Gourmet Global

Breadfruit - when people here this name, they are confused - Is it some kind of bread? Is it some kind of fruit?

Technically, it is a fruit originating from the South Pacific. It has a core, like a pineapple, that must be removed prior to eating. However, it is more like a vegetable in that it must be cooked prior to eaten. It is versatile and can be cooked in a variety of ways. Very similar to potatoes, it can be boiled, roasted, fried, whipped. If you go to Caribbean neighborhoods in New York (like Flatbush in New York or Richmond Hill/Jamaica in Queens), you can purchase fresh breadfruit at the fruit and vegetable stands.

Breadfruit Puffs is a delicious appetizer that you can impress your guests with, by using a unique ingredient most of them probably have never heard of. It is very simple to make and they are addictive - You can’t just have one!! I learned this recipe when I was in Dominica last year.

Breadfruit Puffs:
1/2 breadfruit (boiled or roasted)
1 tablespoon grated onion
1 tablespoon butter
1/4 cup milk
1 egg
Flour, for coating
salt and pepper, to taste
1 pinch nutmeg

Cook Breadfruit. Once it is fork tender, peel and remove the skin and core the breadfruit. Mash it. Combine breadfruit with seasonings. Whisk egg and milk. Add to breadfruit mix and stir to combine. Form tablespoon size portions into balls. Roll in flour and fry in hot oil until golden brown.

Hope you enjoy your attempt at breadfruit puffs!!

Belated Happy St. Patricks Day!!! - Well yesterday was St. Patty’s Day and I had to commute home among all the intoxicated Irish people , but all in good fun.
Since I am not Irish, I did not have Corned Beef & Cabbage or Colcannon

I cooked a dish from my roots with my Dominican grandmother (not Dominican Republic). Here is a great recipe for Creole Baked Chicken - Enjoy - If you don’t like spicy food, replace the Scotch Bonnet pepper with bell pepper:

Ingredients:
lime juice
3 lbs. chicken
2 T white wine vinegar
2 T sunflower oil
1 T minced garlic
1 minced Scotch Bonnet Pepper
1 onion, chopped fine
2 t ground cumin
2 t ground coriander
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
Wash chicken with juice of 1 lime. Rinse well.
Place all ingredients in a large bowl with chicken pieces. Mix thoroughly to combine. Leave to marinate at least 1/2 hour.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Place chicken pieces along with all marinade ingredients into large baking dish. Cover with aluminum foil. Bake for 45 minutes, until cooked thoroughly.
Uncover. Raise oven to broil. Put baking dish in broiler part of oven. Bake for 5 minutes until golden brown. Rotate pieces and broil on other side.
Remove from oven and serve immediately.

Hope your dinner is as good as mine was!!!

Many of you are aware that I will be going to Dominica on Wednesday for both business and personal reasons.

Although my family is from the Caribbean, it has been 10 years since I have visited and I cannot wait to smell the air, taste the fresh fruits and vegetables (which tastes totally different than the ones purchased here). It must be the soil.

In the small islands, you don’t exit the planes through a vacuum that connects directly into the airport. Instead a stairwell is placed against the airplane and you descend right onto the landing strip and walk to the airport. It is wonderful as you smell the Caribbean air and feel the breeze and heat of the sun. It is a feeling I can’t explain and welcome you all to come and visit so you can experience what I cannot put into words.

I will be blogging from there giving you ideas to create some delicious Caribbean meals here at home in NY while I am there in Dominica.

All client inquiries should reach me via email, as I will not be in phone contact.

Thank you.

Well, I am on my way to Dominica! - Thanks to cheapoair.com and buying the ticket on a Wednesday. Just in case you did not know, purchasing your ticket in the middle of the week as well as departing in the middle of the week will always get you the cheapest fare.
My ticket was $514 the Sunday before I purchased my ticket and went down to $288 by Wednesday.
Back to Dominica, the Nature island of the Caribbean.
No, IT IS NOT THE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC. And it is is pronounced DOM-I-NEE-KA, not DO-MI-NI-CA .
These are my two pet peeves. Even news journalists pronounce it incorrectly! I wanted to scream everytime I heard a CNN reported mispronounce it during the coverage of Hurricane Dean. You would think CNN could afford to do a little research into the matter!
My grandmother was born in Dominica, in the small fishing village of Pointe Michel. However, this will be my first time visiting Dominica, the nature island of the Caribbean with waterfalls, hot springs, volcanoes and the rainforest. Not to mention the only island that still has about 3000 full blooded Carib Indians. Columbus killed them off in all the other Caribbean islands by bringing over diseases like small pox.
I will be meeting cousins of my grandmother I have never met before. I am so glad to get this opportunity because they are all quite elderly and are not going to be around for much longer.
One of the main reasons I am going is to cover the World Crele Music Festival, an annual event for the last 10 years, showcasing musicians from the Caribbean and Africa. And to top it all off, I will get to experience the Independence Day celebrations on November 3, for the first time.
Now for the interesting part - FOOD - I have heard about Mountain Chicken, Dominica’s national dish. Now I will get to eat it. Mountain Chicken is actually crapaud, a kind of frog native to Dominica. If I like it, I am going to see if I can have some frozen and sneak it into the country. I’ll invite some friends over and we’ll have a Mountain Chicken cookout!
And market day in Roseau, the capital, I have heard is a sight to bestow. All the fresh fruits and vegetables available on one of the most undisturbed islands of the Caribbean, where people still live much the way they have for generations.
Trivia: - Carambola is the name for Starfruit in Dominica.