Coconut 101

In May's Bon Appetit they did a whole feature on coconuts. Inspired by the article, my friend's post on coconut cookies, and the fact that coconuts were on sale for 1.50 at the store, I bought a coconut and made three of the recipes from Bon Appetit.

So here is how to get the coconut from a coconut.

For easier removal of the meat, place a whole coconut in a 350 degree oven for 20 minutes. Let it cool and then proceed to step one.

1. With a hammer and a screwdriver, pierce the coconut in two of the three eyes.2. Pour out the coconut water, reserving it for a future use or a refreshing beverage.Tom doesn't think he would make it on Survivor because it doesn't taste very good.3. Using the hammer and screwdriver, pierce the coconut around the center until you break it in half.

4. Place the coconut half on it's cut side and hammer it to break it in to smaller pieces.
5. Using a table knife, pry the cocunut meat from the thick skin.
6. If desired, using a peeler peel the thin skin off. The thin skin is edible and can be kept on for more fiber.
7. Finely grate the coconut meat. I used the fine grater attachment on my Kitchenaid.

Stay tuned for my posts about the three new recipes I tried with the fresh coconut.

• Coconut Cake with Mascarpone Frosting
• Coconut and Ricotta Pancakes
• Coconut and Shrimp Rolls