Coconut Shrimp Lollypops with Apricot-Ginger Dipping Sauce - apricot jam

Method

• 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!)
• *An important note on cooking with oil:
• Oil temperature is very important.
• If it is too high, food burns, too low and it turns out greasy.
• if you do not 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 crouton in 5 to 10 seconds, you are set to fry.
• Hot oil is very dangerous.
• Never leave it unattended on the stove and do not 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.