Easy recipe ideas for fresh coconut?

grate and toast it and put over vanilla ice cream dress with warm maple syrup. very fantastic for so simple!

Where does one find coconuts in the ny area during this time of year?

I love the coconut candy that I have found sold on roadsides in Hawaii. Simple candied coconut slices.

Coconut chutney:
6 oz. grated fresh coconut
2-3 serrano chiles, minced
1/2 c. cashews (raw or roasted, your choice)
1" piece fresh ginger, peeled and minced
salt to taste
vegetable broth

Puree coconut, chiles, cashews and ginger in a food processor until cashews are no longer chunky. Add salt to taste and decide if you'd like a few splashes of broth to loosen the consistency.

Sliced fresh and tossed with cherry tomatoes, sliced cucumber, basil, lime and a little olive oil and chili. Jamie Oliver recipe from years ago. A lovely fresh accompaniment to grilled fish or curry.

I love making a fresh coconut slaw with grated fresh coconut, lime juice, a jalapeño or two, scallions, and cilantro. You could go Thai with it and add fish sauce and a little palm sugar, too.

Coconut fried shrimp...make your basic batter for shrimp and as a final step roll it in coconut.

If I have fresh coconut in the house I peel and grate and freeze it. I'll use various kinds of graters to give me a small spectrum of grate sizes, because I like multiple textures when I use coconut. I freeze it because it goes rancid very very quickly. Alternatively, if you have a juice extractor, fresh coconut milk is exquisite -- but, again, I freeze it right away, or keep it on ice. The "easiest" recipe would be putting it in pancakes/waffles/muffins, or toasting it in a 200-300F oven and using coconut to garnish cupcakes/muffins/granola. I use a fair amount of coconut everything (flour/oil/shredded) in my gluten-free baking because it adds richness and depth, without extra dairy.