What to do with too much coconut

September 3, 2008 11:46 AM

I have copious amounts of coconut cream and coconut shavings. What food-item (ie: not 20 galleons of piña colada) can I make with those ingredients that would require as little additional ingredients and effort as possible. And if you would have a bare-bones recipe at hand, it would be very much appreciated. :)

I was thinking perhaps something along the lines of simple coconut cookies...? Does anyone have an idea for a simple recipe?

posted by ruelle to food & drink (18 comments total)

Coconut ice cream?
posted by ian1977 at 11:50 AM on September 3, 2008

Coconut macaroons are just egg whites, sugar and coconut (and almond/vanilla extract). That has to be the easiest and most delicious way to use a lot of coconut meat. To use the coconut cream, I would start making curries.
posted by milkrate at 12:10 PM on September 3, 2008

One of the easiest modified tasty cakes I've made:

Basic yellow or white cake mix - make per directions. Let cool. Poke holes in it with a fork. Mix sweetened condensed milk with coconut cream (to your taste), pour over cake. Let it settle. Frost with cool-whip, cover with coconut shavings. Devour.
posted by librarianamy at 12:24 PM on September 3, 2008 [1 favorite has favorites]

Coconut chutney:

Put some plain yogurt, the coconut shavings, a couple of hot green chilies, some salt, maybe a clove of garlic and some coriander (cilantro) in a blender. Swizz.
posted by LN at 12:49 PM on September 3, 2008

fruit salad?
I usually use sliced strawberries and bananas and crushed pineapple, then add coconut flakes while stirring until it looks like there is a sufficient amount of coconut stuck to the rest of the fruit. A little drizzle of honey makes a pretty good 'dressing'.
posted by Green Eyed Monster at 12:55 PM on September 3, 2008

Run a google search on: IMPOSSIBLE COCONUT PIE

Here's one example.

Bascially, it's a fall-down-silly-simple recipe that you mix in a bowl and pour into a pie tin. It separates during cooking, making it's own bottom "crust", crunching topping and custardy middle.

Simple recipe with basic ingredients. Got me through college.
posted by RavinDave at 12:59 PM on September 3, 2008 [2 favorites has favorites]

If it's really coconut milk (not sweetened), this is delicious - Shrimp and Mango Curry.
posted by mgogol at 1:06 PM on September 3, 2008

for the coconut shavings, haystacks

for the coconut cream, make rice replacing half of the water with the cream.
posted by cheemee at 1:19 PM on September 3, 2008

A basic coconut + peanut butter base:

fry onions,garlic and ginger with chilli or red curry paste, add peanut butter, lemon/lime juice and coconut (cream) , then add cilantro before you serve. For a soup add water to thin or add veg and optionally fish or meat for a sauce to serve with rice or noodles. Other variants add asian fish sauce or leave out the peanut butter and/or chilli/curry (you only need 1 of the three but you can combine them).
posted by tallus at 1:42 PM on September 3, 2008

I made these very simple cookies to use up some leftover coconut last weekend, and they were roundly received as both fantastic and the sort of baked good so impressive people assumed they were purchased somewhere. I think the addition of cornstarch is the thing that really takes these macaroons to the next level, and they hardly take any time or effort at all.

If the addition of one more ingredient won't tip this recipe into "too complicated" territory, I highly recommend dipping the bottoms of the baked cookies in melted dark chocolate and letting them cool on waxed paper. (The chocolate is the element that really convinces people you couldn't possibly have made them yourself.)
posted by adiabat at 2:27 PM on September 3, 2008

Vietnamese desserts are largely overlooked but i absolutely *love* them. Here are a few that make use of coconut cream.

Che Dua or coconut custard.

Che Choui or coconut cream with bananas.

Che Bap Corn and tapioca pearls in coconut milk (cream in your case).

and my favorite: Che Dau Sweet rice pudding and black-eyed peas with coconut milk (you could use cream). Though admittedly this last one is more garnished with (lots) of coconut cream while the others make use of it as a vital ingredient. They are mostly very simple recipes. Don't be afraid of the non-traditional dessert items! It will all make sense in your mouth.
posted by modernsquid at 2:38 PM on September 3, 2008

Rice Pudding. Replace the evaporated milk with coconut cream. Adding lime zest is also extra tasty.
posted by Jakey at 4:12 PM on September 3, 2008

Coconut Rice! It's delicious and I don't even like coconut. Here's a recipe that looks promising.

A classmate in college had a recipe for something similar to the above (but with sugar and rum) that was amazing. Not quite rice pudding, but not savory. I wish I could find a recipe for it, but she kept it a very close secret. It looked like it had a ton of shaved coconut in it.
posted by fiercekitten at 5:00 PM on September 3, 2008

Green Thai Curry needs coconut cream as long as it is not sweetened. Just add green curry paste to the coconut milk and serve with eggplants, Thai basil, potatoes and your choice of meat. Delicious! Tons of recipes online.
posted by shamble at 6:18 PM on September 3, 2008

Thank you all for your excellent ideas! Everyone had something extra or totally original to bring to the table so everyone has the "best answer".

Of course, more recipes with different ideas are also greatly appreciated!

Thank you all once again!
posted by ruelle at 11:32 PM on September 3, 2008

Tastespotting.com has about 10 pages of suggestions
posted by jmnugent at 6:05 AM on September 4, 2008

Thai green curry.
posted by lalochezia at 1:12 PM on September 4, 2008

Chopped/frozen/canned/jar fruit in bowl, add coconut.
Toss on cereal.
Mix into plain or vanilla yogurt.
Top ice cream.
Smoothie?
Stir into an old rice you have around.
Some people put a few slivers of coconut into their coffee so it brews smooth.
posted by Lesser Shrew at 11:13 PM on September 4, 2008