Day 2: Dinner Rolls

Today I am presenting 2 rolls - Pull-apart Garlic-butter Butterflaps and Pumpkin-Rosemary Rolls. Both or either of these rolls would be a welcome addition to any table as dinner rolls. The pull-apart bread is the perfect way of 'breaking bread' with family, friends and loved ones.

Recipe - Pumpkin-Rosemary Rolls

Make these as is - bun size - but they can easily be doubled in quantity by making the rolls smaller.

Just like the Pumpkin-Rosemary rolls, you can double the quantity for this pull-apart bread by making each piece of dough smaller and baking in 2 pans.

The recipe for the homemade garlic butter can be found in the recipe for the dough (see below).

Recipe - Pull-apart Garlic Butter Butterflaps

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Guyana @ 50 - Thyme

If you are not Guyanese, you may be wondering what's the big deal posting about thyme. It is a big deal because Guyana thyme/Guyanese thyme or Guyana fine thyme as it is familiarly called, is integral to Guyanese cuisine. The flavour, taste, and aroma are distinct. Our soups, Garlic Pork, Black Pudding, Cook-up Rice, fried fish, green seasoning and many other foods would not be the same without this distinct thyme. Some of you in other parts of the region, like Trinidad would most likely know this herb as Portuguese Thyme.

Guyana Thyme ©Cynthia Nelson

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Cookies, Coolers & Quiche

Get the latest edition of my newsletter - TASTESMONTHLY - for 2 types of butter cookies, coolers (watermelon, mango & ginger, cucumber & mint), and quiche with tips on working with pastry and blind baking. It's free!

You don't have to subscribe, if you would like to have just this month's edition, drop me a line with the words: August's Newsletter in the subject line. However, if you would like to receive the newsletter monthly, directly in your inbox, email me with the word: Subscription in the subject line.

Find out more about the newsletter here.

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Cheesy Herby Toasts

It is clear that I am getting older. My tastes are changing. Things I cared little or nothing about when I was younger, I find myself enjoying these days. Like toast! But I don't want the flimsy, super soft bread that you can easily take 4 slices and squish together to resemble a decent slice. No, I want the crusty, hearty artisan-type bread. The kind of bread that you can cut your own thick meaty slices. So, I've been baking bread pretty often the past few weeks. I think that it's some kind of phase though; I know me, in a week's time the month-long bread craze will be over until it comes around again.

I don't have a toaster, but that's okay because my thick-sliced toasts cannot fit into the slender, skinny vents. Don't you dare say my toasts are overweight! :) :) I do have a griddle though as well as a cast iron skillet and tawah so getting crusty toasts is not a problem.

To make these cheesy-herby-toasts, here's what I did.

• Cut thick slices of homemade bread
• Melted some French butter (any good quality butter will do)
• Grated some sharp New Zealand cheddar cheese (use your favourite)
• And thinly sliced a couple of green onions - white and green parts

• I then heated the griddle.
• Brushed one side of each slice of bread with melted butter and added the bread, buttered side down on the griddle. The extra butter, I brushed on the top side of the bread.
• Let the bread toast until it becomes crusty, nicely brown (I don't like my toast very dark) fragrant and nutty from the butter.
• Flip the toasted side up, sprinkle with grated cheese and green onions and let it melt as the other side of the bread toasts.
• When the cheese is melted and green onions embedded, remove from the griddle and transfer to a wire rack while you finish making your cup of tea, coffee or Milo. Grab a couple of the cheesy-herby-toasts and find somewhere comfortable to enjoy them.

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A Vietnamese-style Fish Soup

One of my favourite shows to watch on Cooking Channel is Luke Nguyen's Vietnam. The show is about real people, making real food and revelling in the tastes and flavours of their land. I pray that one day I can visit Vietnam and eat to my heart's delight.

When I saw Luke make this soup on one of his shows, I knew that I had to try it. It's simple, the flavours are clear and it's done cooking in minutes. The broth is excellent on its own but drop some crusty bread into it, let the bread suck up the broth and then bite into the bread... careful, you may have something dripping from the side of your mouth.

If you like seafood, especially fish, be sure to give this recipe a try. I know you'll like it. Here is the original recipe made with cod and below you can find my adaptation.

Vietnamese-style Fish Soup

(Adapted from Luke's Vietnam)

INGREDIENTS

6 sprigs chinese celery (aka Guyanese celery)

5 whole green onions

4 cups fish stock or vegetable stock

2 cloves garlic, crushed

2 bird peppers, crushed

2 lbs red snapper cleaned and cut into large pieces

2 ripe tomatoes, quartered

Fish sauce to taste (substitute with salt)

Juice of 1 lime

DIRECTIONS

1. Remove the stems from the celery and bruise them with the back of a knife or rolling pin and set aside. Separate the leaves and the stems.
2. Cut off the white part of the green onions and bruise lightly. Chop green parts into 2-inch pieces and set aside.
3. Add stock to a large pot, cover and bring to a boil. When the pot comes to a boil, add celery stems, garlic and pepper. Reduce heat to medium and cook for 1 - 2 minutes.
4. Add fish to pot along with the white parts of the green onions and let cook on high heat for 4 minutes.
5. Add tomatoes, celery leaves and fish sauce or salt to taste, stir gently and continue to cook until the fish is fork tender.
6. Toss in green onions and lime juice. Stir, taste and adjust if necessary and serve immediately.

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Missing in Action

I know. I know. The weekend came and went and not a peep out of me on this blog. I'll be honest with you, I was too tired to post.

I have a bone to pick with techie people. Ever so often as the technology advances they change things and tout that it is improved and better, but you know what? It is improved and better for them because they are so savvy with the technical stuff. They fail to realize that the majority of us that actually use the products and programs they create may not be wise-cracking-technophiles like them! So what they think is easy is not really easy for the rest of us. What they think is intuitive is not necessarily so. We, unlike them do not work and function in a high-tech environment like they do all the time, day in and day out; we go to it when we need it. It really ticks me off when they mess with the damn things so much than rather than help or make life easy for the user it ends up frustrating and angering us.

End of rant.

Apart from the whole technology thing, I've been busy coordinating with my publishers and the organizers of my upcoming book signing and book launch in Guyana that is slated for this weekend.

The book signing is on Saturday, Feb 19 at Austin's Book Services from 10.30 a.m. to 1 p.m. and the book launch is on Sunday, February 20 at Herdmanston Lodge at 10 a.m. If you read this blog and you live in Guyana or have relatives and friends there, please share the information with them.

I'll try to take as many photographs as I can, to share with you. In the mean time, you can feast on some pasta and basil pesto, and for a twist to things, chop up some sweet ripe tomatoes and toss it on top. That's the kind of fast food I've been having these days.

I'll post next weekend, until then, do be good.

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A quick bread

We hear about quick-breads all the time but what exactly is a quick bread? Answer: a bread that can be made quickly. Duh! Hold on, not so fast! Yes it can be made quickly but did you know that quick-breads have three methods of mixing? Did you know that the dough/batter consistency varies resulting in different textures? Read this week's column to find out more.

Waking up hungry led to me making this Cheese & Herb Quick Bread. The recipe can be found at the bottom of the column. Enjoy at anytime!

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Of Sponge Cakes & Pound Cakes. And, would you like a Potato Cake?

In Guyana we refer to the Pound Cake as Sponge Cake. So, every time I get a request for a "Guyanese Sponge Cake", I take the opportunity to point out that what we think of as a Sponge Cake is really a Pound Cake. The two cakes are different, in many ways. Read this week's column to learn of the differences and for a recipe to try making your own Sponge Cake. It is a cake that takes some skill so don't be frustrated if it does not turn out right the first time. Ask my friend at A to Z Cookbook.

Here's the one I made for this week's column that had a height of approximately 3 and a 1/2 inches. The plate hides some of the height. The column and recipe discuss the stages with indepth notes and tips.

I served mine two ways - dusted with confectioner's sugar and with a fruit compote.

Check out these bloggers for their sponge cakes:

Farida's Classic Sponge Cake
Nic's Strawberry-Cream Cake
Mansi's Sponge Cake
Madhuram's Vegan Sponge Cake

Still on the theme of cakes, though this is a different kind of cake, Thomas Keller's Scallion Potato Cakes are a treat and if you like immature onions as much as I do, then you have to try this recipe here at Sea Salt with Food.

I havled the recipe and made 3 pancakes. Crunchy on the outside, delicate on the inside.

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Annatto aka "Poor Man's Saffron"

Bunches of beautiful ripe, red Annatto can be found on the tree just outside the classroom where I teach. I’ve tried to get my colleagues and students to try using it in their cooking but I’ve had no luck so far. Perhaps I can convince you? Read more about this spice that's popular in this week's column and why it is referred to as "poor man's saffron".

This is what the fruit looks like:

It is used in its fresh (left, top & bottom) and dry form (right, top & bottom). See the colour it yields? Please see my friend Felix's post on how to make the concentrate for home use.

The concentrate drizzled over rice while cooking and tossed at the end gives a beautiful two-colour rice.

A recipe to make the Achiote oil can be found in this week's column.

Sunny-side up eggs cooked with Achiote oil makes a for a striking presentation.

This past week I have been doing one of the things I love - baking bread and sharing it with my friends. One of my favourite bread-baking sites is the one owned and run by my friend Chuck over at The Knead for Bread. You've heard me mention his site before... his recipes are fool-proof and always turn out perfectly.

I first made his Coconut Bread which is a pull-bread (my favourite kind), no need for knives and this bread needs no butter or jam. All it requires are fingers that do double duty - pulling and transporting to the mouth!

See the topping? The crumble. I swear, you'll find yourself picking at it all the time and as in my case, you'll have adults unashamedly eyeing each other's piece of bread to see who got the bigger piece with the topping. I am not kidding you. Do give this a try.

A few days later, I made the Pesto Bread. Just like Chuck, I had some pesto in the fridge left back from a batch I had made recently. This savoury bread can be enjoyed as is but if you are looking for a sweet and salt combo that will dance on your tongue, slather some jam on it, take a bite, chew slowly, and let your tastebuds go wild with pleasure. Here is the recipe.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING to all those celebrating the holiday!

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Set, Pickled, Packed & Frozen

I am rich with the bounty of the season! My freezer, refrigerator, pantry and countertop are looking mighty attractive with all the goodies that have been entrusted to them. What about you? Click here for more in this week's column.

Onions have been pickled. Scroll down to the bottom of the column for my recipe.

Manisha's lime and lemon pickles are set and cooking in the hot Caribbean sun!

Guava and passion fruit pulp have been bagged and frozen.

Sauces have been made and bottled.

These days I am swamped with projects and work and don't get a chance to participate in blog events. However, I am sending the photograph below to Jugalbandi's CLICK. The theme is Heirloom. Actually, they are hosting two events in tandem - Monthly Mingle & CLICK, the theme for both events are the same but the rules differ. My entry is specifically for CLICK.

This is what we (in Guyana) call a lorha & sil (I'm currently working on an article about its use). I am not sure if it is called the same thing in Trinidad & Tobago. Chennette? Around the world, there are similar stones in various shapes, sizes and textures that are used for grinding. In some parts of India it is known as a sil batta. The stones are used to grind spices, herbs and various other things to a paste and very fine texture. Here it is being used to grind coconut choka.

LORHA & SIL

We are in the age of the food processor and coffee grinder (excellent for grinding spices) and so, though a few households still have these, they are discarded and rarely in use.

Ramadan Mubarak! - To all my family, friends and readers of this blog that are observing the holy month.

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Salt to Taste

When do you add salt to your dish when cooking - at the beginning, in the middle or at the end? And how much salt do you add? These are two questions I get asked often and I have given my answers in this week's column. Have a read and then for my own education and that of others, I'd love to hear how you salt your food and how you go about measuring how much salt to add.

This ham and split-pea soup was salted in layers - at the beginning when the aromatics were sauteed and then at the end, the salt was adjusted.

Last week I went to Pricesmart, our version of Costo and found some lovely large squid. You know that I couldn't resist. I brought them home, stuffed them with panko, fresh herbs and some creamy, cranberry studded cheese. Heavenly!

I am away for a few days and will catch up with your posts later in the week.

Happy Memorial Day to all my US readers

HAPPY INDEPENDENCE GUYANA!!!

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Precious Thyme

Given that long ago thyme was used for its antiseptic properties and medicinal uses, and in ancient times some bathed in its water to renew their energy while others used it for embalming, we should really feel fortunate, to be able to get three varieties of this herb while many the world over only get one variety and I’m not talking about flavours here but rather, thyme in general. Click here to read the rest of the column.

Left: regular thyme. Top right: Broad-leaf thyme. Bottom right: Guyanese thyme

Like I said in the column, one of the things I like to make is a garlic-thyme butter that is really excellent with pork. Works great with other meats as well.

Garlic-Thyme Butter

INGREDIENTS
1 head roasted garlic
3 tablespoons finely chopped thyme
3 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 tablespoon oil

METHOD
Add all the ingredients to a mortar with pestle and grind to a creamy consistency

Thyme Lemonade is very refreshing, the recipe can be found in the column.

Just this past week my dear friend, Meeta also showed dishes using thyme. Go check it out, she recommends them as a Thanksgiving starter.

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