Cuban cuisine is one that I am a relative newbie to. Because of language differences, and political distance, our two countries have not had much cultural exchange (although they do have a diplomatic presence here). Personal recollections from friends and family who have visited have all been very warm about the reception... 

Coconut Chutney, Divali 2011 This month’s hotlist is an extra special one for me as it’s the first time that -I- make an appearance on it! The response to my first ebook “Seven Sweet Trini Treats” has been such a strong one that I really have to thank everyone who has downloaded it to date.... 

Can you believe December is already here? It’s been an amazing year for me with many highs and lows. I can’t say I’m sad to see 2011 draw to a close as I am quite excited for 2012, but I can’t say that I haven’t learnt a lot this year or that I regret anything. I hope the same holds true... 

I adore brownies, and I definitely don’t make them often enough. Although there are now dozens of variations on the brownie theme (even blondies), for emotional satisfaction I still find that nothing surpasses the simple all-chocolatey goodness of the original. This simple recipe from Everyday With Rachael... 

I’m beyond thrilled to announce the launch of my first ebook titled “7 Sweet Trini Treats”. It contains several recipes that represent my childhood here in Trinidad as well as some from older generations that are at risk of being lost. Some of the recipes have appeared in an older form here on Trinigourmet... 

Mauby bark by Lisa Fagg, on FlickrOver the years I have, like many Trinidadians, enjoyed my share of cold frosty mauby. As I’ve previously written, it was something that my Aunt always seemed to have in her fridge when I was a child. Those days however are long gone. My aunt no longers bother to make mauby and... 

Creamy, cold noodles Ginger and lime dance throughout Quick and easy meal. Cold Sesame Noodles SERVINGS: 4 SOURCE: Food Network / Tyler Florence INGREDIENTS: 12 ounces angel hair pasta 3 tablespoons dark sesame oil 2 tablespoons peanut oil 1-inch piece fresh ginger, minced 3 cloves, garlic minced 1 teaspoon red... 

The Spice Necklace: My Adventures in Caribbean Cooking, Eating, and Island Life by Ann Vanderhoof (21) Description: While sailing around the Caribbean, Ann Vanderhoof and her husband Steve track wild oregano-eating goats in the cactus-covered hills of the Dominican Republic, gather nutmegs on an old estate in Grenada,... 

Several months ago my mother came home with these things that looked like ginger roots, but smaller and thinner. I asked what they were and she said ‘turmeric’. She had bought them for medicinal reasons (we use a lot of herbal and aromatherapy concoctions in my household) but I also knew it had culinary... 

Top 10 Soup Recipes on TriniGourmet.com 1. Trinidad Corn Soup with Cornmeal Dumplings (recipe) Corn soup is a street food favorite here in Trinidad, especially at carnival time when vendors ply large pots of it that they spoon into styrofoam cups outside of fetes and clubs. 2. Trinidad Callaloo (vegetarian... 

An Embarrassment of Mangoes: A Caribbean Interlude Ann Vanderhoof (Author) (69)59 used & new from $9.66 Description: Under the Tuscan Sun meets the wide-open sea . . . An Embarrassment of Mangoes is a delicious chronicle of leaving the type-A lifestyle behind -- and discovering the seductive secrets of life in... 

Over the last 6 months or so my mother and I have both become quite taken with British Chef Gordon Ramsay. It seems that he has a permanent Monday night residency on FOX and I for one am -not- complaining (don’t judge me! ) Realizing that if you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em, J has surprised... 

Cold Sesame Noodles – recipe coming soon! Equilibrium has been restored in Trinigourmet land this month with the return of The Naparima Girls Cookbook to the Hotlist! Topping this month’s countdown once again is Ramin Ganeshram’s Sweet Hands: Island Cooking from Trinidad and Tobago. Her recent... 

Three Guys from Miami Cook Cuban by Glenn M. Lindgren, Raul Musibay, Jorge Castillo (61)Buy new: $30.00 $20.19 45 used & new from $11.90 Description: If you are one of the more that two million people who have visited the web site at iCuban.com: The Internet Cuban, you already know who these Three Guys are. If... 

Curry, Callaloo & Calypso: The Real Taste of Trinidad & Tobago by Wendy Rahamut Publication Date: November 2011Buy new: $35.00 $22.17 Description: When asked about the spontaneity of Caribbean cooks, Wendy Rahamut says: "We do not really cook from recipes, as such. Many cooks prepare recipes handed down from generations,... 

Caribbean Seafood Extravaganza, a local publication from the Seafood Industry Development Company Limited, has become a silent treasure over the last year. This quietly printed book is full of solidly satisfying recipes for many Trinidadian species of fish that many may overlook in favour of the more popular types... 

Rosh Hashana Community Dinner 2007 This year the Jewish New Year, Rosh Hashana begins at sundown on September 28. Normally at Rosh Hashana I have a rather fixed menu, sneaking in one or two new dishes for variety. Two years ago I decided to shake things up, discarding my customary Coconut-Raisin Challah with an... 

Trinidad & Tobago celebrates its Republic Day on September 24th. This day is usually quieter and more understated in celebration than Independence Day, but equally looked forward to for it is respite from the work week Here is a menu suggestion for your table! • Grated Carrot and Raisin Salad • Trinidad... 

Inside Woodbrook’s best kept secret, Cafe Marrakesh. Review coming soon! *Gasp* I never thought it would happen, but it has. The Naparima Girls Cookbook has fallen out of the Trinigourmet Hotlist! This perennial favourite has now been pushed aside by several new debuts, many of them focused on the cuisines... 

When I originally posted the above (in May 2007) my Mother and I had started regularly making our own bread in bulk. In the years since my Mom was diagnosed with celiac disease and I myself cut back immensely on my own flour intake. As a result, my breadmaking is now much less frequent but it’s something that... 

I see plenty of recipes for accra in West Indian Cookbooks but often they bear little resemblance to Trinidad Accra. My Jamaican mother tells me that what she knows as accra is a saltfish fritter, flat, fried brown. Here in Trinidad however accra is a puffy fried dough ball, made of a highly seasoned dough into... 

This post was originally published on June 21, 2006. It has been updated three times since then. First they were good for you. Then they were bad. Then they were good again. Trying to keep up with the ‘experts’ is a dizzying game sometimes! Still, when my mother expressed concern over my consuming an... 

Several years ago, the UK based Trini food blogger Can Cook Must Cook posted on “Those Disappearing Pleasures”, the snacks of her childhood which no longer appear on Trini shop shelves. Out of the names she called I could only recognize ‘rock cake’. Bellyful? Shaddock Candy? Kaser Balls? Wha... 

This post was first published February 8, 2009. It has been updated twice since then. What do you get when you combine Fried Eggplant with the skill and experience of a world class chef? These out of this world ‘Eggplant Cutlets’. Like many of the Mario Batali dishes that I have tried, this recipe provides... 

This cake is Dorie Greenspan’s take on tiramisu, but, as the title alludes, in cake form. When I first baked this dessert, back in 2009, it was also the first time that I’d worked with mascarpone. I instantly fell in love. It’s so light and smooth and reminds me clotted cream (a rather unhealthy... 

Opening of the Churchill-Roosevelt/Uriah Butler Interchange, May 1 2009 August 31st is Trinidad’s Independence Day. This year’s menu is a trifecta of the new, the old, and a new twist on an old favourite What will yours be this year? • Sarina’s Spinach-Ginger Salad • Bertie’s Trinidad...