20 minutes and remove promptly. The shell should be cracked. Even if its not, I still remove the coconuts and pound with a hammer. (My mother still opens her coconuts by thwacking it on a concrete floor!) Use a small sharp knife to dig out small pieces of coconut that has remained in the shell. Use a good vegetable peeler to scrape off the tough brown skin on the outer part of the coconut. If you're lucky, some of the peel has adhered to the shell when you dug it out and half the job is already done. If not, you have some good peeling to do. Breath deeply and enjoy the wonderful smell of coconut. Once your coconut has been peeled, rinse the coconut meat *very briefly*! There is a lot of flavor that goes down the drain with a heavy rinsing. I do this primarily to get rid of any brown skin and other stuff clinging to the coconut meat. If you have a heavy duty food processor, it will come in handy to chop your coconut. Cut your coconut into managable pieces and chop finely. If you have a processor with inserts, you can use the grater insert if you'd like. You can freeze your grated coconut for 6 months or you can use it right away to make cakes, cookies and breads. Fresh coconut makes out-of-this-world ice cream. In my post yesterday, I wrote about making coconut milk. Here it is again: to make coconut milk, gently simmer equal parts chopped coconut meat and either coconut water (or regular water) or milk for 15 minutes. Let sit for 30 minutes. Blend in a blender and strain using cheese cloth. For coconut cream, do the same as above, using 4:1 ratio. For example, you would use four cups coconut and 1 cup milk. Simmer very gently for 15 minutes, being sure it doesn't scorch. Steep for 30 minutes (or more) and strain. You can put the coconut in a clean dish cloth and wring out the last drop of cream! The resulting liquid is thick and rich, and very coconutty. When I make coconut milk or/and cream, I let the coconut and milk steep in my fridge overnight. In the morning, I strain. I never throw away the coconut. I usually leave some milk in the coconut and use it for cakes or quick bread. Lastly, fresh coconut and things made with fresh coconut are very perishable. Store grated coconut, milk and water in the fridge for 5 days and in the freezer for up to 6 months. I recommend making coconut cake! ------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor --------------------~--> Help save the life of a child. Support St. Jude Children's Research Hospital's 'Thanks & Giving.' http://us.click.yahoo.com/mGEjbB/5WnJAA/E2hLAA/QXMplB/TM --------------------------------------------------------------------~-> Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/CAKE-RECIPE/ <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
