In-Season Enjoyment - Sorrel

While in some parts of the world this fruit grows all year round, here in the Caribbean, it comes into season at the end of November and lasts until March. We call it Sorrel but it also goes by the names Hibiscus and Roselle. It is not Christmas in the Caribbean if there is no Sorrel; it is a must-have. Richly spiced with cloves and cinnamon, along with ginger, a tall glass of cold Sorrel quenches the thirst and sets the mood for the season. For an adult version of the drink, don't be shy, add some dark rum as you stir to sweeten the drink.

RECIPE - SORREL DRINK

Most people are familiar with the red Sorrel but it also comes in a rich, deep ruby-red, almost burgundy colour as well as what we would call, white sorrel. The white version looks like an unripened red Sorrel but it is not, this is a different variety or strain of the fruit. Each type gives a different finish to whatever you are using them to make. The regular red sorrel takes well to spicing, and is lighter in texture. I find the ruby Sorrel to be stronger in flavour and can take more assertive spicing, it is one of the reasons I prefer it if I am making Sorrel chutney. Due to its robust flavour, this dark rich Sorrel also pairs well with Vodka or dark rum to make liqueur. Let me hasten to add that you can make chutney and liqueur with the regular red version, so please do not be dissuaded.

The white Sorrel is lighter in flavour and is more citrusy and tart. I think it would be perfect for making white wine. I've only ever used it to make jam and drink. In both preparations I used a little more sugar than with the red and ruby versions to balance the tartness. I also found it was better to spice the white Sorrel with only cinnamon sticks; whole allspice berries worked well too. The cloves were overpowering. Actually, it makes sense given the flavour profile of the white Sorrel.

This year, I want to encourage you to do more with sorrel than simply make drink, try making a chutney which you can serve with your ham and other roasts over the holidays or throughout the year. It would be a welcome addition to any cheese board too. This chutney is the best friend to ham cutters (Bajan name for ham sandwiches). Whether you are making chicken or turkey breast sandwiches, this chutney will be sure to elevate. If you're into cranberries, you'll like Sorrel.

RECIPE - SORREL CHUTNEY

Now here is a 2-in-1 deal - the same time you set out to make the chutney, make the liqueur! The concentrated liquid is used to make liqueur and the petals/sepals are used to make the chutney!

The liqueur takes 3 full weeks (21 days) to cure so if you are planning on making some for the holidays, set it soon. The longer it matures, the better it tastes. It is the same thing with the chutney, which you will store in the refrigerator; it will last for months and the flavour will improve with time.

RECIPE - SORREL LIQUEUR

You can also check out my friend, Felix's recipe over at Simply Trini Cooking for his Sorrel Liqueur.

Sorrel jam is like having a concentrated version of Sorrel drink. Spiced the same way as the drink, this smooth, thick jam not only spreads easily but it has a pleasing hint of tartness at the end. One of the best parts of making this jam is that it provides it own natural pectin which you get from boiling the seeds! Sorrel jam is fine on it own, and it pairs well with aged cheddar, Havarti and goat cheese. One year, I mixed the jam with mango achar and used the combo to glaze the Christmas ham - the glaze was sweet, spicy, fruity and hot. YUM!

RECIPE - SORREL JAM

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(Criss) Cross Buns

Just as how the baking of Cross Buns is a yearly tradition for those that observe Lent and Easter, it has almost become a yearly tradition for me to tweak my Cross Buns recipe. I made some changes to my original recipe last year and was very pleased with the results - the buns are softer with the addition of eggs and melted butter to the dough. And since I was making changes, I thought, it might be nice to criss cross the icing glaze instead of the traditional cross. What do you think?

Click here for the recipe.

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Madeira's Malasadas

In Guyana, I grew up eating an adaptation of these Portuguese doughnuts - Malasadas - on Shrove Tuesday (aka Pancake Day). Read about the influence here and also get the recipe. Hands down, these are THE BEST doughnuts I have ever eaten. Ever.

The dough-batter is proofed twice and develops gluten that stretches, puffs and makes these truly melt-in-the-mouth.

DISCLAIMER - I am not taking responsibility for your overeating of these doughnuts :)

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Barbados @ 50 - Conkies

Conkies, also known at sweet dumplings is a mixture of grated pumpkin, sweet potatoes and coconut, combined with cornmeal, raisins and spices to make a thick batter. The batter is portioned into banana leaves and steamed. In Barbados, Conkies is synonymous with Independence and is always made on this occasion. HAPPY 50TH BARBADOS!

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Barbados @ 50 - Jug

While Jug is made and served as a staple on the Bajan Christmas table, it really was a dish that was put together at the end of the holiday season. There would be bits of ham left back as well as other roast meats and salt meat was always on hand. All the meats were minced together and cooked with onions, fresh herbs and minced hot pepper along with coarsely mashed cooked pigeon peas, a couple of okra(s) and gone guinea corn flour to hold everything together. It is rather tasty and very filling.

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Barbados @ 50 - Sweet Potato Pie

Though Macaroni Pie is an everyday occurrence in Barbados that MUST still be on the table of any special occasion or holiday spread, Sweet Potato Pie is generally reserved for special occasions and holidays. Every now and then you'd find this cinnamon flavored savoury-naturally sweet pie at buffet lunch offerings.

Bajan Sweet Potato Pie is very different from the North American Sweet Potato Pie. The American pie is a dessert but the Bajan Sweet Potato Pie is more on the savoury side. The sweetness in the pie comes from the naturally sweet sweet potatoes. Boiled, mashed and seasoned with sweet spices as well as the juice and some of the pureed flesh of pineapples, this pie is best served warm or at room temperature. White-flesh sweet potatoes are preferred for this pie but it can also be made with the yellow-flesh sweet potato or a combination of both.

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Anise-seed Bread

I generally make two versions of Anise-seed bread. One that requires double proofing and that can be baked in a regular loaf pan or a sheet pan. With the double-proof bread, I also brush the bread when it is just finished baking with a homemade orange syrup and dust it with castor sugar. It is the kind of bread that you can eat just as is.

This second version of the bread I am featuring is more of the hearty kind. It requires almost no proofing and can be ready in under 90 minutes. For this bread, you will need a 5 or 6-quart oven proof bowl/dish with a cover or a cast iron pot with a lid will do. If you don't have either, you can still make the bread. Use a deep dish and use foil to cover it.

At Christmas, Guyanese make a dish called Pepperpot and to accompany it, homemade bread is a must. You want the bread to be hearty, solid and something that you can pull apart, tear at. No dainty slicing here. While a regular white bread works very well, having Pepperpot with Anise-seed Bread to soak up that dark, velvety, liquid black gold is a something to be thankful for. The combination of spice flavorings from the Pepperpot marry well with the anise-seed.

If you're Guyanese, I know that you still have Pepperpot left over from Christmas, if not, I know that another batch will be made in time for the New Year, so have at it and make some anise-seed bread.

Anise Bread


INGREDIENTS

• 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus extra for work surface
• 3 teaspoons instant yeast
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon fine table salt
• 1 tablespoon anise seeds
• 3 oz vegetable shortening
• 1 cup whole milk (you may need more or less depending on your location)

DIRECTIONS

1. Mix together the flour, yeast, sugar and salt. Set aside.
2. Add the shortening, anise-seed and milk to a small saucepan and heat gently to melt the shortening. Remove from the heat and let the mixture cool to 115 degrees F. This process helps to infuse the milk mixture with the anise-seed.
3. Pour the milk-shortening into the flour and mix to form a dough. Turn the dough on to a floured work surface and knead for 12 minutes. If using a mixer, use the dough hook and mix for 10 minutes.
4. Shape dough however you like. For this bread, I braided the dough, and formed it into a circle then transferred it to the pot.
5. Cover the pot/dish and leave in a warm place for 20 minutes. If you have a gas stove that has a pilot, then that is warm enough, just place the pot/dish in the oven.
6. If you had the dough resting outside of the oven, at the end of the 20 minutes, transfer it to the cold oven and turn the oven on to 400 degrees F. Set the timer for 40 minutes. At the end of the 40 minutes, remove the cover of the pot/dish so that the top of the bread can brown nicely. Bake uncovered for 5 minutes then remove from the oven.
7. Wait for 5 minutes then carefully remove the bread and place on a wire rack to cool.

GUYANESE PEPPERPOT

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Make It. Eat It. Enjoy It: EASTER SPICE BUN

Jamaica has a spice bun that is very popular at Easter, simply called Easter Spice Bun. But trust me, there is nothing simple when it comes to the taste and attractiveness of this bun. Fragrant with spices, studded with rum-soaked raisins (my twist on things), glazed to dazzle and garnished with a single line of Maraschino Cherries, the loaf is as good looking as it is tasty. And to take it over the top, eat it with slices of sharp cheddar cheese.

Chase it down with tea, coffee, hot chocolate, Milo, Cocoa, Ovaltine, mauby or an ice-cold soda. All I ask is that you do not blame me when you find that you alone have eaten almost half of the loaf... shhhhh, don't tell any one.

Make it, eat it, enjoy it and yes, okay, share it (smile). Here is the recipe. There are 4 different versions of this Easter Spice Bun using various leavening agents, along with different spice combinations and other ingredients. All the recipes can be found in Enid Donaldson's The Real Taste of Jamaica. I adapted the version using baking powder. 

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Come get it while it's HOT!

Those of you who write, cook and do photography for publications (like I do), know that we have to test recipes long before the holidays come around and we get to eat the holiday foods way in advance of the actual occasion because we have publication deadlines to meet. I've already had my cross buns and don't think that I will be making any this week. But that's okay. I've had my fair share; I'll find something else to eat come Good Friday morning.

Before I go on to post this recipe, which I have done before, I wanted to point out a few things.

• I made two sets of Cross Buns applying different glazes, just because I wanted to.
• I used ginger in two different ways in the recipes. In one I used ground ginger and in the other I used glazed ginger that I minced up and added to the dough. 
• If you decide to use the glazed ginger, then leave out the ground ginger. Add 1/4 cup finely minced glazed ginger to the dough the same time you are adding the currants or raisins.

So as not to be confusing, I'll separate the buns by glaze.

The recipe for the dough for both Cross Buns is the same.

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CROSS BUNS

Yield: 12 

INGREDIENTS

For Dough:

• 4 cups all purpose flour, plus extra for work surface
• 1 tablespoon dry instant yeast
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon table salt
• 1/3 cups currants (or 1/2 cup raisins)
• 1 + 1/2 cups warm whole milk (110 - 115 degrees F)
• 1/2 cup white sugar (you can use regular Caribbean brown sugar if you like)

For Glaze # 1:

• 1 egg, room temperature
• 1 tablespoon water
• 1/2 cup icing/powdered sugar
• 1 tablespoon lime or lemon juice (milk or water can be substituted)

For Glaze # 2:

• 1/4 cup white granulated sugar
• 2 tablespoons water
• 1/2 cup icing/powdered sugar
• 1/4 cup whole milk

DIRECTIONS

1. Mix together the following ingredients in a large bowl: flour, yeast, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, ground ginger (if using), and salt. Blend well.
2. Toss in currants or raisins (and if using, minced glazed ginger). Mix to evenly disperse in flour mixture.
3. Add sugar to warm milk and stir to dissolve.
4. Make a well in the center of the flour mixture, pour in the milk-sugar mixture and bring together the wet and dry ingredients to form a dough. If the dough is dry or there's loose flour, add a little warm water until the dough comes together. Sprinkle some flour on a work surface, turn dough onto surface and knead for 5 minutes or until smooth.
5. Place the dough in a lightly oiled large bowl, dab oil all over the dough to prevent it forming a skin. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a tea towel and put it somewhere warm but draft-free and let rise. This should take from 1 1/2 hrs to 2 hours. The dough should more than double in size.
6. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or lightly brush a 13 x 9-inch baking dish with oil and set aside.
7. Punch down risen dough to deflate it and cut into 12 equal pieces. Form each piece of cut dough into a tight round ball and assemble on lined baking sheet or in oiled dish. Cover, put in some place warm and let rise for 1 hour.
8. 20 minutes before the hour is up, preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

For Glaze # 1

1. Beat together the egg and water and brush the risen buns just before adding the pan/dish to the oven.
2. Bake for 25 - 27 minutes or until brown and shiny.
3. Place pan or dish on a wire rack and let cool to room temperature.
4. Mix together the icing/powdered sugar and lime or lemon juice or which ever liquid you are using, then transfer to a piping bag or using a spoon drizzle over buns to form a cross.

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For Glaze # 2

1. Mix together the white sugar and 2 tablespoons water and brush the risen buns just before adding the pan/dish to the oven.
2. Bake buns for 12 minutes then brush again with sugar water. Bake for another 12 minutes and brush with sugar water again. At the end of the second 12 minutes of baking, brush the buns again and bake for 3 minutes and then remove from the oven. If there is any sugar water remaining, brush over the hot buns.
3. Place the pan/dish on a wire rack to cool.
4. While buns are cooling, mix together the icing/powdered sugar and milk. 
5. When the buns are still warm but not hot, pour the mixture all over the buns and use a pastry brush to distribute it. Let the icing glaze run between the buns, to the sides etc. Let it cool to room temperature and then serve.

I like to eat my Cross Buns with sharp cheddar cheese

You must check out my dear friend Alica's Cross Buns. Her dried fruits of choice are apricots and cherries and she adds lemon and orange zests to her dough - heavenly! And as if that is not enough, she glazes her picture perfect Cross Buns with apricot jam. And talk about a steady hand, go see how perfectly her buns are crossed.

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Get it - TASTESMONTHLY - Christmas Edition

Over 20 recipes complete with photographs are in the special Christmas Edition of December's TASTESMONTHLY. Make one, make two or all of the recipes for this season's entertaining.

My friend Judith in Suriname says that she is sharing the newsletter with friends and family for her annual end-of-year get together where the food is served buffet-style. She is planning to encourage them to cook from the newsletter for the celebration. What a positively neat idea Judith!

The newsletter is free. Inbox me with the words - Christmas Edition in the subject line and I will rush it off to you as soon as possible.

Let the feasting begin!

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Cross Buns & An Introduction

Today marks the beginning of Holy Week. And, like every special occasion, I find myself doing things and making certain foods just so that I can keep a connection to my upbringing and my family. On occasions such as these, I pick up the phone and call my mom to tell her what I'm making... reinforcing the bond. And then I'd ask what everyone else was doing, picturing everyone in my mind and wishing I was there.

I've always found Cross Buns to be blah. You? They always need something to go along with them - butter, jam or jelly. I was thrilled last year when I took the best qualities of my Butterflaps, an Amish White Bread and Coconut Turnovers and created a Cross Bun recipe that totally satisfies me. The only thing that is optional here (and that is if you want to put it over the top), is to cut the bun in half and insert a slice of aged cheddar cheese such as New Zealand or English cheddar. Sooooo good! Here's the recipe, have a go at it and let me know what you think.

And now for the introduction. Remember I told you last week that I was going to tell you about the woman in the first photograph in this post? Her name is Halcian Pierre and she blogs at Come Taste This! What an excellent name! Halcian only started blogging in January of this year, so please join me in giving her a very warm welcome to the world of food blogging; do stop by and visit and add her to your RSS feeds. A former magazine writer and journalist, Halcy as she is fondly called is in the final stages of putting together her first cookbook, What We Eating. Well, with a blog called Come Taste This, I cannot wait to find out What We Eating!

Try her recipe for Pineapple Chow. Trust me, you've never had pineapple like this before. I had it for the first time last month when I was in Trinidad.

I am sending my cross buns over to Wit, Wok & Wisdom as she is hosting her very first blog event - Let's Break Bread Together! If you have a bread post of any kind, do join in the event.

Have a great week everyone!

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Happy Holidays Everyone!

Wherever you are, whatever you're celebrating, whom ever you're with and whatever you're doing - have a great time. May your holidays be filled with lots of love, joy and laughter and let's also pause long enough to remember those less fortunate and those of our friends and loved ones who are no longer with us. Happy Holidays Everyone!

For some Punch de Creme to have with your cake, click here.

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Don't Baste the Turkey: Braise-Stew it!

Now here's a suggestion to rock your Turkey-Thanksgiving world upside down - in a good way! Fall-off the bone, tender, succulent meat, ready-made gravy to ladle over your sides and to sop up! A pot of meat and sauce fragrant with whole spices that gives a depth of flavour that will have your family and friends asking for more and for the recipe. With this method, you won't have to worry about what to do with the leftover turkey. No Sir-ee! It will be all gone!

Here in the Caribbean, we don't celebrate Thanksgiving; gosh, but there are those of among us who love that other bird and the favourite way it is cooked is stewed. I am suggesting that you combine two similar cooking methods in order to get the best of both in one dish - braise and stew. It's all explained in the column. And the recipe is there too!

Feeling that you must stick with tradition and have roast turkey? Cool. I offer you another suggestion that allows you to present your turkey 2 ways at the table roast and braised-stewed. Check out the column.

THE GIVEAWAY

Don't forget that you have until midnight of November 17 to participate in the giveaway. Win yourself a Tuffy (loose leaf tea steeper) and 3 cans of loose tea of your choice from The Tea Spot. Just leave a comment here saying how you like your tea and the favourite time of day to have that cuppa.

ABOUT.COM

It is not too early to start gathering those recipes you need for the holidays. Now is also a good time to test-run any new recipes you want to try. Try this Caribbean egg-nog recipe, Punch de Creme. Read all about it here and get the recipe too. As always, remember to drink responsibly.

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Patiently making Peda (Peera) & Tea Spot Giveaway!

Making Peda (Peera) - a soft fudge - from scratch is no simple task. It requires patience and determination, traits I felt I possessed but I did not know to what extent until I made Peda. This is not to say that at one point in the process I did not feel like tossing the pot into the sink, filling it with water, and giving up!

This week's column is a must-read in order to understand the three very different batches of Peda shown below and the result of the taste test done with 8 tasters! Read the column.

More Peda on the web:
Padma's Kitchen
Spice & Curry
Aayi's Recipes
Fun & Food Cafe
Ahaar

On to the giveaway.

Do you like tea? Want a chance to win some loose leaf tea and an infuser? Then read on.

By now, everyone knows about my obsession about all things tea related. Well, particularly tea infusers. After reading my most recent tea column - Sometimes 'why' is not important - Maria of Tea Spot emailed me with an offer that feeds right into that tea-infuser obession! She offered to send me a Tuffy (loose tea steeper)! I hit the reply button right away with a big thank you!

Look at my Tuffy! The great thing about it is that it is collapsible and portable enough to take with me whenever I travel. I can brew loose leaf tea on the go. Okay, maybe some people will look at me and shake their heads but I don't care. I love my Tuffy. I'm using it at home and when I am on the road.

Maria also sent me some loose leaf tea samples which I have been thoroughly enjoying. I am so excited about Tea Spot and their products (I am not being paid to say that), that I wrote asking Maria if Tea Spot would be interested in doing a giveaway on my blog and she said yes! I know that many of you are big tea lovers so I wanted to give you the opportunity to enjoy some of the products too.

What I like about Tea Spot is that apart from having a range of tea infuser options and loose leaf tea, they actually design and manufacture all their tea ware and they do so focusing on positive environmental and ethical practices.

Here's how simple the giveaway will be. Just leave a comment on this post saying how you like your tea and what's your favourite time of the day to have a cuppa. That's it!

THE PRIZE
The winner will receive from Tea Spot - a Tuffy Steeper and 3 cans of loose leaf tea. You get to pick the three cans cans of tea you'd like.

The promotion will run from today (Saturday, Nov 6) to Wednesday, November 17 at midnight US Eastern Standard Time. All the names will be entered into Random Number Generator and the winner will be selected. As a bonus, if you sign up to receive my column by email, your name will be entered twice!

Unfortunately, the giveaway is only open to those living in the USA and Canada. Sorry for any disappointment.

Here are 3 general tips for brewing loose tea. Of course, each culture has their own way of doing things.

1. Your tea infuser should be big enough to allow your tea leaves ample room to open up in flavour and aroma. The ideal material for a steeper is ceramic or glass.
2. Use the right temperature for the tea leaf (too high can cause it to become bitter, too low and you can extract too little flavour).
3. Steep your tea for the right length of time recommended (too much and it becomes bitter, too little and there is not enough body to it.

Okay, leave your comment now on how you like your tea and your favourite time of the day to have it.

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Conquer Your Oven & Cross Buns re-done

Ovens can seem as if they have minds of their own. For the uninitiated they can be downright frightening with their dark interior, unforgiving metal racks, a light that goes on and off at will, a door that shuts you out... all of this leading to a fear of the oven - oven-phobia if you will. Read this week's column on how you can go about conquering your oven and showing it who's the boss!

I've included at the end of the column a recipe for these fruit rock buns for you to try as I am sure that you'll be geared up to bake after reading the column.

Each year when Easter rolls around, I am always searching and tweaking various Cross Buns recipes trying to come up with something that I like, something that suits my taste. There have been hits and misses. This year I was determind not to bother making Cross Buns... but you know, when the time comes around, you can't seem to help yourself, and so you give in.

For a Cross Bun to satisfy me, it has to be soft and tender and I want it just sweet enough that I don't need to slather it with butter or anything else. I want to be able to eat the bun as is with a cup of tea.

So here's what I set out to make - a bun that is soft and fluffy like my butterflaps, sweet like an Amish White Bread and with the gloss and stickiness of a coconut turnover or a sticky bun (minus the nuts). I deliberately set out not to dress my buns with the traditional icing cross or the flour-paste cross. I have to tell you, I am one happy woman, the recipe I created produced a bun that totally suits my taste and my tasters. Soft. Sweet. Sticky.

CROSS BUNS

Yield: 12 - 14

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon active dry yeast (or instant)
• ½ cup granulated sugar
• 1 + ½ cup warm whole milk (110 – 115 degrees F)
• 4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
• ¼ teaspoon grated nutmeg
• ½ teaspoon kosher salt (1/4 teaspoon table salt)
• 1/3 cup currants
  
  
  
  
  FOR GLAZE
  
  
• 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 2 tablespoons water
• ½ cup icing sugar
• ¼ cup whole milk

• Equipment
• 
  
• 1 medium bowl
• 1 large bowl, oiled
• Plastic wrap or kitchen towel
• 1 (13 x 9-inch) baking dish, brushed with oil
• 2 small bowls
• 1 pastry brush
• 1 small whisk
• 1 tablespoon
• 1 large baking tray/sheet
• 1 wire rack
• 1 flat spatula

Directions

1. Add sugar to bowl along with milk and stir to dissolve sugar. Toss in yeast and give a little stir (be sure to wipe off any yeast stuck on the spoon), cover and leave to proof for 10 minutes in a warm place
2. Add flour to bowl along with ground cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg and salt and stir to mix thoroughly; toss in raisins and mix
3. Make a well in the center of the flour mixture and pour in the yeast-milk mixture and mix to form dough. Once formed, knead the dough for 2 minutes, place in an oiled bowl, cover and put in a warm place to rise for 1 ½ hours or until the dough has more than doubled in size
4. Punch down risen dough and knead for 2 minutes and then cut dough into equal pieces. Form each piece into a ball and place in oiled baking dish. Cover and let rise for 1 hour
5. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F with the rack in the middle 20 minutes before the 1 hour of rising is complete
6. Add 3 tablespoons sugar and 2 tablespoons water to small bowl and stir to dissolve sugar
7. Brush risen dough with sugar-water and transfer dish to the oven. Bake for 12 minutes; brush with sugar-water and bake for another 12 minutes. Brush again with sugar-water and bake for 3 minutes
8. Remove dish from oven, place on wire rack and brush a few times with sugar-water and leave to cool in the dish for 10 – 12 minutes
9. Use your spatula to pry the buns from the pan and transfer to wire rack then place the wire rack on the baking sheet/tray and let buns continue to cool
10. Meahwhile, add icing sugar and milk to a bowl and whisk to dissolve. Using a tablespoon, drizzle the glaze all over the buns - on the top and sides. Let buns continue to cool until you are ready to serve them

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The New Year... Need Help for Haiti

Updated: Wednesday, Jan 13, 2010

Haiti needs our help. Please give whatever you can.

Donate to Haiti earthquake victims:

- Save the Children. Donate online or make checks out to “Save the Children” and mail to: Save the Children Income Processing Department, 54 Wilton Road, Westport, Conn. 06880

- UNICEF. Go online to unicefusa.org/haitiquake or call (800) 4UNICEF.

- Direct Relief International. Donate online.

- Mercy Corps. Go online or mail checks to Haiti Earthquake Fund, Dept. NR, PO Box 2669, Portland, Ore. 97208 or call (888) 256-1900

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Hi Everyone,

All the best for the New Year! I hope that 2010 is off to a good start for you and I wish you much success, good health and happines, not just for this year but always.

So, how have you been? And how was your holiday? Mine was really quiet, just the way I like it. I don't know but I find that the older I get, the less fussy I feel about the "bells and whistles" of things. I just want to enjoy them for their significance and to make the time meaningful.

I thoroughly enjoyed my break and though I got around to many blogs, I am sure that there are some I missed... sorry about that. Thank you all for stopping by and for your Christmas and New Year's wishes! Much appreciated.

The past week marked the beginning of the 4th year of my blog and newspaper column... seems like just yesterday I started them... to start the year off, I reflected on the traditional drinks that are made around the holidays to warm the hearts and the bodies. Take your pick - Ponche de Creme, Mulled Wine, Egg Nog, Ginger Beer, Buttered Rum, Sherry, Sorrel. Let me tell you about the Sherry tradition in my home and what a treat coffee was on Christmas morning. Click here to read the column.

Speaking of Sorrel, I saw a new variety for the first time in this year's offerings of sorrel at the market. At first I thought that the vendor had picked the unripened sorrel but when I enquired, she told me that this is white-green sorrel is of a different variety. Find out in this week's column how it measures up to the traditional red sorrel.

I wanted something different this year instead of the traditional macaroni pie and so I made my friend Felix's Corn Pie - love, love, love it! I made the recipe precisely as directed and the only thing I did differntly was to stir in some grated cheese just before adding it to the dish to bake and sprinkling some cheese on top before baking. You've got to try it. Here is his recipe.

Still in the baking mode, I made Gourmet's Walnut Date Bread and it was excellent with tea or you may prefer coffee. As you eat the bread you bite in to chuncks of sweet dates and big nuggets of walnuts! Everyone liked the cake as is, but personally, given that I don't have a big sweet tooth, I'd reduce the sugar by 1/4 cup as the dates provide an adequate amount of sweet for me. The suggested accompaniment was cream cheese. I just served mine as is.

I couldn't find the recipe online, if you have the last edition of the magazine it is on pg.14 the Contents page. For all others, here it is:

WALNUT DATE BREAD

Ingredients

1 cup boiling-hot water
10 oz pitted dried daes, coarsely chopped (2+1/4 cups)
1/2 (2oz) stick unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1+1/4 cup walnuts (4+1/2 oz)
1 large egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup sugar (I used Demerara sugar)
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt

Method

1. Pour boiling-hot water over dates and butter in a bowl and let stand until cool, about 30 mins
2. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F with rack in middle
3. Lightly butter 9 x 5-inch loaf pan
4. While date mixture cools, toast walnuts in oven until a shade darker, about 10 minutes. Leave one on. Coarsely chop nuts
5. Stir egg and vanilla into date mixture until combined
6. Stir together flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt
7. Stir in date mixture and nuts until just combined
8. Spread evenly in loaf pan and bake until a wooden pick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 1+1/2 hours
9. Cool bread in pan on a rack for 15 minutes, then turn out onto rack and cool completely

That's it from me for this week! Hope your weekend is a good one and I'll see you around as I blog hop to see what you're up to.

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Storing at Room Temperature. Cheese Scones re-done & A reminder

Room temperature is a term used often in the preparation and cooking of certain foods, but what exactly does it mean? It is not a precisely defined term. A definition familiarly used is that room temperature refers to the general level of comfort in a room in which people live. While this definition is true, what also is a fact is that this level of comfort varies, depending on the individual and various other factors such as geographical location. Therein lies the rub, when we are instructed to store and bring something to room temperature. Your level of room comfort may not be my level of room comfort. Click here to continue reading this week's column.

I've been re-testing my Cheese Scones recipe and I've managed to get it to suit my taste - light, not dry, highly risen and cheesy good. I hope that you'll give it a try too. I like to eat cheese scones as is, without the addition of butter or so. I added a tablespoon of chopped fresh dill to this recipe but generally, I make it without. Try it and let me know what you think.

CHEESE SCONES

Yield: 8 large scones

INGREDIENTS

2 1/2 cups all purpose flour, plus extra for dusting
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
8 oz cold butter, cubed
1 cup grated sharp cheddar cheese (preferably English, New Zealand or Australian)
1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill (optional)
2/3 cup whole milk, cold
1 egg & 1 tablespoon water for egg wash

METHOD

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F
2. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside
3. Add flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt to a large bowl and mix thoroughly
4. Cut or rub in butter to flour mixture until it resembles coarse crumbs (a food processor makes quick work of this)
5. Stir in cheese (and dill, if using)
6. Make a well in the center of mixture, pour in milk and use a rubber spatula to gently bring the ingredients together. Turn the mixture (it will be loose/crumbly) on to a floured surface and with your hands, bring it together. Do not knead!
7. Pat dough into 1-inch thick round and cut into wedges (or cut with a 3-inch cookie cutter)
8. Place on baking sheet, brush with egg wash and bake for 12 - 15 minutes or until golden
9. Serve warm

Hey, it's already October and if you have not yet set your fruits, please do so now. For a true Caribbean Christmas Cake, the key to the texture and moistness lies with the blended fruits being allowed to mascerate over an extended period of time and the longer the better. I have 2 sets of blended fruits, one set has been "soaking" for 2 years and the other for 1 year. Click here for my post on blending and soaking the fruits.

Finally, my lime pickles are ready! Gosh my mouth watering at the thought of them. Click here for the recipes from Manisha's Blog - Indian Food Rocks.

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