MMMMM----- Recipe via Meal-Master (tm) v8.06

Title: Paletas De Coco Fresco (Fresh Coconut Ice Pops)
Categories: Desserts, Mexican
Yield: 10 Paletas

1 Coconut
1 pn Salt; (optional)
2 c Water; very hot
3 c Whole milk
3/4 c Sugar; or to taste
1 Mexican cinnamon stick; (1")
1/4 c Rum or coconut liqueur;
-(optional)

These paletas may seem very time-consuming, but the sweet and subtle
flavor of fresh coconut is well worth the effort. You can prepare the
shredded coconut up to a week in advance and refrigerate it in an
air-tight container. Choose a coconut that feels heavy for its size
and inspect the eyes, making sure there's no liquid around them, as
that indicates a rotten coconut. I usually like to buy two just in
case one is bad. The worst thing that can happen is that you have
extra coconut, which you can store in the freezer or dry in a 250 F
oven to make dried shredded coconut.

Preheat the oven to 325 F. Place the coconut on a towel with the eyes
facing up. Pierce each eye with a screwdriver or ice pick, then empty
out the coconut water. (Strain it and reserve for another use, or
enjoy it on its own as a cold beverage.) Get out as much liquid as
possible by turning the coconut upside down and shaking it.

Put the coconut on a rimmed baking sheet and bake until it begins to
crack, 30 to 40 minutes. Remove from the oven and let sit until cool
enough to handle. Put the coconut on a towel and use the bottom
(nonsharp) edge of a knife or hammer to tap it all around and help
you crack it open. Remove the outer brown shell with your hands, then
using a paring knife to remove the thin brown skin.

Cut the cleaned coconut into pieces and shred it using a hand grater
or food processor. If you'd like ribbons of coconut inside the
paletas, user a vegetable peeler to cut a few thin strips of the
roasted coconut before shredding it. Place the strips in a bowl and
toss with salt. Working in batches, blend the coconut with hot water
until as smooth as possible, then strain through a colander or sieve
lined with cheesecloth. Squeeze the cheesecloth to extract as much
juice as possible, and discard any leftover coconut.

Put the strained liquid in a large saucepan, then stir in the milk,
sugar, and cinnamon, and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Lower
the heat and simmer, styirring occasionally, for 15 minutes. Keeping
in mind that the sweetness will diminish as the mixture cools off,
taste and add more sugar if you like. Let cool to room temperature,
then strain through a fine-mesh sieve. Stir in the rum.

If using conventional molds, divide the mixture among the molds, snap
on the lid, and freeze until solid, about 5 hours. (If you created
ribbons of coconut, add them to the molds before adding the liquid.)
If using glasses or other unconventional molds, freeze until the pops
are beginning to set (1-1/2 to 2 hours), then insert the sticks and
freeze until solid, 4 to 5 hours. If using an instant ice pop maker,
follow the manufacturer's instructions.

Recipe by Fany Gerson

MMMMM
--- SBBSecho 3.14-Win32
* Origin: The Fool's Quarter, fqbbs.synchro.net (1:105/500)