Coconut cream - just want to make sure

So Lopez coconut cream is yet another cocktail ingredient unavailable in this part of the world. However, hubbydear found some unknown Thai import, labeled "coconut cream". I posted a question in a local wine&alcohol forum, and was told that my 27% fat per 100gr. tin should do the job.
Could someone please tell me what's the fat precentage in Lopez (the official website doesn't state the nutriotional facts) and if there is anything else I should be aware of, coconut cream-wise?

Thanks again,

Keren

there's a good article about Coconut Milk, Coconut Cream, and Cream of Coconut at cooks illustrated

making sense of packaged coconut products.

Coconut milk is not the thin liquid found inside the coconut itself — that is called coconut water. Coconut milk is a product made by steeping equal parts shredded coconut meat and either warm milk or water. The meat is pressed or mashed to release as much liquid as possible, the mixture is strained, and the result is coconut milk. The same method is used to make coconut cream, but the ratio of coconut meat to liquid is higher, about 4 to 1. (The cream that rises to the top of coconut milk after it sits a while is also referred to as coconut cream.) Finally, cream of coconut — not to be confused with coconut cream - is a sweetened product based on coconut milk that also contains thickeners and emulsifiers. Cream of coconut and coconut cream are not interchangeable in recipes, as the former is heavily sweetened and the latter is not.

To find out firsthand how coconut milk, coconut cream, and cream of coconut stack up, we made coconut milk and cream in the test kitchen and compared them with commercial products. For the first test batch, we made coconut milk with water. (One cup of fresh coconut meat was ground in a food processor with 1 cup of warm water. The mixture steeped for one hour and then was strained.) Next we made a batch with milk, using the same method. The coconut cream was made using the same method, but with a higher ratio of meat to water: 2 cups of fresh coconut meat to ½ cup of water. We then did a blind taste test, pitting our homemade products against canned cream of coconut and canned coconut milk.

Both the canned and the homemade coconut milks were very thin, with only a modest amount of coconut flavor (although the coconut milk made with cow’s milk rather than water was superior). The homemade coconut cream, though made with water, was quite good: thicker, creamier, and somewhat more flavorful than the coconut milk. The canned cream of coconut was very sweet and syrupy, really inedible right out of the can, with sugar being the predominant flavor. However, we found that it can be used in baking with good results.

nutrition facts for Coco Lopez
serving size 1 oz
cals 110
fat 5 g
carbs 17 g

I think I can help you out.

Once while traveling, my wife and two friends of ours had a taste for a flaming coconaut re-entry. Now we had a pretty good bar going there on the island, what with rum being cheap and plentiful, but all we could find locally at the time was coconut milk. No cream of coconut was on the shelves in the only grocery store.

So I improvised and tried to turn that coconut milk into a faux Lopez (hey, we had the time, and we wanted those drinks).

I slowly heated two cans of coconut milk on the stove, and reduced the amount about a third. Then I added sugar. A lot of sugar. Kinda like making bar syrup.

Now you gotta watch it to make sure it doesn't foam up too much and boil over, or burn.

I also skimmed the foam off the top and pitched it.

Once the sugar was all disolved, I let it cool and wound up with a very thick cream of coconut that frankly looked and tasted remarkably like Lopez.

It was a bit of a hassle to make, but I really enjoyed the challenge, and it was awfully good stuff. I'd try it again just because it tasted a bit fresher than Lopez... but that could have been my imagination.

Those coconauts were even better than usual.

For those without access to Lopez, but access to coconut milk, this is the way to go. Would this work with coconut cream? Yeah, I suspect it would. Just add some water maybe. Mess around until you get it right.

If you want, I might be persuaded to mail you a can of Lopez so you know what it tastes like in order to recreate it at home.

Let me know.

Ahu

Thai coconut milk can sometimes be labeled "Coconut Cream" (I have a can of Chaokoh Coconut Cream in the pantry even as I type this). It's coconut milk, though.

thank you, the three of you, for your replies. Once again, I am humbled by the detailed posts and sad for living too far from the New World, where Rum is used not only for Cuba Libra.

Dogbytes and Traitor - thank you for clarifying the terminology. This is a fuzzy subject here in Israel, as there are no regulations regarding translated terminology. Well, maybe there are, but the dodgy importers from the East conveniently ignore them. Anyway, both canned products I have contain coconut water and H2O, however, the can labeled as coconut milk has a 17% fat and the coconut cream one has some 27% fat, which means that both are "heavier" than Lopez.

(I have a feeling that the "coconut water" also includes processed coconut meat, due to the high fat precentage).

Ahu, thank you for the offer, but really, the postage price does not worth it. Despite my man's hesitations, I will make a trip to the kitchen, take out the pans for a change and experiment.
I need to experiment anyway, with the pomegranate concentrate I bought in lieu of synthetic gerandine.

Keren in Tel Aviv

karen,

doesn't Ran fill suitcases with bar supplies when he visits?.. if not, he should! (i checked, he's allowed 2 pieces of luggage up to 32 kg free.)

Transportation Security Administration be damned~there are people in Israel that need mai tais!

No reason to experiment with the Pomegranite Juice, Keren. There are plenty of tried and true recipes for Grenadine on the internet.
Try this one:
http://homecooking.about.com/od/cookingwithalcohol/r/blalcohol5.htm.
Just ignore the part about getting the juice out of the pomegranite and skip to the part about what you do with the juice after you've got it. I don't know that it's any better than any others. I just like the fact that it has Cooking With Alchohol in the address line...

Hi! I just found this for you...which, may or may not help...but I thought it was interesting...

cream of coconut Notes: Don't confuse this with coconut cream, which is used in Asian dishes. Cream of coconut is thick and very sweet, and commonly used in mixed drinks. Where to find it: liquor stores, available in liquid and powdered forms. Substitutes: sweetened condensed milk with coconut extract to taste

I found it here: http://www.foodsubs.com/Nondairy.html

I'll keep looking, that would be the absolute worst! ...good luck!

I know there are recipes for sweetened condensed milk, If you need one, I'll find it for you...

:)
Robin

I guess by the Cooks Illustrated definition, Lopez would be Cream of Coconut and not Coconut Creme. I have taste tested the coconut milk (found in the asian isle of the supermarket) and coconut creme (found at asian markets) and the coconut creme is slightly richer- so what they say about the ratio I think is correct.

I make a pina colada with coconut creme (asian markets):

2 oz. white rum (or some like to use Malibu instead)
2 oz. pineapple juice
1 oz. coconut creme
1/2 cup of fresh pineapple
1 cup crushed ice

(one variation is to also add a half a banana- it thickens it up and adds a little extra tropical fuit flavor)

If you like your pina colada not too sweet, people seem to love this recipe.

dogbytes - soon we'll find out how the Uncle from America decided to spoil us. One thing I know for sure is that Ran and Dale are getting us our first two tiki mugs - yay for that!

As for gerandine - we found at Ran's stash Monin gerandine syrup, which doesn't really contain pomegranates, but its taste is smooth and not too dominant. We used it for Planter's Punch and for Sneaky Tiki and both were successful.

For the time being, until I'm done with a seminar paper and because yes - the concentrated milk substitute sounds like a war-time recipe to me, I have givn up on coconut cocktails. Only until I have the time to investigate the subject properly/ the proper income to mail-order it (soon, hopefully) though. I did bump into decent unsweetened pineapple juice last week, without even knowing that this thing is being imported to Israel, so this widens the selection of mixable cocktails for us.

again - thank you all for the replies :)

K.

One of my favorite drinks to drink, and make, is the Blue Hawaiian. But I quickly got sick of Coco Lopez because it is just way to sweet and fatty. It just makes drinks too heavy in my opinion

What I use instead is organic coconut milk from the local health food store. Has all the coconut flavor, without the sickening sweetness. Plus, I think its only 1% fat instead of the 40% or so of the Lopez stuff.

Getting back to this topic because of those divine fruit shakes we had in a Tel Avivian Thai restaurant the other week. Those were coconut-based shakes and the pineapple one tasted almost like the Pina Colada I made with Coco Lopez, very smooth and sweet and fresh. I asked the waitress which coconut base they use and she said that they cook their own.
Kukuahu, this definitely motivates me to cook my own cream, once we run out of Lopez, as the fresh taste is uncmpetible [sp?]

K.

You can make a good cream of coconut substitute by sweetening canned coconut cream with sugar syrup.

Is coco real a safe sub for Lopez?

[ Edited by: Coco Joe 2008-12-30 17:51 ]

On 2008-12-30 17:47, Coco Joe wrote:
Is coco real a safe sub for Lopez?

[ Edited by: Coco Joe 2008-12-30 17:51 ]

helloo? i want to make one now...help me please

No, not now, not ever. Step away from that bottle.

I am not kidding.

If you want to actually like the drink you're making, do not use that.

On 2008-12-30 22:08, Haole'akamai wrote:
No, not now, not ever. Step away from that bottle.

I am not kidding.

If you want to actually like the drink you're making, do not use that.

thank you...that's what I was afraid of

If you're looking for Coco Lopez, have you tried your local BevMo? There's a drop down menu to check near you.

[ Edited by: Haole'akamai 2008-12-30 22:28 ]

On 2008-12-30 17:47, Coco Joe wrote:
Is coco real a safe sub for Lopez?

Safe Sub? No.

Can you? Yes. But only if you can't get anything else.

It has a waxy mouth-feel when chilled and tastes slightly synthetic.

It does work well in hot drinks so if you have some already you can use it in a Coffee-Grog style drink.

I don't have a problem with the Coco Real. I find it a suitable substitute and it's fairly inexpensive. It is better to use than the Trader Vic's KoKo Kreme. Coco Lopez is better, though.

Is Coco Lopez supposed to be solid when you first open the can? Yes this is a serious question.

If it has remained unopened and it sit for a long time, it can condense (I put the can in a hot water bath and keep stirring until it come back), but I don't know about going completely solid.

p.s. Mahalo for doing a search and adding to this thread instead of starting a new one, by the way...

[ Edited by: Haole'akamai 2009-02-14 13:14 ]

On 2009-02-14 13:13, Haole'akamai wrote:
If it has remained unopened and it sit for a long time, it can condense...

Haole'akamai meant "congeal", of course, which is caused mostly by cooler temperatures. Warming it with a hot water bath is the correct solution. Or even in a glass bowl in the microwave (cautiously, stir every 10 secs). If it is still solid after warming - if it won't "melt" - something's wrong with it. Take it back to the estate sale where you bought it. :)

Oh, and as for that Coco Real, mentioned earlier. I tried it, once. Don't. But if you've already bought it, don't throw it away... judging by the taste, you can use it to refill your liquid soap dispenser.

"The rum's the thing..."

[ Edited by: Limbo Lizard 2009-02-14 15:57 ]

This is a great topic/thread, but I'm confused about a few things. Allow me to number them:

1. So, is it coconut cream or cream of coconut that should be used in most Tiki drinks?

2. I don't have my books with me now, but are there different Beachbum recipes that call for one and not the other, or is it always CoCo Lopez(which, without a doubt, is cream of coconut?)?

3. Do you think we can assume that the Bum has his nomenclature correct in all his recipes inasmuch as his requested ingredients on the page are indeed what's needed?

4. Or, do some drinks benefit from one over the other (in terms of what's traditional or the norm, not according to personal taste?)

I'm lost unless I have some hard-coded rules in front of me for things like this.

On 2009-02-17 10:48, DJ HawaiianShirt wrote:
This is a great topic/thread, but I'm confused about a few things. Allow me to number them:

1. So, is it coconut cream or cream of coconut that should be used in most Tiki drinks?

It is "Cream of Coconut" (e.g., Coco Lopez), which is heavily sweetened and concentrated coconut milk/cream, usually stocked among drink mixers. "Coconut Cream" is usually unsweetened, in a can, and stocked with Thai or Indian cooking ingredients.

2. I don't have my books with me now, but are there different Beachbum recipes that call for one and not the other, or is it always CoCo Lopez(which, without a doubt, is cream of coconut?)?

I believe he would be referring to the sweetened cream of coconut, even if he happened to use the term, "coconut cream", unless he specifically says he means the unsweetened, canned cooking item, and not the drink mixer.

3. Do you think we can assume that the Bum has his nomenclature correct in all his recipes inasmuch as his requested ingredients on the page are indeed what's needed?

I'd have to make a careful reading, but in a book of cocktail recipes, readers would automatically assume both "cream of coconut" and "coconut cream" to mean the Coco Lopez-type drink-mixing product. If the author meant the canned coconut milk - again - he'd make a special point of clarifying that he does NOT mean the typical sweetened drink mixer.

4. Or, do some drinks benefit from one over the other (in terms of what's traditional or the norm, not according to personal taste?)

I don't know of any "traditional" drinks that use coconut cream, rather than cream of coconut. One would be commonly available, behind the bar. The other might be available in certain kitchens.

I'm lost unless I have some hard-coded rules in front of me for things like this.

Well, there you have them, and good thing..., because when it comes to tiki drink mixing, you must remember to NEVER break the rules!

[ Edited by: Limbo Lizard 2009-02-17 13:16 ]

Thank you so much, Limbo. Perfect answers.

Time to drink up!

How do you guys handle the Coco Lopez?

My only gripe when using it as a mixer is that it sticks to anything and everything!
(i.e. Whatever instrument you use to mix it-- be it a tbs or a shot glass-- gets coated with a layer of Coco Lopez.)

It is so hard to work with; I was hoping the Coco Real would be an acceptable substitute that I could put directly into the shaker.

If not... any help would be appreciated!

On 2009-10-29 16:24, loneranger84 wrote:
How do you guys handle the Coco Lopez?

My only gripe when using it as a mixer is that it sticks to anything and everything!
(i.e. Whatever instrument you use to mix it-- be it a tbs or a shot glass-- gets coated with a layer of Coco Lopez.)

It is so hard to work with; I was hoping the Coco Real would be an acceptable substitute that I could put directly into the shaker.

If not... any help would be appreciated!

Warm it up a bit! Water bath, microwave, under the dog...you get the idea.

Warm it up a bit! Water bath, microwave, under the dog...you get the idea.

Now I've got to go get a dog. I'm afraid I'm in over my head here!

Coco Real can be put into the shaker, but you have to shake the hell out of it and even then it may not mix evenly. It is better to use a blender.

Coco Lopez in my experience cannot be mixed in a shaker. Blender only.

BTW, if you can find it Knudsen's makes a Coconut Nectar- not Pineapple Coconut, actual coconut - that is more fluid and can be shaken. It is less concentrated than the cream and is sweetened with white grape juice. It can work in certain drinks, such as Painkillers. You have to adjust amounts up, though, because the nectar is less concentrated.

The warming up technique works wonders. That, and a small spatula...