You Put the Lime in the Coconut

The husband, like me, got booted from selling plasma temporarily thanks to a low protein level. To improve his chances of passing his second SPE test, I gave him leave to take over my kitchen and befoul it with beef, in all its red meat, protein-packed glory.

--The Faudie

Angela found a recipe for crunchy coconut and lime burgers on AllRecipes.com a few months ago, and we finally got around to trying it out. Why now, you ask? Maybe a tropical-themed recipe was what we needed on an overcast and rainy day. Or maybe I'll jump at any excuse to find video of Kermit the Frog singing that "Coconut" song on YouTube. Which led, of course, to either the me or the boy endlessly singing "You put the lime in the coconut...you put the lime in the coconut...you put the lime in the coconut....," for the rest of the day. We're sure the song has other lyrics, but they aren't as much fun to sing.

Where was I? Oh, yeah, the recipe:

Crunchy Coconut and Lime Burgers

1 lb. ground beef
1/2 C unsweetened shredded dried coconut
1/4 C chopped fresh cilantro
1 egg
2 T lime juice
2 T Worcestershire sauce
1 T cream of coconut
1 t soy sauce
1 1/2 t salt

1 C mayonnaise
2 t cream of coconut
1 T chopped fresh cilantro

1 T vegetable oil
1 C unsweetened shredded dried coconut
1/2 t salt
4 hamburger buns, split

1. Combine the beef, 1/2 cup coconut, cilantro, egg, lime juice, Worcestershire sauce, 1 tablespoon cream of coconut, soy sauce and 1 1/2 teaspoons salt in a bowl until well mixed. Form into four patties and set aside.

2. Stir together the mayonnaise with 2 teaspoons of cream of coconut and 1 tablespoon of cilantro and set aside.
   
3. Heat the vegetable oil in a skillet over medium heat.
   
4. Stir in 1 cup of coconut and 1/2 teaspoon salt, then cook and stir until the coconut has turned golden brown.
   
5. Drain the toasted coconut on a paper towel-lined plate and set aside.
6. Preheat an outdoor grill for medium-high heat, and lightly oil grate.
7. Cook the burgers on the preheated grill to your desired degree of doneness (about 4 min. per side for medium-well).
8. Spread both cut sides of the hamburger buns with the cilantro mayonnaise.
   
9. Place the cooked burgers on the bottom buns, sprinkle with the toasted coconut and serve.

Yield: Four burgers

Nutritional Info
Calories: 1,166
Total fat: 96.4 g
Cholesterol: 188 mg

The Husband's Futzings
There were more than a few:

• I omitted the cilantro from the patties, knowing the boy doesn't like it (though I did use cilantro in the spread, of which I only made a fourth of the recommended amount, figuring that would be more than enough for us).
  
• I also omitted the egg at Angela's suggestion, as we assumed the patties would hold together fine without a binding agent because I used ground sirloin that was 90% lean.
  
• I used only a third of the amount of salt called for, based on feedback left on the recipe at AllRecipes.com.
  
• I squeezed two limes for their juice, which was probably more than two tablespoons.
  
• I flat-out forgot to include the soy sauce.
  
• The coconut was unsweetened chips, not unsweetened flakes. And Angela toasted them in about a teaspoon of ghee.
  
• I used Miracle Whip Light instead of mayo.

The recipe came together without any major complications. Angela was correct in suggesting the egg could be left out with no ill effects; the patties held together fine with no egg.

In fact, the only issue we ran into concerned our table service. After Angela prepared the toasted coconut, the kiddo was charged with taking it to the dining table. On the way (while singing a repeating refrain of "You put the lime in the coconut," of course), he lost his grip on the bowl and half of the coconut ended up on the floor. Oh, well. We'd made more than we needed, really.

The finished burgers, I'm pleased to report, were very tasty. Unlike the blueberry beef burgers, which didn't seem to have much blueberry flavor, both the coconut and the lime were quite prominent. The cilantro mayonnaise, even when slathered on thickly, didn't overpower the flavor of the patties. So I'd say this recipe was a success, certainly.

Tiki-tastic cuisine

Will we make these burgers again any time soon? Only the Tiki gods can say for certain, but I'd imagine we're not likely to prepare this recipe often. Angela doesn't enjoy beef, and the boy dislikes coconut enough that he actually removed the coconut from his patty. So if and when we make crunchy coconut and lime burgers again, I suspect we'll be making them for me alone!