Help wanted!

[jenP_97]

--- In HPFGU-OTChatter at y..., "triner2001" <triner918 at a...> wrote:
 
> Earlier today, in what can only be described in a Moment of 
> Insanity, bought a coconut.  I read the directions "to prepare 
> coconut" and followed through.  Or rather, I *attempted* to 
> follow through.  I knocked a hole in the eye and drained the 
> milk with no problem.  It was with the step "Tap shell sharply 
> on groove with hammer, revealing white flesh within" that I 
> had problems.  I tapped sharply. Nothing.  I banged the hell 
> out of it. Nothing happened, outside of a lot of noise and 
> frightening the cats.   
> 

Hi, Trina.  I LOVE fresh coconut, and used to pester my dad to 
buy one every time we went to the store.  Now that I do my own
shopping, I tend to forget that I did this. ;)

Anyway, just keep banging away at it.  In fact, you've probably 
opened it already.  If you have a chisel of some kind, you can 
bang on that with the hammer, but it's not really necessary.  
Try to bang it on a hard surface.

Another note: the coconut will taste better if you take it out 
of the shell (the outer husk, anyway... you can leave the inner 
shell on the white flesh) and toast it at a low temperature in 
the oven for at least a half an hour, if not a whole hour.  The 
water will evaporate from the meat, leaving a much more 
concentrated flavor, and it'll make it a LOT easier to get that 
last bit of shell-skin off.  Toasting also brings out more of 
the "coconutty" flavor - it's really yummy.  It also makes it 
easier to shred/grate.

Just don't burn it.  That's easier than you would think - it's 
got lots of sugar in it, which can caramelize and burn if your 
oven is too high.

Jen, store of useless knowledge and trivia, who is also glad 
that someone else thinks that Draco's quidditch teammate is 
cute... but don't tell her husband. ;)