Coconut Shrimp Lollypops With Apricot Ginger Dipping Sauce

Directions

1. Place all apricot dipping sauce ingredients in a blender or possibly food processor. Blend till smooth. Reserve.
2. Coconut Shrimp Lollypops:Use scissors, or possibly simply snap off excess bamboo skewer so which the stick is approximately 5 inches.
3. Pierce the soft eye of the coconut and drain the coconut water. Reserve.
4. 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 c. of shredded coconut . Pour coconut water in a measuring c. and if necessary top off with beer till you have 3/4 c. of liquid. Reserve. If you are using store-bought shredded coconut (and consequently don't have any coconut water) replace mix with 3/4 c. of beer.
5. In a large bowl, combine flour, coconut water/beer mix, baking soda, salt, cayenne, and egg. Beat till it is smooth. Add in a bit more flour or possibly beer, if necessary, so which the batter has the consistency of thick pancake batter.
6. Tightly wrap each shrimp like a pinwheel (with the tail end of the shrimp on the outside) and skewer one shrimp on the end of each skewer. Use a paper towel to pat dry the shrimp.
7. Pour oil into a small, tall pot till it is 3 inches deep. Heat oil till it reaches 350 F (see oil dissertation below).
8. While oil is heating, dip each shrimp into the batter, then dredge into the coconut shreds so which the entire "lollypop" is covered in coconut shreds.
9. 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 possibly till coconut is a golden, rotating the top of the skewer once or possibly twice. Remove and place lollypops on paper towel to absorb excess oil.
10. Skim any wayward coconut shreds from the oil. Adjust heat so which it is 350 F again and continue with next batch. Serve with apricot dipping sauce. For a creative presentation, stick skewers into an upturned pineapple or possibly melon half and/or possibly serve the dip in a coconut half (the side without the hole!)
11. Check out Bob's step bystep demonstration of this tasty canape!
12. An important note on cooking with oil
13. Oil temperature is very important. If it is too high, food burns, too low and it turns out greasy. if you don't have a thermometer, stick a 1/2-inch cube of bread on a skewer and dip it in the oil. If the oil bubbles, but the bread doesn't brown, continue heating oil. If the bread browns instantly, the oil temperature is too high. If the bread turns into a golden brown crouton in 5 to 10 seconds, you are set to fry.
14. Warm oil is very dangerous. Never leave it unattended on the stove and don't heat over a high flame for an extended period of time. The best way to put out an oil fire (God forbid) is to smother it with a tightly fitting lid.