RUM PUNCH & Coconut Crisps

I had these at a friend’s wedding in Antigua and have always wondered how they were made.  Today I found the recipe in a hokey little Caribbean Cookbook stacked with a pile of 1984 gourmet magazines.  

First pour a strong rum punch.  Next find a ripe coconut.  It should be dark in color with liquid inside and no mold on or around the ‘eyes’.  Now pierce the eyes, drain the liquid and bake the coconut for 15 min at 400 degrees.  

Break it with a hammer (the fun starts here) and remove the flesh.  Peel off the brown membrane then shave the coconut into strips with a potato peeler.  

Now salt and bake in a single layer for 20 min at 350 degrees.  

Perfect with a Planters Punch.  Easy to make if you remember this rhyme.  One of Sour (lime juice) two of sweet (sugar syrup)  three of strong (rum) four of weak (water and ice)