Mom first made this recipe last year and it was a hit! Plantain is rarely showcased this formally on dinner tables and it really is a shame. In this case, lengths of ripe plantain are oven-baked with orange juice and zest. The result is creamy, with a slightly caramelized exterior.

My personal suggestions with this recipe are to 1) make sure the plantain is adequately ripe i.e. that the skin has become almost completely black. The dish isn’t as appealing when the plantain is too firm. Similarly, rather than topping it with orange zest (as suggested by the recipe), try topping it with some additional brown sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg. The orange zest can tend to get bitter in the oven. Of course, play around to suit your own personal preferences. Even as I am typing this I am thinking that maybe a blend of zest and sugar may be the perfect compromise. Looks like I’ll be trying this recipe again in the near future

Plaintain (or Moko) Baked In Orange Juice
Source: Naparima Girls High School Cookbook

INGREDIENTS:
2 ripe plantains or moko
2 tbsp. honey
1/2 cup orange juice
2 tbsp. grated orange rind
1/2 tsp salt

METHOD:
1. Peel and slice plantain in any way one prefers, lengthwise or crosswise
2. Place in a greased baking dish
3. Mix juice, honey, rind and salt
4. Pour over plantain
5. Bake at 350F until nicely browned and cooked (15-20 minutes)

Note: Sweet potatoes could be done in this way. Parboil potatoes, peel and slice in dish, pour syrup over and bake until potatoes are cooked (25-30 minutes)

Look at that cake! So perfect for this month’s Daring Bakers Challenge! Chocolatey, gooey, with a thin, crackly brownie-like crust… so light but rich, it melts on your tongue… and.. not a drop of flour in sight! *record scratch* …

Yup, you heard me! A chocolate cake, luscious, decadent and gluten free! I loved dropping this piece of information on people, especially my mother as I offered her up a slice! Flourless cakes are not something new to me. I am used to making them at Passover time, but this one really ‘takes the cake’! I have filed the recipe away to resurrect this Passover season, as it is relatively labour-free, and only requires 3 ingredients!!!

After past disasters with flourless cake recipes I have learnt the hard way that it’s really important to fold the egg whites until not a speck of white can be seen. Be aware that any white left in the batter will only harden, and you will have tough lumps of egg white in your cake slices. *SHUDDER*

Once your batter is well blended you can pretty much rest assured that the scariest part of the recipe is behind you. The cake bakes at a fairly high temperature for a relatively short time. After leaving it to cool for a while you are ready to slice and serve! The texture is very similar to a brownie. Light crackly exterior, gooey, luscious center. As the cake continues to cool it gets increasingly dense. Knowing which result you prefer can be a determining factor in when you want to serve it. I myself prefer it still warm and moist. This is when it is lightest and seems to melt your tongue! All you need is a light dusting of confectioner’s sugar on top and your guests will be going WOW!

This month’s challenge included creating an icecream ‘side’ to our cake. Well nothing could be quicker or easier than a Raw Banana Softserve! It’s even pretty dang nutritious! Just the thing to assauge the guilt of a chocolate hangover

Chocolate Valentino
Preparation Time: 20 minutes

INGREDIENTS:

16 ounces (1 pound) (454 grams) of semisweet chocolate, roughly chopped
½ cup (1 stick) plus 2 tablespoons (146 grams total) of unsalted butter
5 large eggs separated

METHOD:

1. Put chocolate and butter in a heatproof bowl and set over a pan of simmering water (the bottom of the bowl should not touch the water) and melt, stirring often.
2. While your chocolate butter mixture is cooling. Butter your pan and line with a parchment circle then butter the parchment.
3. Separate the egg yolks from the egg whites and put into two medium/large bowls.
4. Whip the egg whites in a medium/large grease free bowl until stiff peaks are formed (do not over-whip or the cake will be dry).
5. With the same beater beat the egg yolks together.
6. Add the egg yolks to the cooled chocolate.
7. Fold in 1/3 of the egg whites into the chocolate mixture and follow with remaining 2/3rds. Fold until no white remains without deflating the batter. {link of folding demonstration}
8. Pour batter into prepared pan, the batter should fill the pan 3/4 of the way full, and bake at 375F/190C
9. Bake for 25 minutes until an instant read thermometer reads 140F/60C.
Note – If you do not have an instant read thermometer, the top of the cake will look similar to a brownie and a cake tester will appear wet.
10. Cool cake on a rack for 10 minutes then unmold.

Raw Vanilla Softserve
Source: GoneRaw.com

INGREDIENTS:

4 large bananas, frozen
1/4 cup raisins, soaked
2 tablespoon ground chia seeds (I use ground flaxseed)
2 teaspoon vanilla extract (or the equivalent amount of vanilla bean)
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
10 drops stevia (I use agave or honey)

METHOD:

1. First, process the soaked raisins until they are relatively smooth.
2. Then add in the bananas, vanilla, ground chia, spices and stevia, and continue to process until the mixture is completly smooth and creamy.
3. Try the ice cream, and add more stevia or vanilla to taste.

4. At this point, it will seem like a cold pudding, so freeze the ice cream for 1-2 hours.
5. Stir before serving. Dig in!

The February 2009 challenge is hosted by Wendy of WMPE’s blog and Dharm of Dad ~ Baker & Chef.
We have chosen a Chocolate Valentino cake by Chef Wan; a Vanilla Ice Cream recipe from Dharm and a Vanilla Ice Cream recipe from Wendy as the challenge.

Since mid-December I have spent my weekdays consuming mostly raw dishes and drinks. Smoothies in particular have become my staple breakfasts (and sometimes stand in for lunch and dinner as well!). They can be simple, just 2 or 3 ingredients, or elaborate, containing everything but the kitchen sink. This recipe for a Banana-Basil smoothie veers towards the simpler side of the spectrum which is why I like it so much. Submitted by a reader to GoneRaw.com (one of my favourite sites for raw recipes), I was first a bit wary to make it because basil and banana just didn’t strike me as a winning combination. Let alone basil in a beverage. Then I thought of mints and mojitos and thought, well maybe it wouldn’t be so bad. Well it’s far from bad, in fact it’s pretty darn good! The basil turns this from just being another banana smoothie and transforms it into something slightly more complex, something slightly more sophisticated. Because we always have bananas on hand, and we grow our own basil, this is one drink that I have been making rather regularly especially when I get those mid- evening cravings but am not quite yet ready for ‘dinner’

Banana Basil Smoothie
Source: GoneRaw.com

INGREDIENTS:

2 ripe bananas, peeled, chopped
10 fresh basil leaves
1/4 cup filtered water
2 tablespoons agave (or raw honey)

METHOD:

1. Blend the ingredients in a blender until liquefied and smooth.
2. Serve immediately or chill the smoothie in the refrigerator for an hour or until ready to serve.

This post has been submitted to Weekend Cookbook Challenge: 5 Ingredients Or Less

I first learnt about Greek Frappés on a travel show. The picture that was painted of leisurely camaraderie, united by a cold iced coffee on a sunny day was one that triggered every romantic bone in my body Curious to learn more I consulted the web and discovered that this ‘tradition’ is a relatively new one with a rather amusing ‘birth’

From Wikipedia:
Frappé dates back to the 1957 International Trade Fair in Thessaloniki. The representative of the Nestlé company, Yannis Dritsas, was exhibiting a new product for children, a chocolate beverage produced instantly by mixing it with milk and shaking it in a shaker. Dritsas’ employee Dimitris Vakondios was looking for a way to have his usual instant coffee during his break but he could not find any hot water, so he mixed the coffee with cold water and a shaker, creating the first frappé coffee.

This improvised experiment established this popular Greek beverage. Frappé has been marketed chiefly by Nestlé and has been a popular drink in Greece. More recently, Kraft, under the Jacobs label, have launched their own brand of frappé. Frappé has been called the national coffee of Greece, and is available at virtually all cafes, where it is typically served with a glass of water. Frappé is also popular among students and workers since its caffeine content helps to stave off fatigue.

One of the things that I really enjoy about these frappés is that they are really easy on my stomach, normally coffee and I do not go together

Greek Frappe
——————————————————————————–

Serving Size: 1

Ingredients:

1 teaspoon rounded instant coffee
2 teaspoons sugar
1/2 cup or more cold water
1/4 cup evaporated milk

Directions:

1. Place the coffee, sugar and one-fourth cup water in a shaker, jar or blender. Cover and shake well for 30 seconds, or blend for 10 seconds in the blender, to produce a thick foam.

2. Slowly pour the coffee mixture down the sides into a tall (14-ounce) glass half-filled with ice. Add the milk, pouring down the side of the glass (so as not to dispel the foam), and top off with about one-fourth to one-third cup cold water to fill the glass.

Wanna know more about the Greek Frappé?

• When The Greeks Toss the Demitasse (LA Times)

As I mentioned long ago my past attempts at roti making have been nothing short of tragic. My mother has been hiding her tawa away from me for the past few years as a result, eyeing me suspiciously whenever I would plead for the co-ordinates to its whereabouts. I pleaded with every school of logic I could come up with.
I was older now, wiser. How could I maintain a site called TriniGourmet and not have any attempts at roti?
I even tried pulling an Eric ‘Respect my authoritay’ Cartman, but that too backfired
Sadly I resigned myself to the fact that I simply was not trusted.

Then, miraculously one morning I entered the kitchen to the sight of a tawa on the stove.
Could this really be?!

Mom nodded yes, she had decided to give me another chance and I could now share ownership. Whee!

I decided I would try my hand at Dosti Roti. Dosti means friendship in Hindi, and in this recipe the two rotis are cooked together, making them friends! (at least until they are torn apart and eaten )

I made two batches of this and the last of my second batch were worlds above the first of my first batch. This reinforced the fact that with some things there are simply no shortcuts. Practice practice practice. It’s the only way.
I monitored the application of oil (more is better), I monitored the heat to see what would happen if i lowered it, if I raised it. If I extended the baking time, and if I reduced it. If I rolled it thinner, thinner, thinner. I made mental notes of what seemed to work and what seemed to hinder.

I still have a long way to go but the fact that I got a grudging nod and a ‘not bad not bad’ from her cheered me immensely and since the tawa has remained out I can’t wait to try again

If you’ve got any tips for me (and everyone else) let me know

Trinidad Dosti Roti

Serving Size: 8

Ingredients:

3 cups flour
3 teaspoons baking powder
ghee, melted margarine, or vegetable oil
water (1 – 2 cups)
1/2 teaspoon salt
flour for dusting

Directions:

1. Combine flour, salt and baking powder thoroughly.

2. Add water gradually, working the dough to a soft, silky texture

Cover with a damp cloth and let it rest for at least 30 minutes.

3. Knead once or twice and Divide dough into 8 even pieces and shape into round balls (loyahs).

4. Allow loyahs to relax for 15 minutes

5. Flatten loyahs into 3-inch discs between fingers.

6. Brush discs on one side with oil and flour lightly.

7. Place tahwa (or flat, thick-based frying pan) on medium heat.

8. Place 2 discs together (oil sides facing) and flatten to 4 inch double discs. Place on floured surface. Rest for at least 10 minutes.

10. Dust rolling pin and rolling surface lightly with flour, and roll out into 8-inch discs, flipping the dough and dusting with more flour to ensure easy rolling.

11. Dust off excess flour and transfer to tahwa. Bake until the first sign of small bubbles appear. Flip with spatula and brush liberally with oil/ghee. Bake until light brown. Flip to other side and brush liberally with oil/ghee. Bake 1 minute.

12. Insert knife between the two layers. Pull apart (caution, hot steam! no really. wear gloves or something!)

13. Place back together and store between towels to keep warm.