COOKING WITH COCO

COOKING withCoco Lopez

Coconut Shrimp with Cilantro Rice

¾ cup Coco Lopez® Coconut Water ¾ cup basmati or other long-grain rice 1/2 cup shredded carrots 2 tablespoons finely chopped red onion or scallions 1 lb. large shrimp, peeled & deveined 1 large egg 1 cup sweetened shredded coconut ¾ cup panko breadcrumbs 2 tablespoons fresh cilantro 1 tablespoon vanilla 4 tablespoon milk Zest of 1 lime, plus wedges for serving

1Preheat the oven to 425°F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil and set a wire rack on top; coat with cooking spray. Combine 1 cup water, the coconut water, rice and lime zest in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium low; cover and simmer 8 minutes. Remove from the heat; add the carrots, red onion, ¼ teaspoon salt and a few grinds of pepper (do not stir). Cover and let sit 10 minutes, then fluff with a fork to combine. Discard the lime zest.

2Meanwhile, season the shrimp with salt and pepper. Beat the egg and 2 tablespoons water in a bowl. Combine the coconut and panko in another bowl. Dip the shrimp in the egg mixture, then the coconut-panko mixture, gently pressing to adhere; transfer to the prepared rack. Bake until the shrimp are cooked through, about 10 minutes.

3Turn on the broiler. Broil the shrimp until golden brown, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the cilantro to the rice mixture and toss. Serve with the shrimp and lime wedges. –Courtesy of Food Network Kitchen

Chocolate Coconut Pound Cake

½ cup Coco Lopez® Cream of Coconut ¼ cup unsalted butter, room temperature, plus more 11/2 cups all-purpose flour 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder 1 teaspoon kosher salt ¾ teaspoon baking powder 11/2 cups sugar, plus 1 tablespoon for topping

1Preheat oven to 325°F. Butter an 8½"x4½" loaf pan; line with parchment paper, leaving a generous overhang on long sides. Whisk flour, cocoa powder, salt, and baking powder in a medium bowl; set aside.

2Using an electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat cream of coconut, ¼ cup butter, and 1½ cups sugar until pale and fluffy, 5–7 minutes. Add eggs one at a time, beating to blend between additions; beat until mixture is very light and doubled in volume, 5–8 minutes. Add vanilla.

3Reduce mixer speed to low and add dry ingredients in 3 additions, alternating with buttermilk in 2 additions, beginning and ending with dry ingredients (do not overmix; it will cause cake to buckle and split). Scrape batter into prepared pan and run a spatula through the center, creating a canal. Sprinkle with coconut and remaining 1 Tbsp. sugar.

4Bake cake, tenting with foil if coconut browns too much before cake is done (it should be very dark and toasted), until a tester inserted into the center comes out clean, 70–80 minutes. Transfer pan to a wire rack; let cake cool in pan 20 minutes before turning out.