Florida Ambrosia Salad

After feeling the wonderful warmth on my face from the SUN yesterday, this seems like a wonderful Floridian treat:
(makes 10-12 servings)

1 coconut
3 ruby red* grapefruits
3 blood oranges*
1 pineapple, peeled, cored, and cut into 1/2" chunks
1 pint kumquats, cut on a diagonal into 1/4" thick slices
1/2 cup pomegranate seeds
1/2 cup unsweetened apple juice

Preheat oven to 400. Pierce the softest eye of the coconut with a metal skewer or screwdriver, and drain liquid into a small bowl to sample - there should be about 1/2 cup. Taste - if it is sweet, the coconut is fresh; if it is oily, the coconut is rancid, and should be discarded. Bake the coconut for 15 mins., then transfer to a folded towel on a work surface. Using the back of a knife or cleaver, crack the shell open, break the shell into large pieces, and use a strong knife to carefully remove the flesh from the shell. Using a veg. peeler, remove the brown skin, then shave the coconut into thin strips - you should have about 4 cups. Use 2 cups in the salad, and freeze the rest in a sealed container for a future use. Using a serrated knife, cut the peel off the grapefruits and oranges. Cut the fruit crosswise into 1/2" thick rounds, then into bite size pieces. Transfer to a large bowl. Add the pineapple, kumquats, pomegranate seeds, coconut shavings, coconut juice, and apple juice, and toss gently to combine. Serve at room temp.

I hope you all had a wonderful New Year's Eve (I did - I got to play tambourine with a three piece band on  a bunch of songs - got the party started!!!!).

"Do not lose your sense of awe".

Love,

MM