Coconut, shredded (with recipes)

            The tall, slender coconut tree lends itself to myriad uses. Its trunk is used for timber, its flower spathes for crude sugar and toddy and arrack liquor, its leaves for roofing and basket weaving, its husk for rope making, its shells for drinking vessels, and its kernels for oil and coconut milk and “meat”. Coconut palms are found growing in tropical countries throughout the world, particularly on seacoasts, for the rounded, triangular-shaped coconut is easily carried by ocean currents to far-off shores.

           

            Shredded coconut is made from the meat of the coconut, the white inner lining of the kernel. It is used primarily in the preparation of desserts, for its sweet nutty flavor. Commercially you will find it in both moist and dry form; moist coconut has more unpleasant additives than the dry, but both are likely to be sweetened with unhealthful sugar – which is foolishness, for coconut is loaded with its own valuable natural sugar. So buy it desiccated and without additives at your health food store. Or if you are handy with a knife and steady of arm, prepare your own – it will be naturally moist, utterly delicious, and very economical.

            Coconut meat will add protein, potassium, phosphorus, magnesium, and a touch of iodine to your desserts. It is low in carbohydrates and contains less fat than most other nuts.

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FRESH SHREDDED COCONUT

·        If you can hear the milk lapping inside the coconut when you shake it, it is ripe and ready. Pierce the “eyes” of the coconut with a screwdriver and drain out the milk (you can drink this on the spot, or use it as liquid in any dessert recipe – it is very nutritious). Put coconut in a 400-degree oven for 15-20 minutes. Remove it from the oven and immediately give coconut a sharp blow with a hammer, and the shell will fall away from the meat. Trim off the dark skin. Grind the white meat in a blender. Keep it moist in a jar in the refrigerator; it will stay fresh for about two weeks. Or dry it slowly in the oven and it will not have to be refrigerated.

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COCONUT UPSIDE-DOWN CAKE

6 tablespoons butter

½ cup raw or brown sugar

1 ½ cups fresh shredded coconut (or desiccated coconut plus

        2 tablespoons water)

Batter:

1 ½ cups whole wheat pastry flour

2 ½ teaspoons baking powder

½ teaspoon salt

8 tablespoons (1 stick) butter

¾ cup sugar (preferably raw sugar)

1 egg plus 1 egg yolk, well beaten

½ teaspoon vanilla extract

½ cup coconut (or dairy) milk

·        In a flat-bottom 8-inch iron skillet, melt 6 tablespoons butter, ½ cup sugar. Add 1 ½ cups fresh shredded coconut (or desiccated coconut plus 2 tablespoons water). In a large bowl sift flour, baking powder, and salt three times. Cream 8 tablespoons butter, ¾ cup sugar, eggs, and vanilla. Mix half of creamed mixture into dry ingredients, then half of the liquid, then the other half of creamed mixture, then the last half of liquid. Do not overmix.

·        Pour into skillet on top of coconut. Bake at 350 degrees for about 35 minutes. Remove from the oven, loosen the sides with a knife; immediately flip over onto a cake platter. Serve warm or cool.

·        Serves six to eight.