Hungry Rain

Have you ever noticed how much more hungry you get when it rains?
When it rains long enough... say for two or three days straight.. I usually end up having more than just visions of sugar plums dancing in my head.
I fight the urge to march into the kitchen and cook and bake, until I have created every culinary idea that has ever popped into my mind.
I resist the urge mostly because I know that this accomplishment would be nearly impossible to achieve, and because I usually have work the next day and cleanup would be next to impossible.
I like to eat those foods when it rains that I don't normally have a craving for.. like hot buttered popcorn and Campbell's tomato soup.
I like to burry myself under the covers and eat raisinets and warm milk and salt and vinegar potato chips.
Rain fires this signal in my brain, a primal instinct almost... that says something like "snack like your life depends on it." it also says " eat junk food." so I crave fried chicken and cheeseburgers and chocolate milk shakes, and pizza.
Often I don't bend to temptation and satisfy the urge... I make the healthy choice and eat the salad.. or the peanut butter sandwich.
But every once in a while.. primal instinct wins; and so tonight.. I'll have my cheeseburger; with hot chocolate... because it's raining.

Copyright - Alison West 2011

Comfort in a bowl, or a cup

There is a dish unequaled in comparison to any other I have found, when one is searching for a culinary representation of the definition of ethnic comfort.

It is black in colour, smooth in texture and sophisticated and soothing in its warmth; coupled with the crisp, solid texture of a few plain water crackers and a dash of the almost airy, barely there, but oh so important taste of fresh chopped cilantro leaves and scallion tops, a dash of peppered sherry (sherry that has been infused with a few chopped scotch bonnet peppers), and a swirl of plain yohgurt to finish.

There is nothing I have found that can come close in comparison in depth of flavors and textures one finds in this dish and the resulting feelings of comfort and satisfaction one can revel in after consuming this delicacy.

Of what could I possibly be speaking? Black Bean Soup - a gift from the heavens above. I usually find myself trying to make this soup on any one of those bright, blisteringly warm afternoons that turn into a cool…, sometimes even cold evenings that occasionally visit us in Jamaica during the winter months (we call it Christmas breeze).

I say I try when it comes to making this soup, because I have never been able to make a black bean soup that equals in comparison to the one my father makes. So here is where I admit, because of my pride that I am his daughter, that my father makes the best black bean soup I have ever tasted, and the water crackers – credit goes to the Excelsior Biscuit Company, an institution that has been around in Jamaica for as long as I, or my grandmother can remember. 

Copyright  Alison West  February 2011 

Rum and Celebration

At almost every occasion for celebration in my family, you will find a Rum Cake. It happened almost accidentally that the presence of this cake is always seemingly preordained; I was only trying the recipe at first.

On a  lazy Sunday afternoon, almost ten years ago – it was my weekly, sometimes daily “let’s try a new recipe” – kind of gig – lately, I’ve been trying my hand at sour dough breads).

It turned out to be a wonderful creation, better than expected actually, and then somehow, everyone (including myself) loved the taste and the texture so much, that I tried it again – and then again, and then again.

Soon, as was inevitable given my gravitation towards this particular cake, it became my all time favourite “go to” cake – my offering of love and happiness and hope, and the embodiment of joy to the celebration of the gathering, regardless of the occasion – and somehow it stuck.

These days, the basic recipe I use remains the same, but sometimes I use brandy or whiskey, or a flavoured vodka instead of rum and I often decide to use toasted crushed almonds, peanuts or pecans instead of walnuts. Sometimes I use a ¾ cup of brown sugar and ¾ cup of granulated sugar in the recipe instead of only granulated sugar and I often add some lemon zest , when I use the flavoured lemon vodka or some Limoncello instead of the rum. I'll add instant coffee powder or a shot of espresso when I use coffee liquor instead of rum.

This recipe is truly a wonder, as long as you've mastered the method to make this cake, the possibilities of flavours you can create are endless, this humble Rum Cake can morph into almost any cake you want it to be become. A Coconut Rum Cake is made with the use of coconut rum instead of dark rum and the addition of some toasted sweetened coconut flakes. If you want to make a Chocolate Rum Cake, add ¼ cup of sieved unsweetened cocoa powder to the sieved flour in the recipe and add a ¼ cup extra of granulated sugar to the amount you cream with the butter in the recipe.

Alison's Rum Cake

4– Eggs (separated)

1 ½ Cups – Granulated Sugar

½ lb – Unsalted Butter

2 tspns – Vanilla Extract

1 ½ Cups – Cake & Pastry Flour

½ of a 1/3 Cup – Dark Rum (Myers

1/ 4 Cup – Chopped Walnuts (optional)

Method of Preparation: Beat butter together with ¾ cup sugar till light and creamy, add egg yolks one at a time and continue beating until well combined. Add vanilla extract, mix to combine, and then gently fold in the sieved flour with rum alternately in thirds until all flour and rum has been mixed into butter mixture and thoroughly combined ( do not over mix). Whisk the egg whites to a meringue with the rest of the sugar,(ensure it has stiff peeks before you stop whisking). Fold the meringue into the flour mixture. Pour the cake batter into a well greased bunt or tube ban that has been dusted with the crushed walnuts on the bottom, (and sides,if possible) .

Bake for 45 – 50 minutes @ 350 degrees F or until lightly brown in colour, well risen and a thin skewer inserted in the centre of the cake comes out clean.

Copyright - Alison West 2010

Food for Thought

The food you like is a reflection of your character.

You snack on fruit when you’re hungry and swoon at the sight of strawberries and clotted cream on a lazy summer afternoon; you love pickles and ice cream, together… and you’re not pregnant.

Grilled cheese sandwiches and tomato soup on rainy days are the stuff of childhood memories; you eat French fries with mayonnaise and regardless of what the most expensive dessert on the menu is, all you want is the Devils Food cake. You’re a homebody at heart.

Champagne and caviar turn you on, and the mere mention of l’ammuse bouche has you dancing to the closet to change for the cocktail party. You love luxury.

You go to farmers markets not only for the food but also for the atmosphere and a trip to the spice counter at the city grocers is an adventure you await with batted breath. You would hop on a plane to Morocco just for a chance to taste the chicken tan gene. You’re an adventurer at heart.

Collecting cookbooks and trying new recipes isn’t a hobby, it’s a passion, and you’ve thought of every possible flavour of ice cream there could ever be. The subtle differences between one grade of maple syrup and another that only you and a few other people can notice makes you a gourmet connoisseur.

Peaches, lemons, plums and zucchinis are foods of the gods as far as you are concerned and chocolate and coffee were separated at birth. Brandy Alexander’s and Tom Collins on hot sultry nights are the stuff of fantasy that you can’t wait to become a dream come true, you’re a wanderer – a seeker for perfection

Personally I consider myself to be a little bit of everything. I collect cookbooks as voraciously as I consume the recipes contained in their pages, and for me, a walk in the afternoon while watching the sunset is incomplete without a nibble of a pear, a plum or a nectarine. My mind is constantly buzzing with ideas for marinades and infusions, and considerations about the flavour and texture of a dish rule my decisions about what to eat and what to cook

Seasons of the year, and the foods that are in season; their colours and textures inspire me to create combinations of colours and flavours and textures that have never been thought of in the culinary world before.

Before everything else I am, I am a cook, I think with my taste buds, what I taste always impacts upon what I do, in the kitchen, in life.

Take a moment to think about what turns you on about the world of food, the epicurean world of the gourmand, let your mind wander over the foods that have made holidays special and places or people memorable to you. If you can’t imagine a Christmas dinner without Aunt Mimi’s plum pudding, but she’s 82 years old and has vowed this will be her last Christmas in front of the stove, sit her down and get every last detail of its making from her, just so you can make it next year.

Why not? After all she did teach you to bake the perfect chocolate cake.

So what will you be doing tonight, trying a new recipe for herb encrusted pork loin with prosciutto stuffing over buttered vermicelli noodles, and roasted baby vegetables with a Tarte Tatin for dessert? Or ripping open a packet of ramen noodles? Think about it, what would you rather do? Answer the question and then run to the market, I’ll see you there….

Copyright - Alison West 2010

Love Your Microwave

It’s been a month – 4 weeks since the start of your college career and you’re so tired of a Mc Anything that you feel as if you could scream… You can’t remember clearly the last day you ate a meal in less than 10 or 15 minutes, and you’re longing for a good home cooked meal.

The bad news – perhaps you’ll have to wait until the next holiday to get that longed for taste of Grandma’s meat loaf or Mom’s apple pie, and to have the time to savor it.

The Good news – if you have $5.00 to spare, the time it takes to watch your favorite sitcom or read the latest chapter assignment and a microwave, you’re all set to be as close to a home cooked meal as you can get without busting your budget or taking too much of that precious commodity – time.

Microwaves are not often lauded for their ability to produce world class four star meals; however, they do come through in a pinch, and in a recent survey was named by approximately 75% of respondents as the best invention of a kitchen appliance of the 20^th century.

With one of these trusty gadgets by your side, you’ll never have a bad bag of microwave “movie style” buttered popcorn, but that’s not all it can do.

Try not overlook the attributes of this appliance, you can get more mileage out of it than previously expected – especially while living the “college life”, when you want to eat a good meal, but you just don’t have the time, the money or the energy to invest in slaving over a hot stove, or maybe you don’t have one in your dorm.

In an attempt to help you look at your microwave in a new light and with more adoring and appreciative eyes here is a recipe for Rapid Ratatouille from Juan Carlos Cruz, found on www.foodnetwork.com, where there are several more microwave recipes to be found. May I also suggest a few books about microwave cooking that may set you on your way to declaring to anyone who will hear you “I love my microwave!”

Rapid Ratatouille

1 cup – small diced eggplant

1 cup – small diced roasted or fresh red bell pepper (you can use the kind that come bottled)

1 cup – small diced zucchini

1 cup – small diced yellow squash

1 cup – small diced Roma tomatoes

2 Tblspns – balsamic vinegar

Mix all the ingredients together in a microwave–safe bowl. Cover with plastic wrap, and microwave on high for two minutes. (You can also use a medium sized Pyrex dish with a lid). Stir ingredients and microwave for another 3 minutes. Serve warm.

Recipe courtesy of Juan Carlos Cruz, Copyright 2003 Television Food Network

*Chefs note: It is quite easy to substitute a bag of frozen or fresh, pre-cut Italian Style vegetables, or any vegetable combination you prefer. Cooking times may vary dependent on the microwave, and the size of container used.

Copyright - Alison West 2011