The Sugar Mill Caribbean Cookbook (5 page)

In a small bowl, whip together the butter, curaçao, and orange zest until the mixture is light and fluffy.

Sift the first four ingredients into a large bowl, and set the bowl aside. In another bowl, combine the egg yolks, sweet potatoes, milk, sugar, and butter. Stir this mixture into the flour mixture. Beat the egg whites until stiff but moist peaks form, and fold the whites into the batter. Spoon the batter into a hot waffle iron, and bake until the waffles are golden brown and no steam appears.

Garnish the waffles with fresh orange slices, and serve with the orange butter and warm maple syrup.

 

Makes about eight 8-inch waffles

This delicious breakfast bread is also a wonderful accompaniment to lunchtime fruit salads.

 

Preheat the oven to 350°. Sift together into a bowl the flour, baking powder, and salt. In another bowl, cream the butter with the sugar. Add the eggs, milk, and coconut to the butter and sugar mixture, and beat. Add the flour mixture, and stir (but don't overbeat). Add a little more milk if the batter seems too dry. Pour the batter into an oiled loaf pan. Bake for 50 to 60 minutes, or until a wooden pick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let the bread cool in the pan for 10 minutes, and then remove it to a rack to finish cooling.

Slice the bread while it's still warm, or let it cool, then slice it and toast it in the oven (because it's fairly fragile, it can fall apart in a toaster).

 

Makes 1 loaf

Hearty and healthy, these toothsome muffins are chock-full of things that are good for you.

 

Preheat the oven to 425°. Grease muffin pans.

Stir together the bran, flour, sugar, salt, baking soda, and raisins in a large mixing bowl. In another bowl, stir together the eggs, milk, yogurt, oil, molasses, honey, and pineapple. Combine the two mixtures, and stir just until all ingredients are blended (the batter will be quite moist).

Spoon the batter into prepared muffin pans (an ice cream scoop makes this job easy), filling each cup about two-thirds full. Bake the muffins for about 15 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of one comes out clean. Remove the muffins from the oven, and let them cool on a rack.

 

Makes about 12 muffins

We like to arrange our fruit on dark green hibiscus leaves, but you could use any nontoxic leaves as a background for this beautiful fruit display.

 

To make the sauce, purée the mango in a blender. Add the orange juice concentrate and lime juice, and whirl until the sauce is smooth. Pour the sauce into a small bowl, and refrigerate the sauce until you're ready to serve, as long as overnight.

Place the pineapple slices in a row down the center of a large platter, overlapping them, and arrange the papaya and melon slices on either side. Spoon the sauce over the fruit,garnish with mint or watercress, and serve.

Fresh tropical fruit is so delicious that we often serve it au naturel. When papayas and mangoes are out of season, though, and the pineapples aren't quite ripe, we sometimes fall back on imported fruits, which we enhance with the island flavors of coconut and ginger.

 

Put all the fruit into a bowl. Mix together the lime juice, honey, and ginger, and toss the dressing with the fruit. Sprinkle the coconut on top. Allow the fruit to marinate in the refrigerator for about an hour before serving.

 

Makes 6 servings

Pineapple and rum form a perfect flavor alliance in this dish, which is wonderful for breakfast, and makes an equally pleasing dessert.

 

Put the pineapple cubes into a bowl, and sprinkle them with ¼ cup sugar and ¼ cup rum. Chill the pineapple until serving time.

Combine ½ cup sugar and the egg yolks in the top of a double boiler, and beat until the mixture is pale yellow and smooth. Add the warm milk, and place the pan over simmering water. Cook the custard, stirring constantly until it thickens and heavily coats a spoon.

Pour the custard into a bowl, and stir in ½ cup rum and the vanilla extract. Chill the custard for 2 to 3 hours.

Fold the cream into the custard. Spoon a few tablespoons of the accumulated juices from the pineapple into the rum cream to thin it. Spoon the sauce over the pineapple cubes, and serve immediately.

 

Makes 8 servings

This healthful, delicious breakfast-in-a-glass is the perfect way to start the day lightly It combines piña colada yogurt, orange juice, and a fresh banana. We like to serve it with warm, whole-grain Pineapple Bran Muffins.

 

Combine the first three ingredients in a blender. With the blender on high speed, add the ice cubes one at a time, and whirl until the mixture is smooth. Serve immediately.

 

Makes 1 serving

Kiwifruit came recently to the Caribbean, via cargo boats, and was an instant hit. In an area where strange-looking fruits and vegetables are not unknown, this fuzzy little charmer won everyone's heart.

Sweetened cream of coconut is available in liquor stores and departments. Coco Lopez is a popular brand.

 

Combine all the ingredients except one slice of kiwifruit in a blender, and blend until the mixture is smooth. Pour it into a tall glass, garnish with the remaining slice of kiwifruit, and serve immediately.

Papayas come in many shapes and sizes. In our garden we grow a variety that is the size of an overstuffed football and has deep red flesh with a delightful flavor. In the tropics papayas grow easily and quickly from seed into tall fruit-laden trees.