Mom and I have been very surprised and pleased at all the curiousity and interest that y’all have shown at our market find! We are pleased to now show you the conclusion of the Saga of the Green Goddess, as Monday morning she met her fate! By the time I reached the kitchen the prep work had already began, however Mom had thoughtfully left some bits aside for me to take pictures of The interior... 

Barfi is one of those traditional Indo-Trinidadian sweets that one consumes when attending many a Hindu or Moslem celebration. I have seen it referred to (on websites) as an East Indian fudge or Indian cheesecake. Maybe these descriptions accurately capture the East Indian version, however they fall short of capturing the taste and feeling of Trinidadian barfi. Here in Trinidad, barfi has a distinctly... 

The strains are still somewhat faint, but once the tinsel of New Year’s has been brushed away the tempo of Trinidad life begins to quicken to the crescendo that is Carnival. From now until Carnival Tuesday I’ll be sharing the sights, sounds and TASTES of this annual celebration which some have called ‘The Greatest Show on Earth’. Unlike Fit4Mas or SaucyTrini I won’t be... 

A true inter-generational feast. My aunt’s sweet corn casserole, my mother’s callaloo, and my sorrel rum punch. All together on the same stage Tweet  Read More →

Carambola is a fruit that was not very popular in my life until recent years, possibly a casualty of the flood of foreign fruit imports that became popular in the Nineties. Now however, with everyone tightening their belt, local produce is once again taking center stage in local supermarkets. As this is my first entry in Weekend Herb Blogging (hosted this time around by its founder Kalyn) I thought... 

This dish came up as a whim on my part. I quite like it and think it makes an attractive side to a meat entree. It’s also great all by itself (as I sometimes have it) Because it’s vegetarian in nature I think it may also be a great addition to the menus of any of you who may be planning Tu B’Shevat seders. I’ll be featuring more vegetarian dishes in the run-up to this fun... 

Here it is, the last in my Ole Year Offerings series. And it is the ultimate in ‘last-minute’ entertaining. Neither of the dishes requires any cooking! That’s right, just combine and serve! It doesn’t get any easier than this In keeping with the ‘ ‘still secret’ Black & White Theme of January’s Blog Party I decided I would make 2 bottles of... 

Here in Trinidad the eggplant has way more names than I think any one vegetable should have. We call it eggplant, aubergine, melongene and baigan. My mother, being of Jamaican stock also calls it garden egg. Now why should this funny purple thing illicit so many references? I have no clue, but I do know that whatever name it goes by it is one of my favorite ingredients! This vegetarian eggplant... 

So far I have only shared savory dishes for New Year’s so I thought it was time to mix it up with something sweet! Especially since the theme of this month’s Sugar High Friday was Sugar Art! Goolab jamoon is a sweet finger food that is commonly served at Indian weddings, pujas and other celebrations here in Trinidad. It is made from a creamy fragrant dough that is deep fried and then... 

Pizza is the ultimate crowd pleaser and this ‘up-scale’ vegetarian version is sure to be a hit with whatever crowd you have over for the New Year. I replaced the fontina with cheddar (much cheaper and also the traditional pizza cheese here in Trinidad ), I don’t think it was any the worse for the wear. I also replaced white flour with wholewheat (in the sauce and in some of the... 

Welcome to the first in my ‘Ole Year Offerings’ Series. In Trinidad ‘Ole Year’s’ is how we refer to New Years Eve. Much as it is around the world it is a time for gathering, celebration and anticipation. Hopefully the recipes that I’ll be sharing all this week will help you to organize an ‘Ole Year’s’ that is both entertaining and stress-free.... 

Trini blogger (and apparent Carnival addict) Fit4Mas recently posted a guide to creating a Cheese Plate. I love cheese plates and have never known how to go about putting one together! Were there dos? Were there don’ts? Well.. now I know! And now you will too! Continue reading: Creating The Perfect Cheese Plate Tweet  Read More →

Mom’s macaroni pie, callaloo and ginger beer Tweet  Read More →

As I had promised earlier, here are the samosas that I made as my Sephardic contribution to my local Hanukkah potluck Tweet  Read More →

Today’s Blog Party theme was Hollywood (Lights! Camera! Action!). So, inspired by the movie “A Passage to India” I decided to make a batch of Aloo Tiki. But I didn’t know what alcoholic beverage to serve them with. I had read that beer goes well with Indian food however I’m not a huge fan of beer, and further more beer isn’t a cocktail (which is a requirement... 

I made these cookies for my mother’s birthday several weeks back. They are a first place winning recipe from the 1994 Chicago Tribune Annual Food Guide Holiday Cookie Contest. Made with really trashy rum they really packed a punch. Since there are not many ingredients I really recommend using a high quality butter, and watch the bases carefully, they can brown really quickly! Tweet  Read More →

In keeping with Retro Recipe challenge #5 (Boozy Holidays) I dived into one of my mother’s vintage Jamaican cookbooks for this post’s cocktail recipe,a rum punch simply titled “Caribbean Cooler”. I found the recipe in its original version to be a little too strong for my liking. I don’t know if this because of the cheap plastic bottle of rum that I used or if it is cos... 

This recipe for Caramelized Onion Sauce came about as a result of the Onion Day Challenge posed by Kochtopf. According to her: In Berne (Switzerland) the annual Zibelem?ɬ§rit (onion market) is held on the fourth Monday in November. This year it will take place on Monday, 27th November. More than 50 tons of onions – in artistically woven plaits – are offered on this day on more then 300... 

Coconut sugar cakes are known to every school child in Trinidad and Tobago. These confections are one of several ‘tuck shop’ (cafeteria) staples and are also commonly available from corner stores and street vendors. Made from grated coconut they are traditionally cut into squares comprised of 2 layers and/or colors (one pink, the other white). As the only binder used is crystallized sugar... 

Well Sugar High Friday #25 is up on me! I decided that I would try my hand at something that I’m calling Coconut Scented Rum Truffles (for now) I decided to make the filling with bittersweet chocolate, coconut cream and rum. The coating is semisweet chocolate. Half of the truffles were also sprinkled with light brown sugar for some disco-tastic sparkle. Overall I’m happy with the end...