Caribbean Travel Recipes

Caribbean Travel Adventures

Recipes from the Caribbean

These are recipes that are based on Caribbean Recipes that we have come across and have changed
to suit our taste. We have gone thru a trial and error process to obtain the best taste.

Why not start with desert...next is Black Bean Soup then...Chicken Tagine

Key Lime Pie...

FROZEN KEY LIME PIE

Ingredients
For the crust:
1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs (10 crackers)
1/4 cup sugar
6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, melted
A Store bought crust is ok to use, the crust is "even"

For the filling:
6 extra-large egg yolks, at room temperature
1/4 cup sugar
1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk ( We use Eagle Brand )
2 tablespoons grated lime zest
3/4 cup freshly squeezed lime juice (about one bag)(strain)
Note: Key Limes are MUCH better than regular limes, you can use regular limes
but the taste is different. A lime squeezer is a big help.
1 tablespoon rum
3/4 cup sour cream
(For a stronger lime taste, cut back on the sour cream or you can leave it out)

For the topping:
1 cup (1/2 pint) cold heavy cream
1/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 teaspoon rum
Thin lime wedges, or have some extra zest to sprinkle on top. There is a lot
of lime in the pie,the lime slices can be over powering. The slices do make a good visual
if set around the edge.

Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
For the crust, combine the graham cracker crumbs, sugar, and butter in a bowl. Press into a 9-inch pie pan, making sure the sides and the bottom are an even thickness. Bake for 10 minutes. Allow to cool completely.

For the filling, beat the egg yolks and sugar on high speed in the bowl with a electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment for 5 minutes, until thick. With the mixer on medium speed, add the condensed milk, lime zest, and lime juice and sour cream. Pour into the baked pie shell and freeze.

For the decoration, beat the heavy cream on high speed in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment until soft peaks form.
Add the sugar and vanilla and rum and beat until firm. Spoon or pipe decoratively onto the pie and decorate with lime. Freeze for several hours or overnight.

NOTE: bake for about 15 to 20 minutes at 350 degrees, we take the raw egg warning seriously,(read below) therefore we bake the pie (allow to cool), before adding the topping

*RAW EGG WARNING 
Consuming raw and lightly cooked eggs  increases the risk of salmonella or other food-borne illness. To reduce this risk, if you use raw eggs(recipe calls for raw egg yolks) use only fresh, properly refrigerated, clean grade A or AA eggs with intact shells, and avoid contact between the yolks or whites and the shell. We separate using our hands.Most key lime recipes call for raw egg yolks!!

This recipe is the result of trial and error to get the taste and texture correct.


BLACK BEAN SOUP

Note: this makes a lot of soup, you can always cut the recipe in half.

12 cups,3 bags of black beans
6 26 oz quarts of chicken stock
3 cups diced carrots
5 cups diced onion
3 cups diced celery
1 to 2 lbs of sausage
  depends on amount of meat you like in a soup.
  sausage can be Andouille,Kielbasa and some Carrizo.
  cook before adding to soup
2 28oz cans of diced tomatoes drained
2 6oz cans of tomato paste
4 tablespoons of garlic
1 tablespoon onion powder
2 tablespoons of cumin
1 tablespoon of cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon of chili powder
1 cup of butter
1 tablespoon of black pepper
1 tablespoon of salt, to taste, chicken stock contains salt
1 to 2 cups of red wine

Tablespoons are "full" not rounded

You need a LARGE soup pot, 24 to 30 quart pot

Black beans take a long time to cook,sort the beans before soaking. Soak
the beans overnight. Allow up to 8 hours to cook the beans, you may need
to add more stock. Beans need to start to soften, more cooking time later.

Saute the carrots, onions and celery in the butter, add some olive oil
if desired. Add to the stock mix. De glaze the pan with some stock
and add back to the mix.

Add the rest of the ingredients to the stock and continue to cook on a low
boil until the beans are tender. stir occasionally.

When serving the soup, top with a spoonful of sour cream, some shredded
cheddar cheese and finely chopped green onions

This freezes and reheats well in a microwave.



CHICKEN TAGINE

Also called North African Stew

This is not really a Caribbean dish, but the first time we ate this
was on Ambergris caye, Belize. We got a basic recipe from the cook
and have modified it quite a bit!!

Ingredients:

Olive Oil, enough to coat bottom of pan
3 onions cut into small chunks(not diced)
2 to 3 tablespoons chopped garlic
2 to 3 lbs. boneless chicken breasts,skinless,
            cut into small chunks, bite size
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
8 or more cinnamon sticks, bruised, also put cinnamon
           sticks into any leftovers for reheating
1 to 2 teaspoons cumin, first time making try just one tsp
1 teaspoon ginger
3 tablespoons flour, white or wheat
3 small to medium eggplants,cut into bite size pieces
2 red bell peppers,diced, green will work
18 ounces mushrooms, thin sliced
5 cups chicken broth
2, 15 ounce cans of tomatoes, with herbs, drained
3, 15 ounce cans of chickpeas, drain and rinse
2 cups of dried apricots, chopped
1 tablespoon salt, salt to your taste
1 tablespoon pepper, fresh ground if possible
chopped cilantro as a garnish

note: you can also add 2 tablespoons of honey and 1/2 teaspoon turmeric,
        we personally don"t care for the turmeric

Over a medium heat, heat the oil, add the onions and garlic, cook slighty,
may also cook the peppers a little. Add the flour and the chicken and cook
until seared. Part way through the searing add the ground cinnamon,cumin,
ginger,honey and turmeric. May want to add some of the chicken broth
to the pan while cooking the chicken. Don't burn the spices.
You want some of the spices to attach to the chicken

Combine the above and the rest on the ingredients into a soup pot,
mushrooms,tomatoes,chicken stock,eggplant,apricots,chickpeas,
salt and pepper.

Simmer until the eggplant, chickpeas and chicken are tender

Add cilantro on top of a bowl or plate and serve

Of course, feel free to modify to your taste.