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Tuesday, August 17, 2010

Day 48-Dominica(Roseau)(NA) Caribbean Reef Chicken and Arroz Con Leche - Up Next, Dominican Republic (Santo Domingo)(NA)

Smiling with my Buddyboy...that was before my original blog post vaporized...


Dominica(Roseau)(NA): Today was a long day - and it just got longer because as I was putting the finishing touches on tonight's blog post - I lost the whole thing - gone- poof - 2 hours of writing, composing, pictures (which now, I'm unable to reload for some @!$* reason) - vaporized. So, here I go again...

Dominica is an island located between the French islands of Guadeloupe and Martinique in the Eastern Caribbean. Sighted by Christopher Columbus (of whom I'm NOT a fan) in the 1400's, it did not gain independence until the 1970's. Today, it retains it's unique blend of French/Latin American Creole influences evident in the culture, language and food.

First, a shout out to David Lebovitz, whose blog I've begun following: http://www.davidlebovitz.com/ - His writing style, links, articles and musings are great. He recently posted a link to food styling for bloggers which I read with interest - clearly, I've got a long way to go. But if you want to check out a pro - go to his site and take a look.

Next, I want to give one of my favorite bands, Blitzen Trapper, props for their excellent, newly released record, Destroyer of the Void: http://www.blitzentrapper.net/ - You may think it's random to include a band in a foodie blog, but they've got a song entitled "Sadie" - my family nickname and screen name, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xViQF8vnra8 
which I'm sure they wrote for just for me. Support them and  buy their record so they can eat.

Okay, about Dominica and the wonderful food. Tonight I made Caribbean Reef Chicken and Arroz Con Leche (Rice Pudding), a classic "comfort food" dessert eaten in many Latin American countries.  I had more pictures but these will have to suffice for tonight.


Great stuff! Frozen mango to keep on hand - I made a rum/mango glaze for the chicken

Pyrat rum - one of my favorites - combined with brown sugar, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, lemon , line and hot sauce - oh yeah!

Behold, the rub

Mango glaze about 10 minutes before chicken is done

Done - beautifully browned to perfection
Rice, golden raisins, cinnamon and lemon zest for Arroz con Leche

I used a combination of milk, evaporated and sweetened condensed milk

Cooking up - the smell was heavenly
Finished! (a stock photo - mine was lost - theirs is better!)

INGREDIENTS:

  • 2 broiler/fryer Chickens - halved
  • ½ tsp. Salt
  • ¼ tsp. Pepper
  • ½ cup Dark Brown Sugar
  • 4 tbs. Dark Rum - divided
  • 1 tbs. Lime Juice
  • 2 tsp. Lemon Pepper
  • 1 tsp. Ginger
  • ½ tsp. Cloves - ground
  • ¼ tsp. Cinnamon
  • ¼ tsp. Garlic powder
  • 2 drops Hot pepper sauce
  • 10 oz Chutney - mango
  • Lemon - sliced
  • Lime - sliced
  • Parsley
METHOD / DIRECTIONS:

Sprinkle salt and pepper over washed and dried chicken. Set aside.
In a small bowl, make Caribbean paste by mixing together sugar, 2 tablespoons of the rum, lime juice, lemon pepper, ginger, cloves, cinnamon, garlic powder, and hot pepper sauce; set aside.
Place the chicken, skin side up, in a large shallow baking pan. Rub Caribbean paste evenly over the chicken. Bake in a 400°F oven for 45 minutes or until the chicken is fork tender. In a blender, place chutney and remaining 2 tablespoons of rum; process to blend. Spoon chutney mixture over chicken and bake about 3 minutes more or until chutney is warm.
Arrange chicken on a serving platter. Garnish with lime, lemon, and parsley.


  • Milk -- 4 cups
  • Short-grain rice --1 cup
  • Cinnamon stick -- 1
  • Orange or lemon peel (optional) -- 2 strips
  • Salt -- pinch
  • Raisins -- 1/4 cup
  • Sugar -- 1/2 cup
  • Butter -- 2 tablespoons
  • Vanilla -- 1 teaspoon

Method

  1. Place the milk, rice, cinnamon stick, orange or lemon peel and salt in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat. Immediately reduce heat to very low and simmer, stirring often and scraping bottom, for about 45 minutes.
  2. Add the raisins and sugar and simmer for another 15 minutes. Stir often to keep from sticking to the bottom of the pot.
  3. Remove from heat and stir in the butter and vanilla. Adjust sugar to taste and serve hot or cold, sprinkling the top with some ground cinnamon.

Final Assessment:  Delicious - make both. I've run out of steam for tonight.