Coconut Milk Bread Pudding

An excess of coconut milk and a desire for cinnamon rolls collided recently in the form of this bread pudding, made from a modified "New Orleans Style Bread Pudding" JOY recipe (1 cup of sugar instead of 2, coconut milk instead of regular milk, and no bourbon sauce!)

The coconut milk I'm referring to is not the kind that comes in a can--this is a new product from So Delicious that has appeared at the grocery store recently, and that is being marketed as yet another milk substitute (along with soy, almond, hemp, etc.).

My question: can it be used in baking, and if so, will it leave evidence of its pleasingly faint coconutty flavor?

The bread pudding turned out fine, but lacked the coconut flavor. However, warming it with a little coconut milk poured over the top did the trick.

Coconut Water Taste Test

So, it's that time of year when pretty much all I want to eat is cold/frozen things. High on the list of rehydrating yet natural and tasty beverages is coconut water, which only recently started being sold in natural food stores but has been around for a while in the "ethnic groceries," from what I can tell.

Fun fact: Coconut water can be used as an intravenous liquid.

But I prefer to drink it.

Faced with an overwhelming number of options for different brands of coconut water, I decided to have friends help me with a taste test, to scientifically determine which brand deserved our continued patronage.

Of course it's worth mentioning that the best coconut water is straight from the coconut, but they're still working on a pop-top coconut.

A few observations from our taste test session:

* All the waters came from either Brazil or Thailand. The way to tell the difference is by the can: metal cans are from Thailand, laminated paper ones are from Brazil.

* Some waters have chunks of coconut, others do not. Chunks add variety and interest to the taste experience.

* There is a major difference in the sweetness levels of the "natural" brands (#2, 4, 6, 7, 8) versus the others, which have sugar added. The ones with sugar added are more like a dessert beverage, whereas those that are just straight-up coconut water could be considered a sports drink.

* Overall, the water is probably best over ice, not just chilled. Straight from the can it can have a "fermented" smell (that's a quote). Sometimes the smell can be quite funky ("locker room") but we speculated that quality may depend on the batch.

* Winners of the taste test were #1 (Goya-Sugar Added) and #8 (Amy & Brian-Natural)