of the

CARIBBEANsweet tasteDesigned by Janell Thorpe

2

CARIBBEAN

sweet tasteof the

Designed by Janell Thorpe

IntroductionThis book i s a de l ight fu l and warm inv i ta t ion to some of the

Car ibbean ’s most tas te fu l and sweetest t reats . I t inc ludes a var iety of

desser ts f rom s ix of the Car ibbean ’s i s lands ; the Bahamas , Barbados ,

the Cayman I s lands , Grenada , Jamaica and Tr in idad . Sweet Taste of the

Car ibbean wi l l def in i te ly en l ighten and br ing warmth to your tas te

buds , f rom the f inest a l l natur a l ingred ients found around each i s land ,

to the beauty of the f ina l and intr icate des ign of the desser ts . Each

rec ipe i s s imple and doesn' t keep you in the k i tchen for a long per iod

of t ime . These i s lands were chosen because they are some of the most

wel l -known ones in the Car ibbean . Some of these rec ipes may even

lead you into creat ing other desser ts that you never even thought of .

Who knows where th i s Car ibbean desser t cookbook wi l l take you? But

then aga in , a l i t t le cur ios i ty and exper imentat ion won't burn you . L ike

most foods where i t ' s v i ta l to have cer ta in ingred ients in order to turn

out r ight , th i s book doesn' t push you to be a per fect ion is t , un less you

rea l ly want to be . Some of the ingred ients can be subst i tuted , which in

turn wi l l save you more money, and who knows i t might even make you

create someth ing new that you never thought of before . Sweet Taste

of the Car ibbean i s fun and s imple . I t g ives you someth ing new to tr y

whi le a l lowing you to be f ree and not t ied down with the same o ld

desser ts . I t i s good espec ia l ly for learn ing as wel l as host ing d inner s ,

par t ies , or whatever the occas ion may be . I t ' s someth ing that wi l l

impress your fami ly and f r iends . En joy !

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Table of Contents

5

1721

BahamasBarbadosCayman IslandsGrenadaJamaica

25TrinidadColophon 29

6

Bahamas

8

Pineapple Tart2 c flour 8 t butter 2 eggs 2 c water

2 c fresh pineapples (peeled) 4 whole cloves 1½ c brown sugar 1 tsp salt

Ingredients

Instructions

Baha

mas

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

Boil pineapple & sugar together for 15 minutes and set aside.

Pour flour into a mixing bowl; mix in salt, baking powder and 1 c of sugar.

Make a hole in the middle: add egg, margarine, cream and mix well.

Gather dough together with fingers and press into a ball.

Turn on lightly floured board & knead. Divide dough in half, roll out portion and line a well-greased pie pan (standard size). Fill with already prepared filling. Roll out remainder of dough and cut into ½ inch strips.

Moisten edge of bottom dough. Lay half of pastry strips across to form a criss–cross pattern.

Bake at 350° F. for 1½ hrs, or until golden brown.

10

Ingredients

Ingredients

Mango PieBa

ham

as

1 unbaked 9" pie shell + dough for top crust

3 c peeled, thin sliced ½ riped mangoes

1 c sugar (brown or white)

2 t lemon or lime juice

1 tsp cinnamon 1 tsp freshly grated nutmeg 2 t butter or margarine

1

2

3

Place one layer of mangos in pie shell and sprinkle with half the sugar, lemon or lime juice and spices.

Add remaining sliced mangos, sugar, spices, lemon or lime juice and dot with bits of butter or margarine.

Cover or criss-cross with pie crust. Bake about 45 minutes at 350° F. This makes 6 servings.

12

Barbados

14

Bajan Sweet-Coconut BreadIngredients

Instructions

Barb

ados

1 small fresh coconut 2 c flour 1 tsp baking powder ½ tsp salt ½ c sugar

½ c butter or margarine 2 eggs ½ tsp vanilla ¼ c milk 1 c mixed fruit

1 Pierce the coconut and drain the liquid and store in the refrigerator.

2

4

5

3

Break the coconut into chunks and grate the flesh into a small bowl. You need at least 1 cup; more is even better.

In a small bowl, stir together the flour, mixed fruits, baking powder, salt and coconut flakes

Heat the oven to 325 degrees. Grease a 9-by-5-inch loaf pan.

In a large bowl, mix, ½ cup of the sugar with the butter until it's light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs, then the vanilla.

6

7

Measure out ¼ cup of the coconut milk and combine it with the milk. Add the liquids to the egg mixture, alternating with the dry ingredients and stirring just until everything is blended.

Spread into the prepared pan. Bake for 45 to 50 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool on a rack before slicing.

16

Corn PieIngredients

Instructions

Barb

ados

1 t sugar 1 ½ t flour ½ Ib cheese 1 tin drained corn ½ tin evaporated milk

1 egg 1 onion (finely chopped) ½ sweet pepper (chopped) 1 t butter or margarine

1 Melt butter in pan and add flour, stir to avoid lumps,

2 Add milk, stir to avoid lumps then add grated cheese.

Add corn and sugar, put in onions. Add the egg last to hold ingredients together.

3

4 Bake in oven at 50° for 35 to 40 minutes.

18

Cayman Islands

20

Heavy CakeIngredients

Instructions

2 t melted butter

2 c hot water

1 tsp ginger

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp vanilla

Caym

an Is

land

s

1¼ c brown sugar

1 raw grated cassava

1 c milk and coconut milk ½ tsp nutmeg or mace and salt ½ pack dried coconut flakes

4 This time around I used a non-stick baking pan. As it was black I lowered the temperature from 375° to 350° F.

1

2

3

Combine cassava with milk, sugar and spices and mix well.

Add coconut, hot water and melted butter.

Mix briskly and taste for sweetness desired. Add more sugar if necessary, pour into greased Pyrex dish.

22

Tortuga Rum CakeIngredients

Instructions

1 c chopped walnuts and sugar

1 box yellow cake mix

1 small package instant vanilla pudding mix

¼ c water

½ c oil

4 eggs

Secret Sauce

1 stick oleo (butter)

¾ c dark rum

Caym

an Is

land

s

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

Preheat oven at 325° F. Grease and flour a bundt pan Sprinkle walnuts over the bottom of the pan.

Blend dry cake mix, dry pudding mix, water, rum, oil and eggs for 2 minutes. Pour over walnuts in pan. Bake for 1 hour.

Prepare Secret sauce 10 minutes before cake is finished baking.

Combine water rum, water sugar and butter in to sauce pan. Heat over medium heat, stirring until boiling.

Boil for 2 minutes stirring occasionally. Remove cake from oven.

While in pan, gently stab cake with sharp knife. Slowly pour sauce over cake (will look like too much sauce, but cake will absorb it.

Let the cake cool in the pan for 30 minutes before removing from pan.

24

Grenada

26

Spice CakeIngredients

Instructions

1½ tsp grated lime zest

1 tsp ground nutmeg and salt

½ tsp ground cinnamon and baking powder

¼ tsp ground allspice

2 c sifted all-purpose flour

3 eggs

1½ c white sugar

1 c unsalted butter, chilled, cut into tablespoon-size pieces

½ c milk

1

2

3

4

5

6

Preheat oven to 350° F,(175° C). Grease a 9"x 5" loaf pan.

Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt, set aside. In a medium bowl, cream together the sugar and butter.

Beat in the eggs one at a time, then stir in the lime zest, nutmeg, cinnamon and allspice.

Add the dry ingredients alternately with the milk, stirring after each addition

Pour batter into the prepared pan. Bake for 75 to 90 minutes in the preheated oven, until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.

Cool in the pan for 10 minutes before turning out onto a rack to cool completely.

Gren

ada

28

Nutmeg Ice CreamIngredients

Instructions

1½ c milk

3 large eggs

½ t salt

1½ c heavy cream

1 tsp vanilla

1 t grated fresh nutmeg

¾ c sugar

1

2

3

4

5

6

In a saucepan bring the milk and the cream just to a boil. Do not boil but turn off the heat as soon as it gets to boiling stage.

In a bowl whisk together the eggs, the sugar, the nutmeg, the salt, and the vanilla.

Whisk ½ cup of the milk mixture into the egg mixture, and whisk the mixture into the remaining milk mixture.

Cook the custard over moderate heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until it registers 175° F. on a candy thermometer

Transfer the custard to a metal bowl set in a larger bowl of ice and cold water and stir it until it is cold.

Freeze the custard in an ice-cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions.

Gren

ada

30

Jamaica

32

Fruit/Rum Cake

Instructions

2 c butter, 9 eggs,

1 pinch salt,

¼ c white rum (optional)

1 t lime juice

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 t almond extract

1 grated zest one lime

2 c red wine

1 c dark molasses

2½ c all-purpose flour

3 tsp baking powder

½ tsp ground nutmeg, allspice

½ cinnamon

2 lb chopped dried fruits

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

Preheat oven to 350° F, (175° C). Grease and flour 2"–9" round cake pans.

In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs, then add rum, lime juice, vanilla, almond extract, and lime zest.

Stir in mixed fruit, wine, and molasses

Sift together flour, baking powder, nutmeg, allspice, cinnamon, and salt.

Fold into batter, being careful not to over-mix.

Pour into prepared pans. Bake in preheated oven for 80 to 90 minutes, or until a knife inserted into the center comes out clean.

Let cool in pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack and cool completely.

Jam

aica

Ingredients

34

Banana BreadIngredients

Instructions

2 eggs

¼ tsp salt

¼ tsp allspice

2 tsp cinnamon

½ tsp baking soda

2 c sifted, all-purpose flour

¼ c soft butter

½ c sugar

½ c coconut milk

1 tsp vanilla

½ c coconut

½ c raisins

3 mashed ripe bananas

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

Preheat oven to 350° F, (180° C). Lightly grease an 8"x 4" bread pan.

In a small bowl combine sifted flour, baking soda, salt, and spices.

Set aside. In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar. Add eggs and mix well.

Stir in coconut milk and vanilla. Slowly add mashed bananas, beating until well combined.

Add flour mixture and stir just enough to moisten. Fold in coconut and raisins.

Pour into prepared pan. Bake for 1 hour, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Be careful not to over bake it or the bread may come out dry.

Allow bread to stay in the loaf pan for about 10 minutes before removing.

Jam

aica

36

Trinidad

38

Gulab JamunIngredients

Instructions

1½ c mawa (khoya)

¼ c chenna

¼ tsp soda bicarbonate

3 t refined flour (maida)

¼ tsp green cardamom powder

2 c sugar

ghee – to deep fry

Trin

idad

2 eggs

¼ tsp salt

¼ tsp allspice

2 tsp cinnamon

½ tsp baking soda

2 c sifted, all-purpose flour

1

2

3

4

5

6

Grate khoya and mash chenna and keep aside. Mix the two along with soda bicarbonate, refined flour, green cardamom powder and a little water to make a soft dough.

Divide into sixteen equal portions and shape into balls.

Prepare a sugar syrup with sugar and two cups of water.

Clear the syrup by removing the scum, if any.

Heat ghee/oil in a kadai. Add the balls, deep fry on low heat till golden in color.

Drain and soak in the sugar syrup for at least fifteen to twenty minutes before serving.

40

Coconut FudgeIngredients

Instructions

½ c butter or margarine

¾ c cream

½ c milk

3½ c sugar

½ tsp salt

2 tsp vanilla

1 tsp coconut flavoring

½ c shredded coconut

Trin

idad

1

2

3

3

Combine sugar, cream, salt, butter and milk in a large heavy saucepan and heat

Over medium heat, stirring only until sugar is dissolved. Continue to cook until it reaches the soft ball stage.

Remove from heat and when almost cold, add vanilla and beat until creamy.

Stir in coconut and turn into greased 8"x 8" pan. Cut when cool.

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ColophonTheme: The theme of my cookbook is Caribbean desserts.

Main Focus: The main focuses of this book are specially chosen desserts from six of the Caribbean’s

islands. Which are Bahamas, Barbados, Cayman Islands, Grenada, Jamaica, and Trinidad.

There are two desserts chosen from each of the six islands, which is what completes the book.

Photographs: The photographs used in this book are taken from www.google.com and

www.flickr.com. The pictures are zoomed in for emphasis.

Some of them were edited in Adobe Photoshop before being placed inside the book document.

They are all high quality and high resolution images.

Software: The programs that I used to completed this cookbook are

Adobe Photoshop and Adobe InDesign.

Design and Creation by: This book was designed and created by Janell Thorpe. It has a simplistic

look to it because when you're cooking or preparing something it should get straight to the point

to give less time in the kitchen. Color coordination is a good way to keep everything consistent.

Printing: It was printed at the Art Institute of Washington, Arlington, Virginia Service Bureau.

It was all completed in May of 2012.

Specifications: This cookbook was designed and printed at the size of 8 inches wide by 8 inches

high and a total number of 32 pages, which includes the front and back covers. It was also printed

on medium weight plain paper.

Colors: The colors blue and green used in the beginning of the cookbook are representational

of the coolness and warmth of the Caribbean as well as the beautiful waters. Each recipe page

color was taken from the dessert beside it.

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