Dominican Cornmeal and Coconut Cake

Sunday, September 7, 2014

A

repa is a Dominican cornmeal and coconut cake that rich and comforting that is sometimes made sweet, so it that can be served for breakfast, as a snack or even dessert with coffee or hot chocolate

 

 

Ingredients:

4 cups arepa corn flour

4 cups water

3 1/2 cups of milk (whole, reduced fat or skim)

2 12-oz cans evaporated milk

3 or 4 cinnamon sticks

1/2 cup raisins

1 1/2 cups light brown sugar

2 ½ ups  coconut Milk

1 tbsp anise seeds

1 tbsp vanilla extract

1/2 tsp salt

4 tbsp butter or margarine

Directions:

Add the arepa flour to a large bowl with the water. Stir to eliminate clumps. The flour will swell up, absorbing most of the water (this is what you want). Set aside.

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Meanwhile, heat the milk over a medium flame. Add the evaporated milk, cinnamon sticks, raisins and sugar. Stir until the sugar dissolves, then add the coconut cream (don't substitute coconut milk, they are not the same thing), the vanilla extract, salt and anise seeds.

Stirring continuously, let the mixture come just to a boil.

Add the damp arepa flour. Mix well, breaking up the clumps, and let cook on the stove. Stir it every minute or two to stop it sticking.

Use half of the softened butter to grease a large baking pan.

When your arepa becomes a thick porridge like mixture, you can put it in the baking dish. Then take the remaining 2 tbsp of butter (may substitute with margarine) and cut it into thin slices (it’s easier to this with a stick of butter), then spread over the arepa,

Bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.

 

 

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Flying Fish and Mahi Mahi Kebab with Coconut Polenta and Dill Cucumbers

Thursday, July 31, 2014

Fish Recipe
Ingredients

·        4 flying fish fillets

·        8 oz. mahi mahi fillet

·        1 tbsp chopped dill

·        2 packets Maggi Season Up! For Fish

·        Fish bones

·        Pepper to taste

·        Sweet spices (see step 1 in Method)

·        Small onion

·        Garlic

·        ½ cup flour mixed with ½ cup bread crumbs

·        Oil for shallow frying

Method

·        Put a few fish bones in a pot to boil with 3 cups of water, 1 pack of the Season Up! and add some sweet spices such as cloves, star anise and a bit of onion and garlic to make a stock and leave it on while you are cooking.

·        Cut the flying fish in halves horizontally and cut the mahi mahi into chunks of approximately the same weight.

·        Season with the other pack of Season Up! and add pepper and dill to taste.

·        Preheat a pan with the base covered in oil for shallow frying.

·        Arrange the mahi mahi and flying fish on skewers and coat in the flour and bread crumb mixture.

·        Fry on one side until golden, then turn the skewers. Drop the heat and cook until the next side is golden (this is to ensure that the fish is fully cooked through).

·        Drain on a plate and place in a warm area.

 

COCONUT POLENTA RECIPE

Ingredients:

·        200g cornmeal

·        1 packet Maggi Coconut Milk Powder

·        Fish stock

·        Elle Vere Butter

·        Elle vere cooking cream

·        Sugar

Method

Place 1 cup of stock in a saucepan which is on a low heat and whisk in the cornmeal. Continue to whisk and gradually add more stock and a little butter. Taste for salt. Add most of the coconut milk powder reserving about 2 tablespoons to make a sauce. Continue to cook and add stock for about 5 – 7 minutes, whisking regularly, until the polenta is cooked and creamy. Taste again for seasoning and add a few tablespoons of sugar to taste (this is to enhance the coconut flavor, and at this time a touch of cinnamon or clove could also be added), also add a little butter and cooking cream to taste.

Sauce

In a small bowl, mix about ½ a cup of the remaining stock with the 2 tablespoons of coconut milk powder. This sauce is to be poured over the polenta during plating to keep it creamy.

Dill Cucumber Pickle

·        1 medium sized cucumber, chopped

·        ½ a lemon juice

·        1 tbsp chopped dill

·        1 medium sized onion, finely chopped

·        Crushed red pepper to taste

·        Salt to taste

Mix all ingredients in a bowl and adjust the seasoning.

By:Chef Rebel Glams

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Guilt-Free Caribbean Chocolate Truffles

Monday, July 21, 2014

I

f channelling your inner Jamie Oliver appeals and you’d like to surprise your guests with a meal that is as delicious as it is true to Caribbean tradition, why not start with some of the dazzling recipes on Caribbean Magazine?  Start the experience out with a peppery fish chowder or hearty crab soup, whet your guests’ appetite further with a spicy chicken jerky and end the meal on a sweet note, surprising your guests with rich chocolate truffles, made with authentic Caribbean cocoa.

Choco-Tourism in the Caribbean

According to The New York Times, the Caribbean is currently a hot-spot for those seeking to hop from island to island to enjoy the very best of the Caribbean cocoa industry: “From Tobago to Dominica, Grenada to St. Vincent, the Caribbean cocoa industry, which has roots in colonial times, is being revitalized. This is excellent news economically: With free trade having all but destroyed the islands’ banana and sugar industries, fair-trade farming initiatives are a welcome boon.” The world price of cocoa has been soaring in the past few years, owing in no small part to the growing size of the middle class in emerging markets. Seekingalpha.com notes that “The emerging middle class has made chocolate into an affordable, everyday treat. Meanwhile, new products, improved transportation and better infrastructure have eased the distribution of confections.” Within the booming chocolate market, Caribbean cocoa is very much the gold standard, and there is no doubt that this dark, delicious ingredient is attracting fervent foodies from far and wide.

Dark Cocoa: Chock-full of Healthy Goodness

Dark (preferably raw) Caribbean chocolate is one of the healthiest foods you could possibly treat yourself with. This product is highly nutritious, boasting three times the amount of antioxidants contained in green tea. Builtlean.com notes that raw chocolate “contains many important vitamins and minerals including Magnesium and other essential minerals, including calcium, sulphur, zinc, iron, copper, potassium and manganese; polyphenols called flavonoids with antioxidant properties, Vitamins B1, B2, B3, B5, B9, E; protein; and fibre.” The ‘food of the Gods’ is an ideal choice for everyone, particularly those who need a nutritional boost. Raw chocolate and other nutritional foods make up an important part of the diet of those undergoing rehabilitation for substance abuse, for instance. Addiction takes a major toll on the body, preventing users from absorbing important nutrients, and damaging both their immune systems and vital organs. This is largely because of the large amounts of toxins even common ‘soft drugs’ contain. Not only do drugs affect one’s physical state, they also affect our mental wellbeing. Rehabs.com states that “Marijuana use is strongly associated with stunted emotional development” To boost the health of our body and mind, it is vital to consume a diet which is very high in antioxidants. Raw chocolate can play a vital role in fighting free radicals and detoxifying the body. If you’d like to include a little of its magic in your daily life, try the following recipe for raw chocolate truffles…

Raw Chocolate Truffles

Ingredients:

1 cup Medjool dates

¼ cup hemp seeds

3/4 cup walnuts

¼ teaspoon sea salt

5 tablespoons raw Caribbean cacao/cocoa powder

¼ cup cocoa powder or icing sugar to roll the truffles in

Instructions:

Process the walnuts in a food processor. Cut the dates into quarters and place in a bowl. Add the processed walnuts and hemp seeds and mash until a uniform mixture is formed. Roll into balls and roll again in the extra cocoa powder, or roll lightly in icing sugar.

Note: The truffles are a five-minute recipe, but if you wish to add a little sophistication to the recipe and up its health benefits, you may wish to roll the truffles in superfoods like Goji berries, desiccated or shredded coconut or finely chopped nuts. Those into essential oils love adding a tiny drop of edible essential oils like bergamot, mandarin or orange, to add a touch of chocolate orange magic to the recipe. If you are new to essential oils and wish to harness their benefits, make sure to use only therapeutic grade essential oils and use them sparingly. Just one drop of lemon essential oil in a full glass of water, for instance, has a very strong taste, so err on the cautious side when adding these oils to truffles for the first time, testing a half a drop of essential oil on a small batch of truffles before adding them to the entire mixture. 

By Laura Chapman

     

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Black Forest Cake Recipe

Thursday, May 22, 2014

T

his is one of my favourite cakes of all time, the Black Forest Cake which was originated in Germany. It’s a rich, luscious, chocolate cake that is covered with whipped cream and brandy.

Try it and enjoy!

 

Ingredients

4 ounce(s) self-rising flour

1 teaspoon(s) baking powder

5 ounce(s) Butter or ½ cup vegetable oil

2 cups white sugar

3 large eggs

1 teaspoon(s) vanilla essence

1 ounce(s) unsweetened Cocoa Powder

 

TO MAKE FILLING:

3 cups heavy whipping cream

8 ounce(s) dark chocolate, grated

1 can(s) dark pitted cherries (18 ozs.)

1 cup(s) cherry brandy liqueur

3 ounce(s) icing/confectioner sugar, sifted

 

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour two 9 inches, round, cake pans; cover bottoms with waxed paper

In a large bowl cream all ingredients together until fluffy. Pour batter into prepared pans.

Bake for 35 minutes, or until wooden toothpick inserted in centers comes out clean. Cool layers in pans on wire racks 10 minutes. Loosen edges, and remove to racks to cool completely.

Cut off a thin layer from top to make cake even, then cut cake horizontally into two equal layers; cover and set aside.  Crumble the thin layer which was cut from top between both palms (by doing a rubbing motion.  Set aside.

Combine whipping cream and confectioner's sugar in a chilled medium bowl.  Melt chocolate in a bowl over simmering water, stirring until completely melted.

Divide whipped cream into two equal portions and fold in melted chocolate into one portion, and then gently fold in the icing sugar into the other portion.

In a clean 9" cake mould, place one layer of cake and dampen with half of the cherry brandy.  Place cherries on top of cake layer then spoon on chocolate cream mixture.  Level with a spatula and put the other layer of cake on top, pressing slightly.  Soak with remaining syrup and refrigerate until set.

Decorate with remaining whipped cream reserving some to make twelve rosettes by using pastry bag fitted with star decorator tip on top of the cake.

Place a cherry on each rosette.  Use cake crumb to flash on sides and also sprinkle on the center of the cake.

To Serve: Cut cakes into twelve slices and serve

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Bermudian Fish Chowder Recipe

Thursday, March 20, 2014

B

ermuda is known for its “Fish Chowder’, and is considered the National dish. Its basic ingredients are fish, tomatoes and onions, seasoned with black rum and "Sherry Pepper Sauce".

Ingredients

·        3 pounds fish heads

·        8 medium celery stalks, chopped

·        4 medium carrots, chopped

·        3 Large onions, chopped

·        1/2 lemon, sliced

·        1 teaspoon salt

·        1/2 teaspoon whole black peppercorns

·        1 1/2 bay leaves

·        5 1/2 cups cold water

·        1 pound red snapper or other firm-fleshed white fish fillets

·        2 tablespoons butter

·        9 ounces tomatoes, peeled, seeded and chopped

·        1 1/4 cup dry white wine

·        2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice

·        1 1/2 teaspoons tomato paste

·        1/2 teaspoon paprika

·        1/2 teaspoon ground thyme

·        1/4 teaspoon freshly ground white pepper

·        1/4 teaspoon hot pepper sauce

·        1 bay leaf

·        Pinch of cinnamon

·        Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg

·        2 tablespoons dry Sherry

·        1 tablespoon dark rum

 

Direction

1.   In a large pot put water fish fillets, salt, and spices. Bring to a boil and let simmer for 30-45 minutes.

2.   In a frying pan melt butter and oil and sauté onions, celery, garlic, and green peppers. Add tomatoes and consommé and simmer for 30 minutes.

3.   Transfer this mixture to the fish stock and add remaining ingredients. Simmer partially covered for 2 hours. Adjust seasoning to your liking.

4.   Serve piping hot and pass around Outerbridge’s Original Sherry Peppers Sauce and, if you please, Gosling’s Black Seal Rum for dashing.

 

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