Drinks

Sorrel and homemade ginger-beer are two drinks you’re guaranteed to find being enjoyed in just about every Caribbean home you visit during the Christmas season. Even after we moved to Canada, it was our yearly tradition to source out a grocery store which stocked the dried petals of sorrel or have relatives who would be visiting stock their suitcases with a package or two on their way up. The odd time we could get the fresh flowers, it was a welcomed bonus (like finding buried treasure). It’s funny how after so many years of using the dried stuff, you almost prefer it to the fresh ones now.

Here’s my take on taking the traditional way of making our delightful sorrel drink and adding a bit of flair to it with Champagne or sparkling wine.. you can thank me later!

You’ll Need…

1 – 1 1/2 cups dried sorrel
1/2 cup sugar
thick slice ginger
1/2 large orange (slices)
6 cups water
1 bottle sparkling wine (or champagne)

* grapes and orange slices for garnish. You can add a bit more sugar if you wish, but do keep in mind that the champagne will already be sweet.

Place all the ingredients in a sauce pan (except the champagne) and bring to a boil, stir well to make sure the sugar melts. Reduce to a simmer for 5 mins. Turn off the heat, cover the pot and let it steep until it cools (about 2 hours).

When it cools, you’ll need to strain it into another container. Then strain it again to make sure you get all the possible debris out (as you can see from my second strain). Use a fine mesh strainer or cheese cloth. Discard the remnants.

Pour the cool/strained sorrel mix into your serving container and chill. When you’re ready to serve, open your champagne or sparkling wine and pour in. Toss in some fresh cut orange slices to garnish. You can freeze some seedless grapes and use as ice cubes in the glasses you’ll be serving your champagne sorrel in. Remember if you use ice it will thin-out the drink and change the consistency and flavor.

If you’re looking for a wicked drink to serve up on New Year’s eve or to introduce your friends to one of the most cherished of Caribbean customs (drinks) this holiday season.. this champagne sorrel is a MUST! HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

Refreshing Mango Raspberry Smoothie.

May 22, 2015May 22, 20152 Comments

Though not necessarily a “Caribbean” thing when I was a young fella’ on the islands, smoothies are making it’s way across the island chain as more and more people are looking for healthy ways to start their day, especially with the abundance of fresh tropical fruits we have available to us. Back then, you’d quicker find freshly made juices and punches with the same fruits, so I must confess that I’m not a huge fan of smoothies (it just wasn’t part of my diet). This mango raspberry smoothie only takes a couple minutes to make, quite refreshing and a wonderful meal in a glass.

You’ll Need…

2 cups mango juice (or nectar)
2 cups ripe raspberries (freeze them if you don’t plan on using ice)
1/4 cup orange juice

* Feel free to use fresh or frozen mango instead of the mango juice I used. If using dice mango, you’ll need a bit more orange juice. For a protein kick you can always go in with some protein powder from your local health store.

This is so simple – basically all you have to do is place all the ingredients in a blender and give it a good pulse to break everything down to the consistency you like and you’re done!

Important: If doing this recipe gluten free, do go through the list of ingredients to ensure they meet with your specific gluten free dietary needs. This recipe makes enough for 2 people so feel free to double up to make for a larger group. And if you’re making this during the summer months you can easily add a bit of rum, a tablespoon of lemon juice and a few drops of bitters for a more of a festive (big people) drink for your next BBQ gathering.

I know, raspberries are not native to the Caribbean.. this is just my take on a tribute to my homeland (the Caribbean) and the place I now call home (Canada)… ENJOY!

Desserts Drinks Gluten Free

How To Make Papaya Punch [lactose friendly | dairy free] .

April 3, 2015April 3, 2015Leave a Comment

We always seemed to have had Papaya (say paw paw or paw poi in Trinidad and Tobago) trees in our yard as kids growing up on the islands, so this punch (or call it a smoothie) as well as ice cream was always in the fridge. I still recall getting in trouble with my dad for cutting the leaves (with long stems) off the tree as we would make a sort of cave-man flute or whistle with it. In the process of breaking the leaves off, my brother and I would knock the baby Papaya off the tree and the odd time we would even knock off the more mature fruits.. yea, we didn’t care as all we wanted were the stems/leaves.

You’ll Need…

4 cups coconut milk drink replacement
3 cups diced ripe papaya
2 heaping tablespoon honey
pinch cinnamon
pinch nutmeg

* You can use granulated sugar to sweeten this drink. Soy, almond or rice milk works great if you cannot get the coconut replacement. Traditionally this papaya drink is made with milk, including evaporated milk and sweetened with sweetened condensed milk. But this time we’re doing it completely dairy free. If you’re doing this recipe gluten free, be sure to go through the entire list of ingredient to make sure they meet with your specific gluten free dietary needs.

Papaya 101 – How to Shop For, Slice, Peel, Seed and Tell When A Papaya Is Ripe… Watch This Video [Click]!

Basically all you have to do is peel, seed and cube the ripe papaya, then add all the ingredients to your blender. Pulse, then hit the puree or high setting for a minute of so and you’re done.

If you choose to add ice to the blender or in the glass you’re serving it in, you may need to add a bit more honey to compensate for the extra liquid when the ice melts. I personally like chilling the coconut milk and the cubed papaya. This way I don’t water-down the punch or smoothie! If you have Popsicle molds or you can even use your ice trays, simply fill them with this delicious punch, freeze. Makes for a brilliant treat for kids on a hot summer’s day.

Drinks

Lemongrass Tea (fever grass tea in the Caribbean).

January 11, 2015January 11, 20151 Comment

I still recall mom always asking me to go get a piece of fever grass (lemon grass) from the old wash-tub she converted into a gardening pot, where we had a huge patch of lemon grass growing for as long as I could remember. In the dry season they would dry-down with a mound of dirt where the roots were , but with the first drizzle of the rainy season they would be back with vigorous life. It was my job whenever someone had the onset of a fever (high temperature) to go harvest the ‘fever grass’ so mom could make a pot of tea. Yes, lemongrass tea is used as a remedy for fevers in most of the Caribbean, it’s known “Fever Grass” and… it works!

You’ll Need…

3 stalks lemon grass (aka fever grass)
4-6 cups water
sweetener (honey or sugar)
slices of lemon (optional)

For a more potent tea, try getting grass with a bit of root still attached (or so mom would insist). If you live outside the Caribbean or a region where you can grow fresh lemon grass, try Asian markets as it’s used in cooking many of their delicious recipes. In my case I was able to source both the fresh (a bit dry) and frozen stalks of the lemon grass at a local Asian market.

Using the back of your knife, beat the lemon grass a bit, then place it into a pot with the water and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and let it go for about 15-20 minutes.

You can now strain and sweeten as you like, but I much prefer to let it steep for a few minutes. I would recommend straining a couple times, then sweeten with sugar or as I like doing, with honey. To really brighten up the finished fever grass tea, I like adding a couple slices of fresh sliced lemon.

Our friends had invited us out to lunch a few years ago to a lovely Vietnamese restaurant. As you’re seated the waiter brings over a piping hot teapot of tea (served cold in the summer months). As my friend poured me a cup, I was immediately taken back to my childhood days with the lovely scent of the lemon grass (fever grass). However, my recollection of this tea was when someone (including myself) had a fever.. yea, not a great way to start of dinner.

Drinks

Sorrel Cranberry Rum Punch Recipe.

February 22, 2015December 11, 20148 Comments

Bring drinks! The holiday season in the Caribbean is all about music, food, family and drinks. Not in that order but you get the picture – fun and merriment! As a kid I looked forward to a chilled glass of sorrel, made from the fresh harvested petals of the Hibiscus sabdariffa plant, which we usually had planted in our kitchen garden. Living in North America means that sourcing fresh sorrel is almost impossible and when you can, it’s insanely expensive. However we’re very lucky in Southern Ontario to have well stocked stores with the dried sorrel petals. Personally I much prefer using the dried stuff now as I find that the ‘sorrel’ flavor is much more pungent. Today we’ll take the traditional way of making sorrel, toss in some cranberries and spike things with some wicked Caribbean rum, for what I believe is an outstanding holiday Caribbean rum punch.

You’ll Need…

3-4 cups dried sorrel
1 cup dried cranberries
1 1/2 cup sugar
8-12 cups water
1 stick cinnamon
1 star anise
1 orange (cut into wedges)

thick slice of ginger

1 cup rum (or more)
3 dashes angostura bitters
slices of orange (garnish)

Note: Since fresh cranberries is widely available in North America this time of the year, originally I wanted to use the fresh stuff. However knowing that it would be easier to source dried cranberries (around the world), I went with the dried stuff. If using fresh cranberries I would use about 2-3 cups of it.

Put the sorrel, cranberries, star anise, cinnamon and orange wedges (you can squeezed the juice of the oranges directly into the pot – keep the skin in there) and top with the water. Bring to a boil, then add the sugar and reduce to a simmer for 10-15 minutes (stir well after adding the sugar to dissolve and sweeten). Turn the stove off and let the mixture steep for about 2 hours.

The mixture will take on a rich deep red color and your kitchen will take on the lovely aroma of the season (smells like Christmas). Be careful when doing this step as if it spills it may stain. It should be cool now, so strain (you may have to do this a couple times) into a clean jug or punch bowl and get ready to give it the kick good rum punch MUST possess! Discard the strained stuff.

Taste for sugar (adjust to your liking), add the bitters and go in with as much rum as you like. I used white rum as I wanted the flavors of the sorrel, cranberries and slight hint of cinnamon to really shine. but if you want it more spicy, you can use a spiced dark rum. You’ll also notice that I didn’t add any cloves as in making traditional sorrel.. I personally believe it would be too spicy.

Chill and serve with some slices of orange and remember if you’re adding ice, keep that in mind when sweetening (so it doesn’t get watered down). A perfect twist on both traditional rum punch and Caribbean sorrel drink.. Do leave out the rum if you’re giving the kids some sips! Those kids can get rowdy when intoxicated!

Drinks Gluten Free

Refreshing Tamarind Juice.

November 9, 2014October 14, 20142 Comments

As a child of the Caribbean, fruit juices was my thing. We always had a jug of passion fruit, sour sop, barbadine, freshly squeezed orange or other citrus fruit juices in our fridge. Since I don’t do the sugar thing any longer…but oh how I crave those juices I grew up on. I still have a weakness for a cold glass of mauby or sorrel on those hot summer days.

Tamarind juice wasn’t a favorite for me as I much preferred making Tamarind Balls with whatever tamarind we would borrow from the neighbors tree.

You’ll Need…

2 cups tamarind pulp
6-8 cups water
1/2 cup sugar (add more to your liking)
1 teaspoon Mixed Essence (or vanilla extract)
3 drops Angostura Bitters
slices of lime

Note: if you live in North America you can source both tamarind pulp (with and without seeds) as well as different varieties of tamarind at Asian, Latino and Caribbean markets. In this recipe I used the prepacked pulp of the tamarind.

* If using fresh (ripe tamarind) you’ll need to remove the hard outer shell and the sort of fibers which hold everything together, then soak in the hot water as I’m about to explain. Boil about half the water called for in the recipe and pour it over the tamarind pulp in a large bowl. While still hot, try to break it up a bit with a large spoon – remember the water will be hot.

When the water cools, it’s time to use your hands to break the pulp apart until it’s relatively smooth. There will be fibers and seeds.

It’s now time to strain the pulp/water (it will be thick and have a sort of sour or tart scent) so you don’t have any debris in the final juice. You will need to strain this a couple times (at least) with a fine strainer.

Add the rest of the water and other ingredients, stir well and chill or serve with a couple cubes of ice. I like serving with a slice of lime or lemon. Do taste to ensure it’s sweet enough for your liking.

So the next time you see tamarind in the market or you feel the need to borrow some from the neighbors tree.. make some refreshing juice with them. BTW.. you can make this a ‘big people’ tamarind drink by adding some rum or vodka to the mix. Then the fun starts!