Since the book Having Our Say became a best seller, many folks have heard of the centenarian Delany sisters. Sadie, the eldest, was a wonderful cook, and although I never had the pleasure of meeting her, her niece Madelon Delany Stent-Gibel is one of my Oak Bluffs neighbors. We trade recipes and she has always promised me some of Sadie’s. I never got one of Sadie’s recipes from her, but as fortune would have it, I did end up with one.
I was walking through the Chilmark flea market, where I’ve spent more than one Saturday morning rummaging through displays in search of antique jewelry, postcards, and other items that I collect. A vendor from whom I’d bought several things in the past rushed up to me with a piece of paper in her hand. On it was a copy of Sadie Delany’s handwritten recipe for ambrosia. “I just wanted you to have it,” she said. I thanked her and took it home to fiddle with it, as there were no measurements. Like all good old cooks, Sadie Delany relied on the cook to know how to prepare the dish. I’ve added measurements and now pass it on to you. The number of oranges will depend on the size of your footed compote, so don’t be afraid to use a few more.
SERVES 4 TO 6
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Place the coconut in the oven for 15 minutes. As it heats up, it will develop fault lines. Remove the coconut from the oven, then whack at the fault lines with a hammer until the coconut splits open. Strain the liquid inside through a fine-mesh sieve placed over a bowl to remove any pieces of husk. Measure out 2 tablespoons and reserve to use for the ambrosia. (You can drink the rest.) Using a sturdy knife, pry the meat away from the husk and then peel away the brown skin. Grate enough meat to yield 2 cups tightly packed.
Peel the oranges, removing all of the white pith. Slice them crosswise into ¼-inch-thick slices, capturing the juice. Reserve 2 tablespoons of the juice for the ambrosia.
Arrange a layer of the orange slices, over- lapping them slightly, in the bottom of a footed glass compote. Top the oranges with a sprinkling of sugar and a layer of grated coconut. Continue layering until the compote is three-fourths full, ending with a layer of coconut. Mix together the reserved 2 tablespoons orange juice and 2 tablespoons coconut water in a small cup, and pour the mixture evenly over the ambrosia. Cover the dish with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.
The next day, serve the ambrosia lightly chilled.