Day 6: A 'lil Punch de Creme Dessert

Recipe: Punch de Creme Bread Pudding

To be quite honest, I pay very little attention to dessert during the holidays because there is already a variety of sweet stuff circulating - mulled wine, cake, sweet breads, mince pies (British), creme liqueurs etc. Of course there is always egg nog, and Punch de Creme is the Caribbean's version of this sweet, creamy, milky, boozy drink. This year, you can consider drinking AND eating Punch de creme by making Punch de Creme Bread Pudding.

Give the bread an overnight soaking in the custard-Punch de Creme for a decadent pudding. You may also want to consider baking the pudding in a bain-marie for that soft custard like texture of the pudding. Get the recipe for Punch de Creme and the breading pudding here.

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Sweet Balls Of Coconut

These sweet coconut balls are like sugar cake but not in the traditional sense because they are not spiced with fresh ginger and other spices, dropped by large spoonful and left to harden on its own. These are soft and chewy, just the way I prefer sugar cake. Most Caribbean sugar cakes are made with brown sugar or brown sugar and molasses. The texture of the coconut varies from one place to the other; the coconut could be chipped, shredded or finely grated. We also boast of making coconut ice, something we inherited from the Europeans.

This recipe came about as a result of me testing no-cook coconut ice recipes. Most of the recipes called for desiccated coconut but I opted to use fresh coconut. Moisture-rich, the coconut ice did not set they way I wanted it to. After the mixture did not harden overnight, the following day, I dumped everything into a pot and decided to make these balls in the style of laddoo/ladu.

Yield: 24 - 28

INGREDIENTS

• 4 cups fresh grated coconut
• 2 cups powdered sugar, plus extra for optional dusting
• 1 1/2 teaspoons almond essence/extract
• 1/2 cup whole milk
• 1 - 2 drops red food coloring

DIRECTIONS

1. Mix together all the ingredients in a heavy-bottomed pot or pan and place over low heat. Stir frequently to avoid scorching, and cook the mixture until it thickens and becomes glossy. It should come away easily from the sides of the pot/pan when it is done cooking (this could take anywhere from 15 - 20 minutes). The mixture should be pasty, not dry.
2. Let cool until you can handle it but do not let it come down to room temperature, you want to be able to roll the mixture into balls while it is still very warm and soft.
3. Lightly oil a pan or platter and set aside.
4. Dab a little oil onto the palm of your hands and take a little of the mixture at a time and roll into balls.
5. Let the balls cool completely, dust with powdered sugar and serve at room temperature.

NOTES

• Remove the brown skin of the coconut is optional.
• Desiccated, unsweetened coconut can be used for this recipe but you will need to add more powdered sugar to suit your taste and 1/2 - 3/4 cup more milk.
• When rolling the coconut balls, if you find the mixture sticking to the insides of your hands, it needs to be cooked a little more to become a bit drier. On the other hand, if you find the balls cracking, it means that the mixture is too dry - add it back to the pan/pot along with some milk and cook to the described consistency.

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Hand Work: Making Conkies

Put away the food processor. Despite it being a very useful piece of equipment, it cannot do the necessary job when it comes grating the ingredients to make Conkies, aka Paime, Sweet Dumplings, Duckanoo and Tie-a-leaf. The best equipment? A large box grater.

The box grater shreds the coconut into short, thin, tiny strands that melt into the Conkie mixture. The sweet, orange pumpkin (calabaza) and sweet potatoes, when grated become smooth and moist with their own juices. Conkies is a texture thing. When the ingredients are mixed together with spices and raisins, this dumpling turns into an all-time favourite, but especially so at Independence in Barbados.

I ain't gonna lie. It's a lot of work but when you have company helping, it's a time for bonding and good-natured teasing. But most of all, it is fun!

When all the grating and mixing is complete, bananas leaves are made pliable by passing them over an open flame and wiping them clean. I chose black and white for this image so that you can see the shine on the leaves once they are prepped.

The final stage is to wrap portions of the Conkie mixture into beautiful packages, and place them in a pot to steam until cooked and fragrant.

HAPPY 49th BARBADOS!

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Sweets for Diwali

Tomorrow Diwali/Deepavali will be celebrated in many parts around the world including the Caribbean. This year, the actual date of celebration in Guyana has not been without some bickering between 2 major Hindu organizations in the country, you can read about it here.

Disagreements aside, one of the things I love about such holidays is the array of goodies - both sweet and savoury - that abound. Sweet Rice/Rice Pudding/Kheer is one of my favourite desserts/treats. These days, one does not have to wait for a holiday, festival or special occasion to make certain foods, that, to me, makes them so every-day that they loose some the significance, and cultural association. The joys and rituals of preparing for the feasting and sharing get lost.

Living away from home (Guyana), I go through the motions of making certain things because that is what keeps me connected to the place and my family. I miss them the most at holidays and festivals.

Happy Diwali!

Check out my friend Alica's recipe to make an ole-fashioned Guyanese-style rice pudding which we prefer to call SWEET RICE!

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A Few Fruits of Summer

Don't laugh. We enjoy summer weather all year round in the Caribbean but we do feel the difference during the months generally referred to as summer. Here we call it the August holidays. At this time of the year, apart from schools and college being closed, most people are traveling, taking vacation and enjoying the festivities of Carnival, Culturama, Emancipation and Kadooment among other things.

There are a variety of summer camps. You see children out and about - playing cricket in the street, riding their bicycles like a lil gang and bathing at the sea. The snowcone vendors increase their frequency around neighborhoods and so too does the ice cream truck. Sleeping in in the mornings and staying up way past regular bedtime is the order of the day. Good times.

No recipe this week, just a few images of some of the fruits to be enjoyed around this time. Next week, I'll share some more with you.

I hope your summer/August holidays are going well.

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It's Pudding NOT Pie

Tis the season for pumpkin and other pies for the US Thanksgiving holidays. And down here in Barbados, tis the season for Conkies aka as Sweet Dumplings.

We get pumpkin all year round in the Caribbean and it makes a regular appearance on our tables and plates in many dishes such as soups, stews, steamed, stir-fried and sautéed. I like that pumpkin is one of these vegetables that struts along both the savoury and sweet aisles of food. The texture and flavour is unrivalled and when you add a lil spice to pumpkin - whether it is for sweet or savoury - you've got something very special.

This is my take on pumpkin pudding. Infused with a vanilla bean, cinnamon and nutmeg along with dark rum, this creamy, moist pudding is bound to have you licking your spoon.

So if you're looking for a dessert for the holidays - Thanksgiving, Christmas or a special occasion and don't want to fuss with a crust, try this pudding. If you are not up to all the work involved in making Conkies, try this pudding. And if you just love pumpkin and looking for a dessert to make at any time, trying this pudding. Serve it warm or at room temperature. My preferred way to enjoy it is cold, right out of the fridge!

Click here for the recipe.

Happy Thanksgiving to all those celebrating!

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Pumpkin Pudding & Some News!

Okay, the news out of the way first.

I got word today from my publisher and it reads: "It hasn't even been a year since it was first published and already the best selling Tastes Like Home - My Caribbean Cookbook is going into its second print run!"

I'm thrilled at this news and I am also humbled by it. I want to thank all of you for your love and support. You helped to make this possible. Thank you. And I look forward to your continued support.

Now on to the food!

Pumpkin season is in full swing in these parts. Perhaps where you are too? Thick, rich, deep, orange-fleshed pumpkin can be seen at many stalls in the market. This versatile vegetable works well for both savoury and sweet preparations.

Serve this pudding with a Vanilla-Ginger Caramel sauce, and you will be swooning and licking your fork or spoon. And dare I say that you might be dragging your finger across the plate to pick up any remaining sauce? Of course you will do this discreetly when no one is watching.

Pumpkin Pudding recipe.

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