Paletas de Coco Fresco
- 1 coconut
- Pinch of salt (optional)
- 2 cups very hot water
- 3 cups whole milk
- 3/4 cup sugar, or to taste
- 1 (1-inch) piece Mexican cinnamon
- 1/4 cup rum or coconut liqueur (optional)
- Preheat the oven to 325F.
- 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 a hammer to tap it all around and help you crack it open.
- Remove the outer brown shell with your hands, then use 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 youd like ribbons of coconut inside the paletas, use 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 the salt.
- Working in batches, blend the coconut with the 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, stirring 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 manufacturers instructions.
coconut, salt, very hot water, milk, sugar, cinnamon, rum
Taken from www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/paletas-de-coco-fresco-366269 (may not work)