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| 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.
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.
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| Great stuff! Frozen mango to keep on hand - I made a rum/mango glaze for the chicken |
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| Pyrat rum - one of my favorites - combined with brown sugar, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, lemon , line and hot sauce - oh yeah! |
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| Behold, the rub |
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| Mango glaze about 10 minutes before chicken is done |
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| Done - beautifully browned to perfection |
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| Rice, golden raisins, cinnamon and lemon zest for Arroz con Leche |
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| I used a combination of milk, evaporated and sweetened condensed milk |
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| 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.
Final Assessment: Delicious - make both. I've run out of steam for tonight.
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
- 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.
- Add the raisins and sugar and simmer for another 15 minutes. Stir often to keep from sticking to the bottom of the pot.
- 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.
