Tag: Jamaican
Black Cake
Black Cake aka Rum Cake aka Christmas Joy
A dense, decadent dessert reserved for the holidays. Fruit cake's final form.
Equipment
- 1 extra large mixing bowl
- 1 large saucepan
- 1 large wooden spoon
- 4 large baking pan (diameter >20 cm)
- 1 silicone spatula
- 1 kitchen scale (optional)
Ingredients
Fruit Mix
- 5 cups red Kosher wine (1.25 L)
- 8 tbsp overproof white rum (120 mL) (63% ethanol v/v)
- 1 ¼ cup water (300 mL)
- 2 cups prunes (500 g)
- 1 cup Thompson raisins (250 g)
- 1 cup red or green candied cherries (250 g)
- 1 cup candied mixed peel (250 g)
- 1 cup dried currants (250 g)
- 1 cup citron (candied lemon peel) (250 g)
Cake Batter Mix
- 4 cups butter (salted or unsalted) (900 g)
- 1 lb white granulated sugar (450 g)
- 1 lb brown (Demerara) sugar (450 g)
- 4 lbs all-purpose flour (2 kg)
- 15 eggs
Flavourings
- 2 tbsp vanilla extract (30 mL)
- 1 tsp lemon juice (4 mL)
- 1 tbsp almond extract (15 mL)
- 1 tbsp freshly ground nutmeg (15 g)
- 1 tbsp ground cinnamon (15 g)
- 1 tbsp mixed spice (15 g)
- 1 tbsp mace of nutmeg (15 g)
- 1 tsp Kosher salt (4 g)
- ½ bottle caramel browning (150 mL)
- 4 tbsp baking powder (60 g) (1 tbsp per cup of flour)
- 2 lemons zest (30 g)
- 2 oranges zest (40 g)
Instructions
Preparation
- Assemble ALL ingredients and equipment.
Fruit Mix
- In a large saucepan, add 3 cups red Kosher wine (750 mL), 1 ¼ cups water (300 mL), 2 cups prunes (500 g), 1 cup raisins (250 g), 1 cup candied cherries (250 g), 1 cup mixed peels (250 g), 1 cup dried currants (250 g), and 1 cup lemon peel (250 g). Simmer everything on low heat for 45 min, stirring every 15 min.
- The dried fruits should absorb the water. After 45 min, remove from heat and let the mixture cool to room temperature. Once cooled, add 1 additional cup of red Kosher wine (240 mL) and 4 tbsp of overproof (63%) white rum (60 mL). Cover tightly and set aside to macerate for at least 2 days. Then, add the macerated fruit mixture to a blender with an additional cup of red Kosher wine (250 mL) and 4 tbsp of overproof white rum (60 mL) until the ingredients form a deep red thick paste.
Notes
Many of my childhood Christmas Breaks were spent toiling over making this recipe. I hope that you too can enjoy the fruits of this labour one day. Cheers, Kareem
Steamed Callaloo
Steamed Callaloo | If Only Popeye Knew
Lean, green, nutrient-dense machine. A true Jamaican greens staple – eaten breakfast, lunch and dinner, 366 days a year.
Equipment
- 1 can opener
- 1 colander or sieve
- 1 mixing bowl
- 1 vegetable cutting board
- 1 chef's knife
- 1 saute pan
Ingredients
Key Ingredients
- 1 can callaloo (drained and rinsed) (300 g)
- 1 onion (sliced) (200 g)
- 2 cloves garlic (minced) (30 g)
- 2 tbsp olive oil (30 g)
- ½ tsp freshly ground black pepper (2 g)
- ½ tsp Kosher salt (2 g)
Add-ons
- ½ bell pepper (diced) (100 g)
- 2 tsp butter (8 g)
- ½ tsp Jamaican pimento (all-spice) (ground) (2 g)
- ⅛ Scotch Bonnet pepper (unaltered) (2 g) (optional)
Instructions
Preparation
- Using a can opener, open 1 can of callaloo (300 g), drain and rinse the callaloo of the brine that it came with. Set aside in a colander over a mixing bowl to drain.
- Over a vegetable cutting board, slice 1 onion (200 g) and mince 2 cloves of garlic (30 g).
- Heat a frying pan over medium flame and add 2 tbsp of olive oil (30 g). Once the oil is hot and shimmering, add the minced garlic and fry for 30 sec until the oil is fragrant and the garlic is golden brown.
Rice and Peas
I remember watching a Youtube video of Caribbean mothers competing and sizing up each other’s Rice and Peas and realizing that something so technically precise can be executed very differently. This is how I watched my parents cook Rice and Peas – I’ve yet to …
Jerk Chicken
Jerk Chicken | Not for the Faint of Heart
Spices and herbs in every nook and corner, a scintillating base of aromatic onions and garlic, the awakening pungency of the Scotch Bonnet pepper and Jamaican pimento.
Equipment
- 1 oven or grill Preheat to 425 F / 220 ℃
- 1 roasting pan
- 1 Meat cleaver (optional)
- 1 large mixing bowl
- 1 blender or food processor or mortar/pestle
Ingredients
Meat
- 2 lbs dark chicken meat (legs and/or thighs) (bone-in or de-boned) (900 g)
Vegetables
- 3 large yellow onions (chopped) (500 g)
- 1 bunch green onions or Jamaican escallions (100 g)
- 2 Scotch Bonnet peppers (habanero) (30 g)
- 1 bunch fresh thyme (40 g)
- 6 cloves fresh garlic (90 g)
- 75 g fresh ginger
Seasonings (dry)
- 4 tbsp Kosher salt (60 g)
- 2 tsp freshly ground black pepper (8 g)
- 1 tbsp Jamaican pimento (all-spice) (15 g)
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon (8 g)
- 2 tsp cloves (8 g)
Seasonings (wet)
- 3 tbsp vinegar or citrus juice (45 mL)
- ¼ cup olive oil (60 g)
- 1 tbsp butter (15 g)
- 1 tbsp tomato paste (15 g)
- 2 tbsp Walker's Wood Jerk Seasoning Spicy do not substitute, only omit if not found (30 g)
- 4 tbsp Pickapeppa sauce (60 g)
- 2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce (30 mL)
- 150 mL Grace browning
Instructions
Assembly
- Preheat an oven and roasting pan or grill to 400 F / 200 ℃.
Marinade
- Peel onions and garlic, chop roughly and add to a large bowl.
- Remove the roots of the green onions and chop roughly. Add to bowl.
- Wash the thyme and add to bowl whole.
- Carefully halve the peppers and remove the stem, seeds and veins. Add to bowl.
- Chop ginger roughly and add to bowl.
- Transfer bowl contents to blender with oil and pulse to combine.
- Add brown sugar, cinnamon, cloves, all-spice, salt, browning, Worcestershire sauce, Pickapeppa sauce, and WW jerk seasoning to the blender. Blend until smooth adding up to 75 mL water, if necessary, to achieve a smooth consistency.
Roasting
- Coat the dark chicken meat liberally with marinade and massage. Sprinkle with salt and black pepper to taste.
- To the pre-heated roasting pan, add butter and coat the bottom.
- Add chicken skin side up and roast for 25 minutes at 400 F until the top reaches a charcoal brown colour. Reduce heat to 360 F and cover. Continue baking for 35 minutes or until internal temp reaches 165 F.
- Serve with your favourite starches and veggies. Enjoy!
Jerk. A name of infamy and not for the faint of heart. I’ve likened a house Jerk marinade to Mexican mole or Italian bolognese. Easily comprised of over 20 ingredients, whittled down, pored over and reiterated to exhaustion. Spices and herbs in every nook and corner, a scintillating base of aromatic onions and garlic, the awakening pungency of the Scotch Bonnet pepper and allspice. Traditionally, slow-smoking over pimento bark charcoal locked in every ounce of flavouring into the tender protein du jour. Chicken, pork and fish are all fair game. In modern times, roasted in a conventional oven with remarkable results. Chicken, pork and fish are all fair game. More modern affairs have tried their hand at tofu, beef and goat. Truly the G.O.A.T. in my estimation, jerk is not something to be trifled with as a mere sauce or spice blend. Jerk is a culture, an homage to harmony, an exclamation of the bold that sings flavour as much as it bellows heat.
Curry Chicken
So much of my childhood was built on curry chicken. Note that it’s not chicken curry which is the case for most other cuisines. Jamaican curry chicken treats the curry component as a seasoning rather than a rich sauce that meat is added to. The …