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1
Opening Coconuts:
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2
Open the coconuts by flinging them onto a cement or rock surface (this is how the monkeys do it!)
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3
Don't worry about losing the liquid, as it's not the coconut milk called for in cooking.
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4
Each coconut should break in 3 to 4 pieces.
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5
It is also possible to open a coconut by piercing the eyes of the coconut with a screwdriver or ice pick, draining the liquid through the holes and placing the coconut in a 400 degrees F oven for 20 minutes.
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6
Wrap the coconut in a towel and hit it with a hammer to loosen the shell and split it into pieces.
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7
Pry out the white meat and then pare off the dark skin.
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8
Grating Coconut Meat:
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9
To grate the white meat, put the meat through the grating disk of a food processor or use a hand grater.
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10
You should get about 7 cups of grated coconut from the two coconuts, which will keep in the refrigerator for 2 to 3 days.
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11
Reserve 4 cups of the grated coconut for the pie crust and filling.
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12
Coconut Liquado:
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13
To make the coconut milk, combine the remaining 3 to 4 cups of loosely packed grated coconut with the milk (use 3/4 cup of coconut for each 1 cup of milk) in a heavy saucepan.
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14
Heat slowly, bring to a simmer, then remove from the heat and cool.
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15
Strain the milk, pressing down on the coconut meat to extract all the liquid.
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16
Squeeze all the coconut through a towel to get any last drops.
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17
Discard the coconut.
