The Original Ambrosia

What my grandma called ambrosia was really a matter of opinion. It was concocted entirely of canned fruits and mortared with sour cream and marshmallows. This recipe takes ambrosia back to its roots, using fresh fruit only to make a superior dish that works as a first course, buffet salad, or dessert. The liquor is totally optional but a nice touch.

• Preparing fresh coconut is a labor of love, but like so many other kitchen chores, it’s easy to master once you get the hang of it. The coconut meat should be finely shredded—if it is too thick, it is unpleasant to eat. Unless you have a food processor with a fine shredding blade (which sometimes has to be special-ordered separately from the large shredding blade that comes with most machines), shred the coconut by hand on the medium-size holes of a box grater. Or shred chunks of the coconut in a handheld rotary grater.

• If desired, place regular sweetened flaked coconut in a wire sieve and rinse under hot water to remove the sugar coating. Drain and pat dry with paper towels.

Makes 12 servings

Make Ahead: The salad can be made up to 1 day ahead.

Ingredients:
• 1 medium coconut
• 6 medium seedless oranges
• 1 ripe pineapple
• 1⁄4 cup Grand Marnier, dark rum, or fresh orange juice

Preparation:
1. Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 350°F. Pierce the eyes (the soft indentations on one end of the coconut) with a clean screwdriver and a hammer. Drain out the liquid. Place the coconut on a baking sheet. Bake for 30 minutes.

2. Using a hammer, rap the coconut around its equator to crack in half. Using a sturdy paring knife, pry the coconut in pieces from the shell. Using a vegetable peeler, remove the dark brown skin from the coconut. Shred the coconut. You should have 2 cups.

3. Using a serrated knife, cut off the top and bottom from each orange. Following the curve of each orange, cut off the thick skin, including the white pith, where it meets the orange flesh. Working over a bowl, cut between the membranes to remove the segments, letting them drop into the bowl.

4. Cut off the top of the pineapple, including the leafy crown. Cut the thick rind from the pineapple where it meets the flesh. Remove the dark eyes from the flesh. Quarter the pineapple lengthwise, and cut the hard core from each quarter. Cut each quarter lengthwise again, then into bite-size pieces.

5. In a large glass bowl, toss together the pineapple, orange rounds, coconut, and Grand Marnier. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate until well chilled, about 2 hours. (If preparing the salad ahead, cover tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate.) Serve chilled.

This recipe was published in 'Christmas 101, Celebrate the Holiday Season from Christmas to New Year’s (Rick Rodgers) - p41 To p42'.