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I love lobster, well the bodies, really! My husband and family love the tail and claws. So its really easy to share. The bodies have the most tender meat--you just have to work for it. So naturally, when I buy, I buy whole lobsters and not just the meat. Besides that, it usually costs 3x more and you can only get the tail and claw meat. Even if I am doing a catering job adn need only the claw and tail meat, I use whole lobsters. I blanch them, break them down and take the meat. Then I roast off the bodies to make lobster bisque, oil or sauce.
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Punch à Crème
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As you know, I am from Trinidad and the Christmas season is a big deal. A big part of our heritage is all the food around Christmas time. Throughout the season, I will be talking about more of these foods and putting up some of the recipes.
The first one is a beverage called punch à crème. It is our version of egg nog. It’s made with condensed and evaporated milks, eggs, rum, bitters and nutmeg. Of course in Trinidad, Trinidadian rum is used, but over the years my family has used Jamaican overproof white rum. My mother first made the change and I followed suit. Punch à crème is creamy, smooth and simply delicious. If you like egg nog, you will love punch à crème. It’s made in a blender and then chilled and served over ice. I personally like to add the grated nutmeg right before drinking. And let me tell you, I drink this throughout the season. Here is our family version….
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From this....
...to this!
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Orange peel is one of the most amazing flavours. And most of all it is simple to make. All you need to do is peel oranges and tangerines. Put them on a sheet tray and let them dry. It usually takes about 3-4 days or more depending on humidity level in your home. And that's it!! I use it to make tea. Just put a piece in a cup and add boiling water. I add a piece to my stews, soups, rice and oatmeal and it sends those dishes to different level. And, we all know about beef with orange--available in most Chinese Restaurants. Then, of course there is the sweet side...
We add fresh zest to cakes, icings, cookies, etc. I do something a little different. I make orange powder! I put a few pieces in my Vita-mix dry container and make this wonderful powder. I use it in place of zest. It is definitely a little bit more potent so be careful. I use it to make my orange macaroons and mix it with powdered sugar to dust my Grand Marnier truffles. Try it in place of your flavourings and essences. Store it in a ziploc bag. It will keep for months as long as it's airtight. By the way, you can do the same with lemon and lime.
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Curley Parsley
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I prefer using fresh herbs, however in dire straits, I use dried.
Herbs can accent, invigorate, intensify, mellow and kill your food. Get to know the taste of herbs and what you like. Pick off a leave and just chew and/or smell it. They can be sweet like basil, perfumery like marjoram, woodsy like rosemary, mellow like sweet sicily, or peppery like chives. You may find that you don’t like an herb by itself but once combined with others, you do. Also, you need to cook with the herbs because some herbs taste better when cooked like rosemary and others if eaten raw like sweet sicily.
Before adding herbs to your food, chop them then combine in a bowl and smell. If one is too strong, add more of the others. Do this until you like what you smell. After a while, you’ll know just how much of each to combine. You should go through this procedure when working with herbs because they vary so much. For example, the basil you get in the summer is light, has tender stems, a sweet fragrant and taste. The same basil in the winter is darker, has tougher stems and a somewhat pungent fragrant and taste.
How to chop herbs:
Place herbs on a cutting board and come down with a chef’s knife, limiting the amount of contact with the metal knife.
Some herbs are strong and can be overpowering.
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Clove is one of those spices that you think of when you think Ham or poked in oranges. But there is so much more to it. Clove is the amazing versatile spice. Here are some ways.
You can use it in rice. To do this, you would heat a sauce pot with butter and 2 whole cloves, salt and pepper. Add a cup of rice and stir to make sure all of the rice grains are coated with the butter. Add 2 cups of water, bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer until all of the liquid is absorbed. The rice will have a slight nutty clove flavour. It would compliment a grilled steak, veal chop or roast chicken.
Another way is to add a clove or two to your stock. Then when you add your stock to sauces, soups, stews and braises, it would add dimension. Your friends and family would want to know what you did differently. If you are using store bought stock (which is ok), add the clove to the stock and simmer for a 10 minutes or so, then use.
Then there are other ways…
You can use cloves for toothaches. Just bite down on the cloves to release the juices and then place it between the tooth and your gum. It will kill the pain and give you relieve.
And then you can use them to ward off ants. Sprinkle a little ground or whole cloves around the area where you see the ants. It will keep the ants away.
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I discovered dipping oils with my friend John back in the early 90’s. We went to an Italian restaurant and they had an olive oil with herbs, garlic and chilies. Generally, it comes in a flip top bottle and you would shake the oil up to release the settled herb throughout the oil. You then pour some of the oil into a plate and add a little salt. Then you dip crusty bread and enjoy!
I really loved that idea and have created and used these dipping oils ever since. Usually I would flavour my oils while in a hot pan before adding the meat or vegetables that I am about to cook. The oil infuses itself into the food giving it lots of flavour. My dipping oils are basically the same concept except they are all ready for use. I infuse grapeseed or extra virgin olive oil with herbs and spices making them ready for dipping, marinating and cooking. Just shake them to release the herbs and/or spices throughout the oil and then use. To marinate: pour over the meat or fish (like salmon, bass or bluefish) and marinate for an hour or less. Season with a little salt, sear or grill and you are good to go. To cook with it add half dipping oil and half oil or butter and sauté vegetables, shrimp, sole, mushroom and the list goes on. As you use them, you will want all the different flavours.
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Nicole's baby shower cake. 2-tiers of moist chocolate butter cake with white chocolate buttercream. White, pink and lavendar fondant. Ballerina slippers and ribbons adorned the top and pink and lavendar hearts surrounds the pink bottom layer. |
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Apple Tart - A Late Night Snack
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So the other night my husband and I were looking at TV and I just felt for a little snack. My husband cooked a delicious pasta dish and a salad for dinner, but I just felt for dessert. I am not a big sweets person, though I make them really well. It was about 10:30pm but I just needed to have a little sweet. I went back and forth as to whether or not I should make something. You see I have been working really hard to get back in shape. So I had two things against me with the "sweet" thing. One, it was late. Two, it was a sweet --SUGAR!! Poison to the person trying to lose weight. But I said to myself... Self! get up and fix that "sweet fix."
I decided to make an apple tart. This tart is usually made with a flaky pastry but I like it with phyllo dough because it gives it a nice crispy crunch. Of course, I like to put my little twist on it. Here is how I made it....
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When I was younger, I wanted to be a fashion designer. I would design and draw outfits and then sew them. I still enjoy designing and drawing them. But now my fantasy career is designing beautiful gowns like those worn in the 40s and 50s. Whenever I watch the old black and white movies, especially the musicals, I start to fantasize about the gowns and how they could work for today's woman. There was a time when women got dressed up to go to the theatre, dinner, etc and wore beautiful gowns embellished with beads, feathers, tulle, lace, etc. Those garments are my inspiration. Unfortunately, today's woman do not usually dress this way. Everything is more casual. Nonetheless, I still design gowns and draw them. Since, designing as a career is probably not going to happen for me, I take that passion and use it in ways that make sense to my present life.
Now, I print the designs on beautiful paper and send them out as postcards to friends and family. One of my friends told me that I should sell them. I thought, I don’t know. You know, your passion may not be someone else’s. She said, but they are beautiful and people would love them. I said I would put them out there and test the waters. So here they are on this website. Check them out here and let me know what you think. But please, be gentle. An artist’s heart is easily broken. ;-)
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I love weddings. Everything to do with them, the planning, the food, the cake, the room design and of course the dress! Even dealing with the brides and their mothers is exciting to me. In fact, dreaming about weddings is how I started to be interested in tablescapes, menus and cakes.
After all of my years of cooking, baking breads and pastries, I never had the occasion to make a wedding cake until last year. And I had full reign! Can you believe it? I was so nervous. I mean it was a WEDDING cake! I was going to have to scratch it off the bucket list. I kinda got used to having it there. You know what I mean?!
After getting my nerves in check, here is what I decided to make. I made a 3-tier yellow cake with rose essence and rose flavoured liqueur that I got from Italy. It was layered with lemon cream (which is lemon curd and whipped cream) and iced with lemon mousseline buttercream (which is lemon curd, egg whites and butter). I wrapped it all in white fondant and painted on pink luster dust. Piped royal icing stars on the sides and decorated it with pink roses.
It looked fabulous and I was proud of myself. Took me 3 nerve racking days, but I did it and crossed it off the list!
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| …can be daunting but really isn’t. Here is how it’s done. |
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§ First, clean the duck. To do this: cut off the excess fat in the cavity and the extra skin around the neck. Take the giblets out of the cavity. Cut the wing leaving the drumette. Use a fork to poke the duck all over the skin. Be careful to poke only the skin and not the flesh.
§ Second, marinate the duck and the giblets for at least 6 hours or overnight.
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