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.

I cook because I photograph.

Julia over at, A Slice of Cherry Pie asked, "What can you do with watermelon and mint?" Here is my answer, A Deconstructed WMF Salad. Why deconstructed? Why not a full on watermelon-mint-feta salad like the one from Food and Wine which has been on my to make list for well over a year? It's because I made this well in advance of the actual meal and I was worried, that having it sit too long would make it soggy. There's nothing as unappetizing as a soggy salad.

This is a simple salad to be sure but clean, bright and fresh. I am of the opinion that the olive oil dressing suggested in Food and Wine would have dulled the sweetness of the melon. I am glad that I omitted it. In this instance I seasoned with a sprinkle of sea salt. The salad kept well and what little moisture it did produce was easily wiped up before serving.

Oh all right! I'll fess up. The truth is I saw a picture....which gave me an idea for a pattern. So now you know my awful secret. I do not cook to feed my family, I cook because I photograph. The fact that they can eat the by product of my creative efforts is just a lucky bonus for me. If you are at all confused that my cooking is less driven by a need to nourish my family and more because I want to take a picture of food, then clearly you need to read, 10 Things You Should Know about Food Bloggers, by Not So Nigella. In it she explains the strange creature that is Foodus Bloggerus. Enjoy!

A-maizing Green Corn Dumplings!

Is there a certain food or meal that takes you back to your childhood? Perhaps there is a meal that evokes a story in your family? The dish comes to the table and someone invariably says, "Remember the time when....."

Our favourite dishes are usually not gourmet fare nor are they cooked up a Michelin chef, although those are nice too. Our best meals are often those that have been , lovingly prepared by mothers, grandmothers or dads :-). Such food is unpretentious and honest. It makes use of readily available local ingredients and carves a spot in our psyche that makes it extra special.

Some weeks ago we received a bag of fresh corn. My father was immediately transported to his youth and spoke excitedly about making Green Corn Dumplings. 'Green' meaning raw corn, straight off the cob. I became curious as to the taste. Calls to various family members directed me to my Aunt in Union Island who told me how to make them.

All told it was a fun project and a look back in time to when Caribbean islanders were more directly involved with the food that they ate, from it's cultivation, to processing and cooking.

My four year old enthusiastically helped with the grinding of the corn, hopefully creating his own nostalgic ties to this traditional food. For my part, I remembered my Carib grandmother who grew corn and ground her own cornflour. My brother remembered the time when... "all the corn had to be harvested early because of Hurricane David and we glutted ourselves on roasted corn".



Green Corn Dumplings

Rough approximations.

Ingredients
8 cups Green Corn
1 1/2 tbs white flour
1/4 cup warm water, slightly brackish ( translation: slightly salted- don't you just love the Vincy turn of phrase?)
A pot spoon of flour ( Ah yes, the standard measuring spoon of West Indian cooks:-)

Method

Mix together flour and corn. Make a well in the center of the corn and slowly add 1/4 cup or less, warm, salted water stirring until it comes together - enough that you can shape it with your hand. Make your dumplings in the shape that you prefer and place in coconut milk which has come to a rolling boil. Traditionally in St Vincent and the Grenadines these dumplings are served in a soup that is called Boilin.


Once the dumplings were cooked, we added some well seasoned dolphin (Mahi- Mahi) fish steaks on top of the dumplings and simmered until they were cooked.

Many of my parent's generation are of the opinion that the convenience of processed foods means that we sacrifice taste and nutrition for ease of preparation. What do you think? In this instance I am inclined to agree. These dumplings were a treat and so full of flavour that it was akin to eating an actual boiled corn. Simply put they taste like corn and you will be amazed after eating them to discover that in comparison processed cornmeal doesn't actually taste like corn at all.

Not So Skinny Bitch

Every once in a while I happen upon a recipe that tempts my inner skinny. That part of me that is buried under the ravages of pregnancy, busy days, skipped meals, little exercise and late at night junk food noshing. I found this vegan recipe for Pecan Crusted French Toast while browsing through my hairdresser's magazine stash in People Magazine Sept 2008.

"Huh?" I thought. "Egg bread (my childhood name for French Toast) without egg."
Hmmm..... I considered.
"No way!" shouted my carnivore self; lover of butter, chocolate, cheese cake, oil down, pizza, ice-cream and other calorific comfort foods, "Don't you dare mess with my "Eggy bread!"

The promoters of this recipe were former Ford model agent, Rory Freedman and former model, Kim Barnouin. They are the co-authors of a diet book called Skinny Bitch. They are both radiant and look the epitome of health and yes ....skinniness.

And so, in the hopes that one day I too might be a skinny bitch...on the outside, as well as on the inside - this recipe entered my life.

Here is the recipe with my adaptations in bold.

Not So Skinny Bitch Pecan Crusted French Toast

1-1/2 cups vanilla soy or rice milk
3 tablespoons corn starch or arrowroot flour
1 teaspoon cinnamon
6 tablespoons chickpea flour or brown rice flour split pea powder
1 cup finely chopped pecans
2 tablespoons refined coconut oil, or more as needed for cooking
6 to 8 slices vegan whole wheat or whole wheat raisin bread
Maple syrup for topping * honey

In a medium bowl, whisk together the soy or rice milk, corn starch and cinnamon. Whisk in the chickpea or brown rice flour. Transfer the mixture to a shallow bowl. Place the pecans in another shallow bowl.

In a large skillet over medium heat, heat the coconut oil. Once slice at a time, dip the bread in the milk mixture, turning to soak both sides. Do not soak bread in mix too long as it gets soggy fast. Dip one side in the pecans, pressing to coat. (The pecans don't stick easily on the bread.) Arrange the bread in the skillet (you might have to do more than one batch), pecan side down. Cook 2-3 minutes, until the pecans are well-browned. Carefully turn the bread, and continue cooking until the second side is browned, 2-3 minutes. Serve immediately with maple syrup.

Bite after bite I kept expecting to dislike this but it was quite good. Imagine then my surprise to find out that just one slice with honey is approximately 400 calories! Granted these online calculators are not 100% accurate but OMG I had two of these for breakfast! True they did take me through to lunch without needing to have a mid morning bite. As a result I am renaming these Not So Skinny Bitch Pecan crusted French Toast:-)

Yay! Father's Day! Guinness Brown Bread Ice-Cream

As I write this, my father is slumped dejectedly on the sofa, holding his head as the West Indies cricket team loses spectacularly to Sri Lanka, at The Oval in London. After the first three wickets fell, West Indies had only one run on the scoreboard. Wow! This is serious and it is guaranteed to put him in a bad mood. For the next couple days, we will have to endure constant grumbling and muttering in undertones about how "dem boys throw way de wicket."

It's true that my dad loves his cricket but here is something else that he loves - Guinness ice-cream. Fortunately I have some tucked away in the freezer for Father's Day tomorrow that will hopefully lift his spirits.

Outside of the odd Irish priest, you're not likely to run into an Irishman on our shores, yet there isn't a man in my family who doesn't love this ice-cream which is obtainable only from street ice-cream vendors.I wonder how it became so popular and if this is a favourite of other Caribbean islanders as well?

I just love the sharp, bitter, flavour and the contrast of the sweet in this ice-cream. Unfortunately the texture of most ice-creams just isn't up to standard. My gold standard for ice-cream texture and flavour is Häagan Dazsä®. The kind bought from street carts is icy and or chalky - not creamy. I have always wanted to improve upon this not one of my many recipe books have a recipe for Guinnes ice-cream. What good luck then, that I stumbled upon Murphy's Guinness Brown Bread Ice-Cream. Go to their site if you want to see a totally delectable, makes you want to eat it, not melting, nicely styled scoop of ice-cream. I guarantee it will make you want to have this. The rest of their site is worth browsing as their ice-creams are unique. Have a penchant for goat cheese ice-cream...no I'm not kidding you'll find it there.

I've made Murphy's Guinniss Ice-cream twice before and both times the ice-cream never set up past a very soft serve consistency. Granted I am truly awful at making custards but I began to suspect that there was just too much alcohol in the Murphy's version which can cause ice-cream not to firm up. So I tried another recipe which used less stout and ......well almost! It firmed up nicely but the texture was still not what I was looking for as the custard was just a wee bit over cooked.

Finally, like the West Indies team I just threw in the towel and opted for an eggless version. Love it! Because it doesn't contain eggs or cream it is economical to make and a very forgiving recipe. I cooked the bejesus out of that 'custard' and it was not ruined! Why did I cook it so long? Well... if you've been reading carefully, which most probably you haven't because unlike myself you have a life and have just been skimming along, hoping at some point I'll stop blathering and just get to the recipe already - I suck at making custard.

Okay, so here it is the recipe already!

Guinness Brown Bread Ice-Cream

1 cup water
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/2 cup sweetened condensed milk
1 1/2 cups evaporated milk
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup Guinness stout

Method

In a heavy saucepan whisk together the water and the cornstarch and simmer the mixture over moderate heat, whisking, for 2 minutes. Add the milks, the salt, and the sugar, heat the mixture over moderately low heat, whisking, for 1 to 2 minutes, or until the sugar is dissolved, and remove the pan from the heat. Let the mixture cool completely, stir in the Guinness. Put into your ice-cream maker and follow manufacturer's instructions

* I must have cooked this for about 10 mins before I finally figured out it wasn't going to get as thick as an egg custard.




*used leftover bread crusts to make this and tore them by hand because I find that the food processor gets them too fine and then they just get lost in the ice-cream. I wanted some crunch.

Brown Bread Crumble
Can be made in advance or while the 'custard' cools.

Ingredients
1 Cup stale brown bread crumbs
7 Oz brown sugar
2 tablespoons Guinness stout

Method
Put the sugar in a pan, add the 2 tbsp. Guinness, and cook until it is melted and completely liquid. Do not let it get too dark. Remove from the heat.

Stir the bread crumbs into the melted sugar, then spread on a baking tray and cook in the oven at 350F for about 20 min, until the sugar is caramelised and the crumbs are crispy. Keep an eye on it, though, that it doesn’t burn.



Cool the crumbs, and add to the custard base according to your ice-cream maker's directions.



The flavour is superior and as as to that elusive texture, ooooooooh so close...