June 2008
Coconut Bonanza
by Celia Cheng
THE NORTH FORK INN
57225 Main Road
Southhold, Long Island
631-765-0177
Coconut Tapioca
w/ Passion Fruit Sorbet and Crispy Coconut Wafers
($11)
Pastry chef Claudia Fleming’s signature dish, coconut tapioca with passion fruit caramel, coconut and passion fruit sorbets, coconut wafers and basil syrup, rose to fame while she was at Gramercy Tavern. It’s so popular that even though she now runs her own restaurant/bed and breakfast, The North Fork Inn, with husband Gerry Hayden, Gramercy Tavern continues to serve a rendition of this classic. Coconut tapioca is commonly found in Southeast Asian desserts, but Chef Fleming’s version combines the wonderful tangy flavor of passion fruit with the rounded sweetness of coconut. The tapioca floating in coconut milk has a soft chewy quality countered by the crispness of the wafers, and the sorbets glide ever so gently on your palate before melting away. This dessert alone is reason enough to travel to North Fork, but while you’re there, check out the Long Island wineries.
SCARPETTA
355 W 14th St
(8th & 9th Ave)
212-691-0555
Coconut Panna Cotta
w/ guava soup & coconut sorbet
($11)
Scott Conant’s new and much anticipated restaurant, Scarpetta, serves a coconut panna cotta that is a star even amongst so many other delicious creations. Served in a guava purée with a scoop of coconut sorbet, pastry chef Gerry Minos captures the tropical spirit. Ah, coconut and guava! It takes me back to the beaches of Hawaii. I initially thought that the panna cotta and sorbet would be redundant, but the differing textures and the light flavors of both are complementary, plus the guava soup helps to balance it all out.
NYONYA
194 Grand St
(Mulberry & Mott St)
212-334-3669
Coconut Pudding
($7)
This is undoubtedly the most refreshing dessert I’ve ever tasted. Nyonya shaves off the green skin of the young coconut to create a container for the pudding. It’s as fresh and light as pure coconut water, only in pudding form. Such a cooling dessert, when I had it in 94-degree weather, it actually brought my body temperature down. It’s enough to share with four people, or take the leftovers home and enjoy the coconut pudding on a hot summer day!
CENDRILLON
45 Mercer St
(Broome & Grand St)
212-343-9012
Buko Pie
w/ vanilla ice cream
($8)
Buko is the juicy meat of young coconut, popularly used in Filipino cuisine. Cendrillon’s buko pie (photo above) is to die for. Made in individual portions, these small pies are heated and then served à la mode with a scoop of homemade ice cream and fruit compote. It hits the spot like an exotic alternative to apple pie. The young coconut flesh inside is meaty, and there’s a layer of ube (purple yam) underneath. This combination is Cendrillon’s own recipe, but it will make you wonder how buko pie could have ever existed without the delicious ube.
Click here to check out how they make fresh-squeezed coconut milk at Cendrillon.
CAFÉ ASEAN
117 W 10th St
(Greenwich & 6th Ave)
212-633-0348
Coconut Flan
w/ fresh mango
($5.50)
Café Asean is like my home kitchen since I visit weekly for comfort and homestyle Southeast Asian cooking. The menu is simple, but the food is consistently satisfying. The coconut flan is smooth, rich coconut custard served with fresh cut mangos, and fortunately it’s on the menu year round. While the flan is sweet enough on its own, it’s always nice to have fresh fruit to accompany, especially when it’s mango!
GRAND MANNA BAKERY
212 Grand St
(Mott & Elizabeth)
212-274-8816
Cocktail (Coconut) Bun
($0.80)
The cocktail bun originated in Hong Kong and is ubiquitous in Chinatown bakeries. A long butter roll (smooth, soft and fluffy) is stuffed with a mix of mashed buns, sugar and coconut shreds. This baked good was originally created to recycle leftover buns (similar to the origin of croutons), and the addition of coconut was to make it more flavorful. Well, it’s a hit! For just 80¢, you can satisfy your hunger and sweet tooth. How can you beat that?
LASSI
28 Greenwich Ave
(Charles & 10th St)
212-675-2688
Coconut Lassi
($3.95)
As I recall, I introduced Chef Heather Carlucci-Rodriguez’s creations at Lassi!) as “tummy-tickling treats,” and chose the lassi as a craving. Their coconut lassi is made with coconut milk, sugar and low fat yogurt. Simple, but oh-so tasty! Both the yogurt and the coconut act as cooling agents, while the sweetness supplies a burst of energy. Be careful though: it’s hard to go into the restaurant for just a lassi, as the alluring aroma of Indian food will get you every time.
BATCH
150B W 10th St
(Greenwich Ave & Waverly Pl)
212-929-0250
Strawberry Coconut Cupcake
($2.95)
Chef Pichet Ong blends lots of Asian influenced ingredients in his creative desserts, such as the Ovaltine banana pudding. And to make sure that his cupcakes are not dull and mono-flavored, he’s featuring a strawberry coconut cupcake at Batch now through the summer. Talk about complexity, it’s strawberry buttercream atop coconut cupcake; there’s rhubarb compote hiding inside the center of the cupcake and the dessert is garnished with crystallized violets. Made with butter and coconut flakes, the cupcake itself is much denser than most others around town. And just when I thought the strawberry frosting had taken center stage, the coconut shreds surfaced on my palate and I savored the lingering taste.
SRIPRAPHAI
64-13 39th Ave
Woodside, Queens
718-899-9599
Coconut Rice
($1.50)
Coconut rice is a pretty simple concept; the Thai cook their wonderful Jamsine rice in coconut milk to get a more fragrant, rich flavor. The coconut rice at Sripraphai is unrivaled in its fluffiness and vibrant aroma. It goes well with their curries (especially the green duck curry!) and other spicy treats. The rice is savory, not sweet, so it’s a good substitute for regular jasmine rice when you’re in the mood for a stickier rice with more flavor.
