Farewell My Love

The last bag of mangos arrived via my dad. I was so excited that I did not notice until the following day that he was limping. It turns out he had climbed the mango tree to get the last ones which were in the topmost branches. He quickly sought to reassure me that he hadn't fallen out of the tree but had only slipped. This was said with the cheeky grin of an impish boy. There was a twinkle in his eyes that said he enjoyed shocking me by climbing trees at his age. Uhhmmm dad you are 72 years old! Too old to be climbing trees! I scolded, I preached, I ranted at his folly.

Seriously though who can resist the lure of a mangoes intoxicating perfume, the cherub yellow cheeks with just a blush of rose....like a babies cheek just made for biting. It's coming on to the end of the mango season. I is with a heavy heart that I am readying myself to say goodbye. I have have been cutting up and freezing them so that I can have some later on in the year. While doing so it struck me that I haven't done anything with my mangoes other than make baby food purée and greedily eat them just as they are for the past several months. Everyday I have had one for breakfast and the other as a snack as soon as I get home from work.
I know, I know terribly boring but I am of the view that there is no better way to enjoy mango than the way nature intended.

In the past I have tried various mango tarts and puddings. I can honestly say that I do not like the flavour and texture of a cooked ripe mango. The natural sugars concentrate to a cloyingly sweet mush. - bleh! What I needed was something to offset the overbearing sweetness of the cooked mango. I decided on a rich chocolate. It worked.

Mango Chocolate Gâteau
Mango Topping
ingredients
3 ripe but firm mangos (sliced as you prefer)
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1/4 cup butter
1/2 cup butter

Slice mango and sprinkle with lemon juice. Melt butter in a small saucepan. Add sugar. Spread the butter sugar mixture on the bottom of a round 9" cake pan. Arrange mango slices and pour cake batter on top.

Ingredients
cocoa powder for dusting cake pan
1 cup flour
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup buttermilk
1/4 cup shortening (melted)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 egg


Instructions

In a bowl combine flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add milk, cooled melted shortening and vanilla. Beat with an electric mixer on low speed till combined. Beat on medium speed for 2 minutes. Add egg and beat 2 minutes more. Pour into a greased and floured ( use cocoa powder in place of the flour) 9" round cake pan.

Bake in a 350 degree oven for 30 to 35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool on rack for 10 minutes. Remove from pan and cool thoroughly on a rack.



The End. There are no more mangoes.

say hello to pomme de cythere just commming into season. what can I say My love is fickle (smile0

http://carmensfamilyrecipes.blogspot.com/search?q=chocolate+cake

My little one is one

Admittedly this is the worst cake ever

A Tale of Whale

I have the dubious distinction of being the great grand daughter of a whaler. Dubious because it is now politically incorrect to even talk about killing whales. Yet at one time there were about ten commercial whaling stations operating in the Caribbean, in St. Vincent and the Grenadines, in Barbados, Trinidad and Grenada. Today under international agreement, Bequian whalers can harpoon no more than two whales per year. The whale is caught by traditional methods of hand thrown harpoons in small open sailing boats. The catch is not sold and is exclusively used for local consumption. It is given away to family and friends.


© 2009 All Rights Reserved, BDL&P

How does something like this end up on my breakfast table? Simple. The men in my family are mostly seamen with strong ties to the sea. I would not say that they are the romantic type -in fact just the opposite but for some reason they romaticize a meal of whale meat. These are taciturn men. Men who can spend all day looking out across the bay with a pair of binoculars without saying a word or it would seem moving an inch. They are men of slow grunts and uhhms for conversation. The ship captains among them have permanent squints from staring for hours on end at vast empty horizons. Apart from an almost a voyeuristic love of listening to VHF channel 16 and its call and distress conversations; silence and monotony are their thing. That is unless there is whale meat on the table. Then they come to life. They become animated. They trade stories about their adventures at sea. To hear them, you'd swear that they battled the beast themselves. And while they don't actually beat their chests and say Arrrg! As cousin A put it, " The way they carry on it's like, hoist the flag fellas we gah(got) whale!" You'd swear they sat in that boat themselves like the lateAthneal Ollivierre risking life and limb to bring it to the table.

I was to have broken that male seafaring tradition when as a teenager, I put to sea on my father's ship. At the time I was full of romantic notions (delusions:-) of being the first female ship captain in the family. Eight days later, somewhere off the coast of Jamaica with my last book read and nothing to do but cast about aimlessly in the 8 X 8 tin quarters of my room - that dream perished from the sheer boredom of life ( all eight days of unbroken monotony) at sea.

I would sit in silence on the bridge with the captain, my uncle V. A taciturn man of slow grunts and uhhms for conversation, But for explanations on how to read charts and plot a course (hopeless gibberish to me since I was flunking mathematics), there was a lot of silence and . I healthy 16 year old has an aversion to silence that and the knowledge that partying their summer away on some beach burned away Ahh yes my toothpick chewing Uncle V embodiment of the solitary sea dog. Lover of silence, vast endless horizons and voyeuerr of channel 16 Vhf call and distress radio conversations. That and the knowledge that my fiends were all partying on a beach somewhere, quick is the word I decided a life at sea was best left to the men and jumped ship in St. Lucia!



T Before you turn up your nose

As to the taste - meh. Nothing to write home about. But don't tell that to the older men for whom it's like har har ppound our chests Raise as one cousin put it it's more a psycological thing for the older men folk, it's like raise the flag we ga whale. It's smelly, oily. the blubber sits in the fridge waiting for someone to fall ill.

Nota Bene - Balls!

Back in July I spent the most fabulous, pampered and romantic holiday in Tobago. So this post was inspired by my memories of that trip and the taste of their most popular treat, Bene balls.



Bene is an African word for Sesame seed. I secretly call these Tobago Jawbreakers and they are my guilty pleasure. Considerable effort is required to bite into one; the old and infirm need not apply. Oh, but they are so good. Family and friends upon hearing of your intent to visit the island of Tobago will beleaguer you with requests to bring them some Bene Balls.

My stash from that July trip did not last very long and I decided I should try to make my own. It's super easy to do and I can't imagine why I never thought to make them before.


Trinibagonians abroad who can't get home and need a nostalgia fix. This is the real deal.

I was surprised that not one of my many Caribbean cookbooks had a recipe for this? Maybe it’s a Tobago national secret; a closely guarded formula like Angostura bitters? Never fear I finally wrangled an authentic recipe from a Tobagonian friend.


NB (Nota Bene): I have strayed away from the traditional ball shape and added honey so as to make it softer and more pleasantly crunchy. Your dentist will thank me I’m sure.



RECIPE INGREDIENTS:

1 cup sesame seeds

4 tablespoons packed light brown sugar

4 tablespoons honey

1. Line a 8 x 8 inch brownie pan with a sheet of waxed paper. Coat the waxed paper with cooking spray. Coat a silicone spatula with cooking oil spray. In a medium skillet, toast the sesame seeds over medium-low heat, stirring often, until they're fragrant and golden, 7 minutes to 10 mins

2. In a small saucepan, combine the brown sugar and honey. Cook over low heat, until the sugar is melted and the mixture is thick. No need to sir. Cook until the sugar reaches the soft ball stage. I keep a small bowl of water on the cook top to test the sugar. Use a teaspoon and drop a small amount of sugar in the water. Feel the sugar with your finger you should be able to roll it into a soft ball. At this point add the sesame seeds to the sugar and stir well with a wooden spoon.

3.Use the greased silicone spatula. Scrape the mixture into the brownie pan and onto the paper. Press down and smooth the mixture until it Is evenly spread across the bottom of the pan.

4. Cut the candy into 1-inch squares with a sharp knife. Let the candy cool completely. Break apart the pieces and store them in an airtight container at room temperature. Makes about twelve squares.




TIP: Another way to prepare these squares would be to coat two large sheets of waxed paper with cooking spray. Place one sheet of the waxed paper on a work surface, greased-side up. Scrape the mixture onto the paper and top it with the remaining sheet of waxed paper, greased-side down. Using a rolling pin, roll the mixture into a square about 1/4 inch thick.

Give Your Dog a Makeover

Do your hot dogs need a makeover? Mine did. Honestly I had fallen into a rut. Bun, dog, ketchup, mustard - maybe some slaw at the side - NOT (God forbid) for fear of histrionics and major toddler meltdowns, slaw on the top. Never slaw on the top people!

How many of you are like me in thinking that this is kiddie fare, not suitable for adult tastes? Well think again.....here they are... hot dogs for grown ups! Inspired by my July 09 issue of bon apétit's, 'Around the world in 80 Hot Dogs'


Topping: caramelized onions, mushrooms, blue cheese


Topping: mngo chow,Grace mild jerk marinade,Trinidad Seasoning peppers

My friend Thorsten has got me thinking that I should add cucumbers to The Jamaican. Check out his gorgeous photography and his German take on the hot dog here.

Picture my son's face when I said I was making Hot Dogs for Lunch. He did a little happy dance/jig. He ran around in a circle singing/screaming HOT DOGS, H - 0 - T Dogzzzzz! We're having HOOOOOOO T DOOOOGS!

Now, imagine the scene when I put these in front of him? Silence. He stared at them for such a long time without saying a word. But his face, oh how his face said it all! Finally, in continued silence he ate. Chew, chew, chew, pause to throw an aggrieved look my way, chew, chew, chew, exaggerated swallow. When he was done he only had one comment " Mom, next time PLEASE don't make 'special' hot dogs for me. Special, said with an inflection that one reserves for the disabled or mentally incapacitated. LOL

Seriously though it's summer time. I don't know about you but I don't like to be in the kitchen much when I am on holiday. You don't need to fire up a grill for these. Boil then fry the hot dogs, toast the buns slightly and you are all set. The more complicated toppings can be prepared in advance.



These were so easy and so good. I want to do more. Do you have any ideas for me to try? Name your hot dog and send your 'special' topping suggestions my way.