Fine Cuisine December 2022

GROUP CEO

Noel Wood

EXECUTIVE EDITOR

Carol Martindale

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Paulette Jones

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Andrea King

CONTRIBUTORS

Writers: Andrea King, Nick Nunes and Dominique Toppin

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Editor’s Note

It’s Christmas – the time of year for several mini-food festivals in homes and communities across the western world. And what a feast Fine Cuisine has prepared for you!

Let’s start with a charcuterie board. Nowadays it’s called a food board, because of how it has evolved over the centuries, and they are trending again. Quite a few entrepreneurs have included the preparation of charcuterie boards or food boards as a service, but foodies would already know how to do their own. While some connoisseurs will argue that it’s what is put on the board, I will argue that it’s more about how the foods are displayed on the board because it’s the design of the display that makes or breaks your charcuterie board. The great thing about this new trend is that you can also make one yourself from any foods you have at home, or you can do one to suit the epicurean taste of those with whom you are sharing. You just have to have pretty and (healthy!) foods with a range of flavours which can be paired with dips or sauces.

An exciting feature in this edition is learning about people from other lands and what their Christmas meals are like. There’s also a gift guide for people who love to cook, and a note on how to successfully handle and manage all the cooking that needs to be done. A perfect meal is not only one that tastes delicious, it’s one that was not stressful to cook.

Writer Dominique Toppin serves up some tips on how to build your charcuterie or food board from scratch, to help you diversify your food options and presentations this season. Nick Nunes advises on the various spices which can be added to your drinks this Christmas to give them that extra kick in flavour.

And a bonus is recipes from our How to Cook Like a Bajan chefs, which are great for both first-time and experienced cooks. Happy reading, and enjoy all your food, this holiday season!

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Meal in CountryMy Favourite Christmas

Preparing chapati:

Ingredients: Wheat flour, mixed into dough with water, oil, salt. Fortunately, all these ingredients are available in Barbados.

Preparation: Mix wheat flour and salt in a bowl then pour water bit by bit as you knead. Knead the dough for about 30 minutes and cut into balls. Next, roll the balls into thin discs using a rolling pin. Heat the frying pan and grease with oil. Once the frying pan gets hot, add a rolled dough and apply oil on top, once the top slightly bubbles up, flip it over and cook the other side. Remove it when both sides have brown spots. Do the same for all the rolled doughs. In Kenya for Christmas, chapati is served with kuku. During Christmas, kuku is the favourite dish served alongside chapati.

Preparing kuku (chicken stew):

Ingredients: Chicken pieces, fresh coriander, garlic, green pepper, tomatoes, onions, cooking oil. Again, fortunately, these ingredients are found in Barbados though getting

fresh coriander is at times quite problematic.

Preparation: Place the chicken pieces into a large sufuria (pot), add a little water and some salt. Cook for 40 minutes or until the chicken is tender. Drain off the excess broth from the sufuria and set aside. Add the onions and oil to the chicken and stir until the onions begin to turn golden brown. Add garlic and stir for 2 minutes then add green pepper and mix well for 3 minutes. Add tomatoes and continue mixing in between until they are tender and fully cooked. Pour in the chicken broth earlier placed aside and mix. Cover and let it simmer for 3 minutes. Remove from stove, add coriander and cover for a minute before serving.

Our Barbadian friends who have had the benefit of eating chapati served with chicken stew (kuku) prepared Kenyan style by my wife and daughter in our house have loved the meal though they say that preparation of chapati is timeconsuming

Name: Frederick Ochieng’-Odhiambo. Country of Origin: Kenya, came to Barbados in August 2003. Popular Christmas dish of my land: Chapati and Kuku (chicken stew).

Popular Christmas dishes of native land:

In Venezuela, the biggest holiday celebrations occur on December 24th and 31st. Unlike other countries, Venezuelans use Christmas Day and New Year’s Day as a day of rest after the exertions of the festivities.

In Venezuela, Christmas celebrations have a religious aspect. It is not the arrival of Santa Claus, but rather the arrival of baby Jesus on the 24th of December that is celebrated. On this night, everyone puts on their new clothes and enjoys a family dinner.

Even though each of the following is an iconic Christmas dish, the typical Christmas dinner consists of: Hallacas, Pan de Jamon, Ensalada de Gallina and Pernil horneado, there are always variations according to regional customs and/or availability of resources, but I can assure you that in every Venezuelan home at least two of the above dishes are enjoyed during the holidays.

Let me briefly explain each dish: Hallacas: is perhaps the most popular Venezuelan Christmas dish. There is a saying in Venezuela: “Nothing is more Christmassy than a hallaca”, and it is true. And while you will hardly ever see this dish at another time of year, it will be there on the 24th without fail. Hallaca is a kind of tamale stuffed mainly with pork, among other meats, and some vegetables, which are prepared in a stew. The stew is covered with dough made of pre-cooked corn flour and

wrapped with banana leaves, then boiled until ready.

Pan de Jamon - Ham bread: is perhaps the second most iconic Christmas dish in Venezuela.

It is a medium- or large-sized sweetish dough bread filled with various ingredients. In addition to ham, this bread also includes bacon, olives and raisins. Ham bread is usually made at home, although it is so traditional that all bakeries offer it during Christmas time in Venezuela.

Ensalada de Gallina - Chicken Salad: After hallaca and ham bread, another key staple of Venezuelan Christmas cuisine is chicken salad. The name is a little misleading, however, as this salad is not actually made with chicken but rather with hen. Along with the hen, you can find vegetables such as potatoes, carrots, and perhaps some others added depending on the region like apples and green peas.

Pernil horneado - Venezuelan Roast Pork Leg: a - four hours- slowroasted marinated pork leg or pork shoulder, marinated overnight, juicy on the inside, caramelised-crispy on the outside, and savoury all over.

How do you prepare it in Barbados (what substitutes do you use, if any, for ingredients that cannot be found)?

Since I haven’t celebrated Christmas in Barbados (yet) I haven’t prepared the roasted pork leg and the Hallacas. I have done the Chicken Salad and the Ham Bread recently without any

problem.

I think the Ham bread would be the trickiest one since the charcuterie in Barbados is limited comparing it with Venezuela’s variety but nothing to worry about, instead of the usual slice smoked ham I used the chicken-roasted version easily found here and a confession… I also tried it with the croissant canned dough and let me tell you, it came out great.

Regarding the chicken salad (we really use hen). Onene of our teachers at the Venezuelan Institute for Culture and Cooperation happens to be a hen breeder so I sorted out the trickiest of the ingredients; the rest is easily found in any supermarket.

My colleagues told me that there is no problem finding the ingredients for the Hallacas and Pernil, but for the Hallacas we have to buy the corn meal in advance since the one we use is only found in two or three stores in Barbados and it can be scarce sometimes.

Another ingredient to watch out for is the banana leaves since the Hallacas are wrapped up and cooked with this. In Venezuela it is common to find them for sale in bulk or ready to use in any supermarket but I have been told that in Barbados one has

Name: Martha Ortega Peraza Country of Origin: Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, came to Barbados nine months ago Popular Christmas dish of my land: Hallacas and Pan de Jamon

Name: Dominique Noralez Country of Origin: Belize, came to Barbados in 2020

Popular Christmas dish of my land: Rice and beans with turkey and ham, stuffing and potato salad

Popular Christmas dishes of native land:

Popular Christmas dishes in Belize are influenced by Latin American and Caribbean flavours. I’m from Belize City and of Garifuna and Kriol heritage so in my household on Christmas Eve, the house, outside of the smell of fresh linoleum, paint and sometimes varnish and on the background of Boom and Chime music, smells like vanilla essence white cake and Black cake preparation for which began six months prior with the soaking of prunes, cherries, pecans and raisins in strong white rum and brown sugar spiced with cinnamon and nutmeg. Black cake in my household is mixed in with Tate and Lyle syrup, Wood Dunn Dairy Maid Pure Creamery Butter and Guinness Stout-my grandmother allows no substitution in brand. On Christmas morning there are always freshly baked kriol bread and buns that are paired with the equally fresh and sweetly glazed ham leg.

to search for someone with banana trees willing to sell us the leaves. Thank God we have a lot of friends willing to do so but the cleaning of the leaves is a process that takes a considerable amount of time but hey, the Hallacas are worth it!

How is it received by Barbadians who have it?

Well, a few months ago I had the opportunity to participate with the Embassy in a culinary exposition at the Golden Square Freedom Park as one of my first activities as head of the diplomatic mission and let me tell you that the love displayed by the Bajans for the Venezuelan dishes was OVERWHELMING!

I couldn’t believe the lines that lasted all day, until the last arepa and empanada was handed out – unbelievable! So I truly believe that any Bajan would absolutely love the Venezuelan Christmas dishes.

Lunch is rice and beans (not peas), with turkey and ham with sides of stuffing, cranberry sauce and potato salad all washed down with Old Fashioned Belizean Lemonade or Coke and of course, you can’t forget the rum. In Hispanic homes, tamales abound and in Maya homes some steamy Caldo is a go-to. In Garifuna homes, fried Red Snapper is added to the table and in East Indian homes you cannot have Christmas without cohune cabbage. A popular decadent drink is Rum Popo which is a sweet milky mixture that incorporates the flavours of Christmas- warm spices, and, well, more rum.

How do you prepare it in Barbados (what substitutes do you use, if any, for ingredients that cannot be found)?

In Barbados, my fellow Belizean students and I usually potluck

because of the cost of livingsomeone does ham, someone does a large enough chicken, another person does the rice and Beans, and another the potato salad and stuffing. Typically, someone bakes a white cake that is soaked in rum but we don’t touch the Black fruit cake or RumPopo: I consider that an art. My Barbadian friends are also quite warm and welcoming as well and I usually pray that someone’s mom is still in the conkie-making mood at Christmas without raisins.

How is it received by Barbadians who have it?

As mentioned earlier I’m usually with my Belizean family in Barbados during Christmas time but Belizeans are marvellous cooks. I am sure any guest would not only enjoy the meal but the bright and homey personality that all Belizeans herald.

Holiday

pantry staples

by Nick Nunes

Christmas is here and that means family, friends, and long-lost connections are coming in for a landing and definitely going to be pilfering the pantries of those who can’t resist entertaining. Families with lots of kids are going to require significant quantities of snacks and the potential for people just dropping in is on the rise, which means having a stocked pantry for quick fixings is a definite must at this time of year.

What are the holiday essentials? Well, typical items found in the pantry like canned goods and flour are always going to come in handy during the holidays. Flour is going to get a lot of use as cakes, cookies, and all sorts of confections are definitely going to be prepared. However, many are also going to need a bit of flour to make a roux for gravy or sauce to go over scalloped potatoes or béchamel for macaroni pie.

BAkING

For the bakers among us, flour is a must-have in the pantry yearround. At Christmas time, the need for flour increases with the desire to craft all sorts of confections in the home kitchen. Bread flour, cake flour, wheat flour, self-rising flour, corn meal, and corn starch, all are essential for the season. Leaveners are also important—baking soda, baking powder, and yeast. Don’t forget your extracts—vanilla, almond, coconut, etc.

Bakers should also be sure to stock up on nuts, dried fruits, baking chocolates, shortening, multiple sugars, cocoa powder, salt, and dairy items like butter, milk, and creams of all kinds. Spices of all kinds like cinnamon, cloves, allspice, ginger, nutmeg, and star anise should be present. Don’t forget chocolate chips, jams, jellies, oats, food colourings, sprinkles, and powdered gelatin.

CANS

Can’t forget all the canned goods.

Tins of stock or stored veggies like corn, carrots, and peas are always great to have on hand. Beans are always going to be used during the holiday. Kidney beans, baked beans, black beans, pinto, chickpeas, green beans, and all kinds of peas will definitely find use at Christmas time.

Tins of tuna, mackerel, sardines, and salmon make for easy items to prepare at a moment’s notice when guests drop in unexpectedly. Tins of tomato paste, tomato sauces or chucks, soups and stocks, mushrooms, cranberries, and beets will all find use through the Christmas feasting prep.

SNACkS

It wouldn’t be the holidays without a little indulgence. Cookies, crackers, chips and crisps, confections, candies, and everything that comes in a crinkly wrapper are sure to get kiddies excited about sweets. Of course, candy canes are the staple of the Christmas celebratory sweets but all the different kinds of snacks are

welcome at the Christmas snack table.

Don’t forget the dips to go along with the chips. Whether you’re a fan of salsa or spinach, a good dip can really round out the snacking station at any Christmas gathering. Cheesy dips, pate, guacamole, humus—the more dips the merrier.

WINE

It’s Christmas time, we can’t forget the wine. Whether or not you’re a big fan of fermented grapes or not, wine of all times is a must on the kitchen supply list. Dry wines, sweet wines, cooking wines, rice wines—a lot of cuisine calls for the addition of wine to spruce up and embolden the flavours of a given dish.

White wines are essential for light dishes like shrimp or fish, especially if you take an Italian recipe route. Red wines are magnificent for deepening the flavour of hearty dishes like the gravies for roast beef or stew. And, of course, it’s always great to have wine on hand to share a glass with the guests that you welcome this season.

CHRISTMAS WHERE CULINARY MEETS ARTISTRY Charcuterie Boards

by Dominique Toppin

At Christmas time, it’s not just about the exciting gifts we’ll receive, it’s also about food!

And at this time of the year, people are more open to trying new dishes as it brings excitement and joy to the festive period. Barbados is a hotspot for people from across the globe, creating a melting pot of culinary cultures. One trend becoming popular is the ancient French tradition of charcuterie

boards (pronounced “shahr-ku-tuhree”). This traditionally contained preserved meats and evolved to include an assortment of cheeses, artisan bread, olives, fruit, and nuts. Today, the food board can contain anything you want to serve.

By now, if you’re an avid TikToker or enjoying scrolling through IG, you would’ve seen some amazing designs of charcuterie boards. And that’s what it has become today – a dazzling display of food. The objective is not just the creative

combining of foods and flavours, but the artistry in the design of the presentation.

And what better time for this than Christmas, when there is already a wide variety of foods and décor?

Artistic presentations can be made by combining various meats, cheeses, artisan breads, biscuits, fruits and sauces in an eye-catching array, and may even look like a table centrepiece if serving four to 10 guests.

Here are some tips on making the perfect charcuterie board yourself to serve anytime during the holidays.

1. The first step may seem obvious simply based on the name, but while it may seem basic, choosing the perfect size board to arrange the food is key to ensuring that your design is unique and a joy to look at. Therefore, step one is choosing the best board. This choice largely depends on the number of people being served.

2. If you are using dips or sauces, put ramekins or small containers on the board first to give the design a structure.

3. Next, put the assortment of cheeses. The most popular recommendations are:

• Soft cheeses like brie or ricotta

• Semi-firm cheeses like cheddar or emmentaler

• Hard cheeses like aged gouda or aged cheddar, romano, or parmesan

• Blue cheese like gorgonzola or a cheddar blue

• Crumbly cheese like ricotta salata or cotija

• Spreadable cheese like fresh goat cheese or cream cheese

4. Having selected the different types of meat you’re using, fold them into an appealing design which fits and combines with the cheeses you chose. Various types of hams and sausages, salami, and pepperoni are the usual recommendations.

At this point, step back and look at your curated design, and feel proud as it comes together. Now is the time to fill in your spaces with your preferred toast or crackers. Feel free to get playful and creative by adding different types in various shapes and sizes.

In addition to cheeses and meats, an assortment of fruits and nuts stands out as a key addition. Fruits such as grapes, raspberries, blueberries

and marinated olives are the usual favourites and tend to blend well on the eyes as well as the palate.

You can also prepare a fruit or a vegetable board, (actually called “crudités”). The best types of fruit to make your fruit board are the ones which don’t turn brown. Berries (raspberries, blueberries and strawberries), grapes, kiwi, mango, peaches, pineapple, oranges and watermelon are the most colourful

and best.

The idea behind charcuterie boards is to make a creative yet delicious assortment of food items to satisfy both the eye and the palate. So, get creative and have fun this season by arranging a charcuterie board and rock the palates of friends and family. Have fun making your (first!) Bajan style charcuterie board, and let the bold colours and Caribbean flavours add to your 2022 Christmas!

The festive season of Christmas is here and high on the minds of many many is what will be the best gift for family and friends. While the true meaning behind the celebration involves more than giving and receiving gifts, there is no doubt that it’sis a big part of the annual holiday. For those who are inner chefs and bakers at heart, the kitchen is the most wonderful place to be during this time of the year and having the best tools and appliances makes it even more special.

With the Christmas season in mind, to help make your choices easier, the Fine Cuisine team thought it best to include an article which highlights some of the best gifts to spruce up the kitchen and wow the minds of those lucky enough to use them.

by Dominique Toppin

Fine Cuisine Gift Guide

We researched some of the best cooking gifts for the chef, baker and for those who simply love kitchen appliances. And with so many options it really was difficult to include all of the favourites. However, the following guide includes options for beginner cooks and cooking pros. Practical and easy to use, or simply a modern upgrade of an old applicane of kitchen utensil, you can guarantee that anyone who loves cooking will put them to good use — trust us!

The Fine Cuisine Gift Guide

• The Food Processor - The ‘smart upgrade of course! This appliance is revolutionsed the world of cooking with its ability to make anything from a simple dip, soup or sauce to an entire meal for your family. It can grind, chop, mince, purée, shred, grate, mix, blend, slice and knead. This kitchen gift usually tops most lists for the kitchen appliance lover, and for good reason! With its classic yet powerful workhorse ability and simplicity, this item is usually cherished and appreciated in any kitchen.

• The Air Fryer - The popularity of air fryers rose within the past couple of years due to their affordability and convenience over the standard convection oven. They are also known to make food healthier as they require considerably less oil than the traditional fryer. With the significant cut down on time to prepare a meal, settings to air fry, roast, broil, reheat, and dehydrate, this is one gift that we’re sure will get more than its fair share of use in any kitchen.

• The Stand Mixer - The kitchen of your baker friend would of course have a stand mixer, but its next gen upgrade could be the perfect gift. Even if you do not receive an actual pan of warm brownies, we’re certain it will score you major brownie points. One with (even more than) 10 mixing speeds and a bowl to mix the gift receiver’s famous cookie, ice cream

or cake recipes, this appliance ranks in the top three of the list of kitchen favourites.

• The upgraded blender - Blenders have been around for aeons and appear in many kitchens across the world. They are good for mixing, puréeing, and emulsifying food into a wide range of delicious drinks, sauces and more, and are well-loved by home cooks and professional chefs. And the smart ones can be used outdoors too!

• The Pasta Maker - For those seasoned chefs who are looking to experiment a bit more with their recipes, the pasta maker is a classic! While nothing is wrong with storebought pasta and noodles, nothing beats creating it on your own. With the holiday season approaching, help your food guru to save time, both prep and cleanup, with this impressive little machine. All they have to do is add the ingredients, turn it on, and 15 minutes later they’ll have perfectly uniform pasta.

From practical kitchen gifts to something a little more unique, the list of kitchen appliances to give as gifts is practically endless.

So if you’re looking for the perfect items to spruce up your kitchen or to offer a fun, smart kitchen gift idea to brighten and make the life of your chef friends easy, then this article was specially done just for you!

Here are a few more ideas for the kitchen that already has everything:

1. A charcuterie board! (See the article on PAGE 16 to 17 for how to use it)

2. A pasta maker – great for making gluten-free pasta with a variety of healthy flours

3. An expresso or tea-making machine

4. Colour block and upgraded utensils or cutlery sets

5. An automatic soap dispenser

6. A stove top reversible grill/ griddle

7. A temperature-controlled smart mug

8. A cookbook stand (can be used for your smart device too!)

9. Clay serving bowls or mahogany trays from any of our local crafts artisans

10. A juicer

11. A magnetic spice jar

12. An engraved rolling pin (your cookies will always stand out!)

13. A vegan soft-serve dessert maker

14. A personalised kitchen apron 15. A smart toaster

16. A complete mixologist set

KitChen essentials For the

The happiest time of the year is also the busiest time of year. Not only does the Christmas season come with an influx of tourists to the island but it comes with a surge in familiar fetes, focuses on food, and general chaos in every kitchen around the island.

Like most Caribbean cultures, a strong stance is taken when it comes to feeding the ones you love, especially during the holiday season. No other time of the year has quite the focus on food as the Christmas feast commands.

holidays

by Nick Nunes

Christmas comes with the demands of the delicious revisiting of old memories and traditions that spark jubilant imaginings of all the joyous flavours of years before. Hams, roast birds, puddings, potato-based everythings, pies, pumpkin dishes, rice, confections—this is the time of year when all the best and more extravagant feast foods come together.

For many, this may be the first Christmas in two years that family is truly coming together again, at least the extended and extra-large families that may have been stifled by social regulations that have now been lifted.

A good Christmas clean of the kitchen is a great start to finding out what you need and what needs replacing or restocking for the season. Christmas is basically already here. The radio waves are already demanding a focus on the jolly season and hams are filling the cold isles of supermarkets in anticipation of being taken home.

So, what are the essentials? Here are the obvious items to check over-baking paper, foil, cling film, paper towels, wax paper, measuring cups, tongs, graters, thermometers, stirring spoons, serving spoons, ladles, tongs, sieves, scissors, mixing bowls, twine, scales, peelers, roasting trays, baking trays, serving plates and bowls, colanders, kitchen knives, and chopping boards for different purposes.

Making certain that you’ve got all these up to scratch and ready to undertake the heavyduty workload that they’re about to endure is paramount for a successful Christmas feasting season. Aside from measuring spoons and baking dishes and an assortment of pots and pans for all the fixings to be festooned across the serving table, an often forgotten must for feast occasions is Tupperware.

Without a doubt, there will be leftovers of all the Christmas dishes that help to make the holiday a happy home dining experience. Inevitably, we all lose our takeaway containers to family and friends that will definitely be carting off some of the sumptuous selections on the Christmas table.

It is definitely time to restock on all the small and large containers that can be carried away when lethargy starts to set in but a desire to revisit the wondrous meal still remains.

Making the kitchen experience a little lighter is always going to be a boon for anyone dedicated to personally crafting a complete and hearty banquet. Some of the best ways to tackle a host of different dishes come in the form of new-fangled gadgets for the kitchen.

One of the biggest trends of the day comes from the air fryer. These contraptions aren’t a new addition but have certainly gained steam in the last few years. Basically, they’re just small convection ovens that make for easy use and quick cleanup. Throwing some potatoes or any other dishes that usually require baking or frying into an air fryer can cut down on the amount of time your oven is occupied with other items.

A rice cooker is also a perfect option for saving stove top space and setting and forgetting something that doesn’t need a whole lot of vigilance. The stove top is definitely going to be covered in pots and pans for sauces and gravies and other dishes that need a watchful eye. However, washing and pouring your cleaned rice into a rice cooker makes for checking one big ticket item off your list and removing it from taking up stove space. Plus, when the rice cooker is done, there’s no risk of burning the bottom of your rice when you get caught up in the fray of cooking too many dishes at once.

Now, the big boon of kitchen helpfulness comes in the form of a crock pot or slow cooker. These wonderful gadgets are so versatile and wonderful that every kitchen should boast one. Stew, roasts, soups, casseroles, stuffing, braised meats—the crock pot can seemingly do it all. Especially for dishes that you want to get extra tender, low and slow cooking is the way to go without wasting expensive gas by utilising the stove.

Kitchen gadgets of today can aid in improving all facets of dish creation and are a great way to smooth out all the wrinkles in space and cook time in the kitchen for Christmas. If you know someone that’s always in the kitchen, some of these gadgets will also make for extremely appreciated gifts. See our gift guide on page 14 & 15.

Christmas is a foodie’s best time of year, and Fine Cuisine obliges by providing some recipes from our How to Cook Like A Bajan series. They’re all Bajan Christmas favourites!

If it’s your first time preparing any of these recipes, just follow them to the letter, and you’ll feel like an expert when you’re done.

Valrico Jug-Jug

PREP TIME: 15 min

COOk TIME: 1 hr SERVES: 4-6 serving(s)

Ingredients

• 4 cups water

• 2 cups Valrico Pigeon Peas

• 1/2 lb salt beef, soaked

• 1/2 lb chicken and/or beef, cut into bite sized pieces

• 1/4 lb green seasoning

• 3 springs fresh thyme

• 3 stems fresh marjoram

• 1 cup guinea cornflour

• salt and pepper

• 2 tablespoons Waitrose Butter

PREPARATION STEPS

1. First boil your Valrico Pigeon Peas and salt meat until soft. Reserve the cooking water.

2. Fry the chicken/beef pieces. Add the green seasoning, herbs and the reserved water.

3. Take the meat out of the water, put it in a food processor with the Valrico Pigeon Peas and grind it all up together. Meanwhile, add the guinea flour to the water and cook until you get a nice porridge-like consistency. Add a little bit of water as needed if the mixture is too thick.

4. Transfer the meat and peas back to the pot and season with salt and pepper. Mix well and cook over medium heat for 30 minutes, stirring often until spoon stands up in mixture. Place pat of Waitrose Butter on top and serve. You may crisp the top under the broiler in you prefer.

Rhea Gilkes

Farmers Choice Ham Baked in Banks Beer

PREP TIME: 15 min

COOk TIME: 3 hr

SERVES: 30 servings

Ingredients

• 1 Farmer’s Choice Picnic Ham

• 1 Bottle Banks Beer

• Honey Mustard Glaze (optional)

PREPARATION STEPS

1. Preheat oven to 320˚F/160˚C.

2. Score the Farmer’s Choice Ham skin in a diagonal pattern. Place the Farmer’s Choice Ham, with the fattier side up, in the roasting pan. Pour the Banks Beer over the ham. Place lid or foil on roasting pan.

3. Bake for two hours on low temp.

4. When the fat on the Farmer’s Choice Ham is soft turn the oven up to 375˚F. Bake for another 45 minutes or until the ham is done.

• Apply glaze of your choice (optional) and return to the oven (without foil) for 10/15 mins to crisp ham crackling (skin).

BADMC Pepperpot

Ingredients

• 4 lbs meat (oxtail, rabbit chicken), cut in chunks

• Salt

• 1 teaspoon minced garlic (optional)

• 1 teaspoon thyme

• 1 teaspoon white pepper

• 1/2 medium onion, diced largely (about 1 cup)

• 1 cup of beef stock

• 1-2 tablespoons Plantation Reserve Brown Sugar

• 2 -3 garlic cloves, minced (optional)

• 1 medium onion, chopped

• 2 green onions, diced

• 2 teaspoons fresh thyme, minced

• 1 scotch bonnet pepper

• 1/2 cup cassareep

• 3 cups water less or more

• 1 cinnamon stick, split in half

• salt and pepper to taste

PREPARATION STEPS

1. Place beef and other meats in a large bowl or Waitrose food storage bag then add salt, garlic, thyme, white pepper, onion and stock.

2. Mix with a spoon or with hands until they are well coated and every inch of the meat is covered. Set aside in the fridge. If possible let it marinate overnight.

3. When ready to cook, shake off any excess spice from the meat.

4. Place in a large Dutch Oven or heavy bottom pan on medium heat, then add sugar, keep stirring until it caramelises and begins to turn deep brown. Be careful not to let it burn.

5. Add the oxtail to the dutch pan and brown to seal in flavours, this might take about three minutes. Remove oxtail from the pan and set aside on a plate.

6. Add rabbit/chicken and brown, stirring to prevent any burns, until brown. If pot is not too large, do so in batches.

7. Throw in the garlic, onions, thyme and scotch bonnet. Continue cooking for about 3-5 minutes.

8. Add the cassareep, cinnamon stick and throughly mix and continue cooking for about 1-2 mins.

9. Next add water to cover the meat, bring to a boil, reduce heat and let it simmer for about 10 minutes.

10. Put the mixture, all the meat, the other half of the cassareep into the slow cooker, add more water, if needed. Water should not be above the meat

11. Cook for a minimum of 12 hours on low or until the oxtail is tender.

12. Adjust with seasonings to taste.

13. Garnish with parsley and serve with bread or white rice

Christmas CoCKtail Corner

by Nick Nunes

The nights are already getting a little cooler. The cane arrows have appeared on the tops of rows of cane all around the country. Tourism is reviving. Christmas music is all over the airwaves. It’s definitely the season for celebration and sipping on some sweet cocktails while enjoying the more wonderful time of year.

Christmas is a time that is heavily associated with several drinks. Mulled wine, eggnog, hot chocolate, ciders of all kinds, and tea to warm the soul are all regularly consumed during the Christmas season. Even in the Caribbean it gets just cool enough to enjoy a warm mug of cocoa by a fire in the chill of the night.

The most Christmas-associated alcoholic beverage, thanks to Hollywood, is eggnog. Though not a big drink in the Caribbean, this egg yolk cream mixture may be worth a try if just for seeing what it’s all about this Christmas.

Whisked egg yolks combined with cream, milk, salt, and nutmeg are heated in a saucepan till it completely comes together and vanilla and an alcohol of choice are added to complete the concoction. Brandy, whiskey, rum, vodka, or whatever suits your alcohol preference can be the main draw in this cocktail.

As the Spruce Eats puts it, “Summer may have sangria, but winter is the time for mulled wine. It is, without a doubt, the cosiest way to enjoy wine during the holidays.”

What is mulled wine, you ask? Well, it’s basically sangria with extra steps. Pouring out your run-of-the-mill red into a larger container and adding in fruits and spices, plus a little extra oomph of another alcohol is all you need to craft this traditional Christmas beverage.

Oranges, apples, plums, cinnamon sticks, star anise, cloves—these are all perfectly acceptable additions to craft your own personal punch of mulled wine. To pump up the alcoholic quality of the mulled wine, you can also consider pouring in a bit of spiced and flavourful rum to mingle with the medley of flavours crafted together.

If you’re looking for something with a little more familiarity and a little less catered to those living in cold climates, always consider just ramping up the old favourites with a bit of nutmeg freshly dusted over the top of your drinks or a bit of cinnamon sparingly sprinkled to give that scent a spice to holiday alcohol escapades.

Cinnamon and star anise go great with citrus-heavy drinks and can take a little focus away from extra-sweet drinks. Cardamom can also be an interesting addition to cocktail hour by adding the unexpected to your regular rum indulgence.

Gin is a great versatile drink for the holidays. With the rising popularity of colour-changing gins, the juniper berry alcohol can make for a visual feast during the holidays. Many of the blue gins offered today have an interesting reaction to the addition of any citrus—they turn pink!

A strong pour of deep blue gin over some awaiting ice, a heavy squeeze of fresh lime, a small squirt of simple syrup and a top-off of tonic water will have a wonderful presentation in the mixing and is a pretty good drinking experience on its own.

Whatever your tastes, a little bit of dazzle added to the old and familiar can only add to the extravagance of the holidays in the best of ways this Christmas season.