COCONUT SHRIMP LOLLYPOPS WITH APRICOT-GINGER DIPPING SAUCE

Steps:

• Place all apricot dipping sauce ingredients in a blender or food processor. Blend until smooth. Reserve.
• Pierce the soft eye of the coconut and drain the coconut water. Reserve.
• Crack coconut in 1/2 using the back of a cleaver.
• Separate the coconut meat from the shell. Use a pairing knife to remove the brown skin from the meat. Using the finest part of your grater, grate 2 cups of coconut .
• Pour coconut water in a measuring cup and if necessary top off with beer until you have 3/4 cup of liquid. Reserve. If you are using store-bought shredded coconut (and consequently do not have any coconut water) replace mixture with 3/4 cup of beer.
• In a large bowl, combine flour, coconut water/beer mixture, baking soda, salt, cayenne, and egg. Beat until it is smooth. Add a bit more flour or beer, if necessary, so that the batter has the consistency of thick pancake batter.
• Tightly wrap each shrimp like a pinwheel (with the tail end of the shrimp on the outside) and skewer 1 shrimp on the end of each skewer. Use a paper towel to pat the shrimp dry.
• Pour oil into a small, tall pot until it is 3 inches deep. Heat oil until it reaches 350 degrees F (see oil dissertation below).
• While oil is heating, dip each shrimp into the batter, then dredge into the coconut shreds so that the entire "lollypop" is covered in coconut shreds.
• When oil is ready, submerge 4 shrimp at a time into oil (with the skewers sticking out of the pot). Fry for approximately 1 minute, or until coconut is a golden brown, rotating the top of the skewer once or twice. Remove and place lollypops on paper towel to absorb excess oil.
• Skim any wayward coconut shreds from the oil. Adjust heat so that it is 350 degrees F again and continue with next batch. Serve with apricot dipping sauce. For a creative presentation, stick skewers into an upturned pineapple or melon 1/2 and/or serve the dip in a coconut 1/2 (the side without the hole!)