BRING BACK THE OL' PIE DAYS

after getting some requests, i realized “is true! dis bachy blog have no macaroni pie! with two pie jumbies like baidawi and myself, how is that even possible?” so i decided to make one. the first way i learned to make it.

yuh see, over the years i took a lot of things out of my pie because i discovered this cream of mushroom soup. it started as something to add for a little twist, but eventually it just took over. before long i was using this as a base instead of milk and eggs (which i avoid as often as i could). but i thought i’d take it back to the old school for this one. that presented one problem. milk. i forgot what milk i included in my pie all together. and the milk aisle offered no help.

hear nah! skimmed milk, high-calcium milk, fibre-enriched milk, omega-3 enriched

milk, probiotic-enriched milk, flavoured milks, what de hell?! well at least those terms are straight forward enough. but then you have all the pasteurized, ultra-pasteurized, uht, reconstituted. come nah man!

not wanting my ole school throwback pie to be bland, i turned to the university of youtube to give me some guidance. turns out there wasn’t much to be afraid of. pasteurization is just heating the milk up to take out the bacteria. and ultra-pasteurization is actually uht which stands for ultra high temperature treatment. anti climatic ent? yeah.

anyway, during the process i remembered. evaporated milk! but of course! so i picked up a pack not expecting to see anything much. boom! the evaporated milk too. recombined, which i found out is the same as reconstituted, meaning they broke it down to powder, shipped it to wherever, then stretched it back with water and whatever else to add back the nutrients and the taste. you’ll find mostly that on the shelves here as opposed to fresh milk or made from fresh, which as the name implies is as close to the natural thing as it gets. it stays liquid or made from liquid, just pasteurized to take out the germs and daz it. something people are actually looking for these days because of the health benefits. but back to my pie, what concerned me was the low fat tag. fat is flavour. what allyuh doin?! well... i guess i’ll just have to make it work then!

so step one, obviously, boil the macaroni. some water. a lil salt. some oil in the water too. they say that keeps the pasta from sticking together. meh... i do it jus because. let the water come to a boil first, then boil the pasta for about 8 to 10 mins. i use a big pot so i could throw the macaroni back into it to mix in the other ingredients without dirtying another bowl. hate washing dishes.

while that is going on, take the opportunity to chop up some onion...

grate some cheese...

and gather whatever you want to throw in. i used some black pepper, a lil more salt, paprika, a lil italian seasoning just a little of the cream of mushroom soup because i really love the flavor of it and this time... 2 eggs.

i have a routine when the time is up. i switch off the stove, set the oven to 250, then strain the pasta. then it’s back into the pot to mix. yuh just want to dump all that in and mix it all up. see? big pot... one less thing to wash.

so you're looking for a rich mixture. by the way, this point is like last call. this is the time to fix stuff. taste it. see if it needs a little more whatever. last chance to make sure at least you can eat it.

when i tasted at this point i felt for a little more tang. a lil kick. so i added a little bit of honey mustard.

next, get your vessel. you want to just take a lil bit of butter, or cooking spray or oil just to grease the pan. i use this metal pan because it’s the biggest thing i have to bake in and when pie makin in these parts, we going big because we can’t go home. we already home yo! (ok, shooting with left, greasing with right... real hard!)

get that mixture into the pan. spoon it in... pour it in... however you get it in is fine. as long as it gets in. take your spoon and smoothen it out, make sure it fills the corners etc.

next, top dat pie. if you want, when you’re done topping it with the cheese, you can put a layer of biscuit crumbs on top. a nice vibe, but i prefer it plain. or sometimes i might shake a lil italian seasoning in the cheese on top too.

pop that bad boy into the oven. and turn the heat up to 300... 350 anywhere around there. fire below. bake until brown on top.

 next step is to let it cool. if you cut it while very hot, it will crumble. plus yuh need to swag like yuh know what's goin on and yuh accustom doin dat. play it off like no big deal. yeah, jus hold on... it would be aight.

and daz it. in the morning i’ll decide what to eat with this. maybe some lentils and stew chicken. or some stew pigieon peas and geera pork. i’ll see how it goes. but for now, i’ll just take a little sample. try it out!

LE RETURN OF LE BRUNCH

it felt like it was only a few weeks ago since we were in chaud experiencing this thing called a brunch party. maybe that's why when robert asked if i got my invite for le brunch, i was like "dat come back ahready? bess!!" on this third time around, jaffa's provided the perfect backdrop for an event that showed significant signs of growth. 

bigger space for sure. nice ambiance as expected at a premium event like this. a lil too loud on the music tip around meal and mingle time, but tolerable after a few volume control requests. 

the menu grew a bit too. this one brandishing nine menu options as opposed to the seven offered at the previous event. 

 one thing remained constant though. the late start. people just don't get it. or maybe people just don't want to get it. the le brunch crew had things up and ready to rock by about 11am or so, but true to form, people started rolling in around 1pm like clockwork. or should that be clockSTOPwork? at least the theme of 'more' remained consistent. there was more sitting and waiting to be done on the media table than last time. but media people are fun, so the wait was filled with drinks and good conversation. (shout outs to laura and david from METRO!!)

 much much much more sponsors. as an ad man myself, i was happy to see the event attract that much corporate support. the ad man in me also understands that events like le brunch get more pips when they gain extra mileage for their sponsors on blog sites like this one, but there's no way to cleverly slip SPERONE, ST-GERMAIN, FRANZIA, EL DORADO RUM, FIJI, SHUTTER HOME WINERY, PERRIER, COORS LIGHT, DOS PINOS ICE CREAM, FLOW, JAFFA'S, L'OREAL, PATRON, OTIS SPUNKMEYER, CAFE BRASIL, SWISS, SMOOTH RITE SMOOTHIES, MEDIA 21,  and TRESEMME into a paragraph. oh wait!!! 

see? still empty. 

 anyway, the late arrival of the guests had no effect on the niceties available. champagne bar, coffee bar, make up station for the ladies... even if people decided to get there early, there was more than enough to help them maintain the bling for the entire session. but yuh know what we're always most interested in? LE FOOD! chef joe brown, t&t culinary royalty brought to the table some fitting offerings for an event of this nature. and as usual, le brunch made sure the media got to sample most of the menu items so we could make a decent assessment of what the menu offered.

 on browsing through the dishes, i immediately fixed my gaze on the beer battered fish and chips, served with mushy peas and tartar sauce. it wasn't unanimous, but i appreciated the mildly flavored cod and the colour and texture of the crust. it wasn't that boldly over-seasoned fillet to which our trinbagonian taste buds have grown accustomed, but a mild fish flavor that married well with the sauce and peas to create tasty bites. i'm an advocate for mild flavor and balance. this did it for me.

 now if you read this blog regularly, you would know that i am very particular with eggs. to freakish proportions i might add. the menu featured quite a number of dishes with eggs. i don't know if it was the number of egg dishes around, how good they looked when they were presented to the table or just my desire to make an interesting blog entry, but i felt moved to step out of my comfort zone and try some. guess what? wasn't such a bad experience at all. there was black forest ham on english muffin, topped with poached eggs & herb hollandaise and pernod infused spinach on ciabatta toast, topped with smoked salmon  and served with lyonnaise potatoes & three bean chili. i tried pieces and they were quite good. wasn't that fresh egg taste that i fear. it was more of a rich, creamy flavor that was actually quite pleasant. but i didn't push it. just a lil sample.

 i kept the eggventure rolling with the 6oz beef burger on ciabatta toast, topped with sauteed onion and a FRIED EGG, served with three bean chili and fried potatoes. the burger was well done, but not dry. a thick, tasty patty. i'll admit that i left most of the egg off the piece i had. but it did taste good. and thus ended my walk on the wild side for the day. i think i did well. 

 the most successful dish for me at le late lunch was the taandori style baked chicken seared in nothern indian spices. served with cucumber raitas, nine jewel chutney and a spicy potato cake. that potato cake was le bess. hints of saffron and geera in there. light crisp on the outside, soft and flavorful inside. the chicken had that trade mark red and the authentic flavor to match. with the dressings, the chicken was a trip of flavors. real taste explosions there.

 top of the list was the full english. 2 fried eggs, sausage, bacon, baked beans, fried bread, grilled tomatoes, sauteed mushrooms and home fried potatoes. well by this point i was well over my egg limit, so i was backing out. but i was encouraged to try it and the blogger in me started feeling responsible. so i had piece of the sausage and some potatoes. a pseudo bangers and mash kinda thing. it was a nice sausage. not spectacular in my book, but well executed as would be expected at a place like this. very enjoyable.

 not being too veggie minded, i missed this plate. it was literally under the radar for me. but when i did see it, i was pleased to see the locally influenced cuisine representing. baigan, pumpkin and tomato chokas, with sada roti, channa bhagi rice and cornmeal fried ochro... because i refuse to say okra after sada roti.  

well... fresh fruit. must have that. i mean, what's a brunch without fresh fruit right?

 i actually didn't touch this platter of fruit yogurt, granola and dried fruit and nut. wasn't quite sure how to deal with it, or even if i wanted to do so after the other dishes. the fresh fruit was enough for me. 

i love discovering things that are a little different, so i was all smiles to stumble across smooth rite smoothies here. a quality product. real delicious. real flavorful... actually, just real. as in no added sugars or too much stuff with names you can't pronounce. made with real fruit juices and such. owner rene callender set out to create a treat that tastes as good as it is good for you and i think he hit the mark. i tried the blueberry version and it was le git. ok, maybe i went too far with the 'le' joke on that one, but the smoothie was really good. and i'm not one with a sweet tooth, so it's a big deal for me to actually like this. the mojito hiding next to it wasn't bad at all either. just saying.

overall, i'll say the le brunch committee is officially on to something. good networking opportunities, great way to spend a sunday, good opportunity to explore fine dining options. i didn't stay for the party half of it this year, but i'd be shocked if someone said the vibes left with me. (though i am usually responsible for at least 30% of the vibes present in any given area. just kidding... not really.) again, full points le brunch. keep doing it well.

PEPPER ROTI... MMMMMM NOT SO MUCH!

a while back we discovered pepper roti in debe. all the heavens rejoiced! we love it! but with my kneed-a-phobia that makes me mess up anything dough related and baidawi's (the official muffin man) confusion about the whole subject, pepper roti remains one of the things that could only be solved by a debe run. imagine my optimism when i stumbled across this new product in the supermarket. rani sada roti. nice packaging. looks very premium. and the all-important best by date is on there too. not that it seems to need it... the product isn't staying on the shelf. i mean, if you're selling out racks of sada roti in aranguez, you have to be doing something right. anyway, after trying it, i got this crazy idea that i could use this to create a pepper roti substitute. soooo...

i put some spuds to bubble on a dj.

chopped up some shadon beni, good bit of garlic, a hot pepper and two pimiento peppers. yes, iz pepper roti we said.

grated a little carrot. more for the colour than anything else.

put it all into a nonstick an sauteed everybody up a bit to let the flavors out.

so potatoes all boiled and strained, time to make this happen.

i put them into the pot with the seasoning, mashed them up and mixed them up with a little salt, black pepper and a touch of safron. so far, i'm thinking the filling is shaping up to hit the nail on the head.

the rani sadas have some size and they're soft and fluffy. i think they would make some reaaaaally nice wraps with some chicken, veggies and a nice sauce or two. for my imitation pepper roti i opened it up.

i pasted the mixture onto the sada. a decent layer.

after topping that with some cheese, i sprinkled just a little bit of italian seasoning on it...

and a lot of crushed black pepper. did i mention that this is supposed to be a pepper roti?

yeah... so this is what the landscape looked like after the sprinklings. next step, close it and put it into the oven with the fire on top. just looking to crisp it up a bit and melt the cheese inside.

end result... this. NOT EVEN CLOSE! it didn't taste like a pepper roti. spicy and nice, but not a pepper roti. actually, it was more like a real nice homemade sada and alloo. not a problem, we enjoyed it all the same. nothing like a tasty morsel to take the sting out of missing the target right? i probably might not try making pepper roti anytime soon, but this will definitely get a repeat performance when i'm in that mode. and i'll be keeping some of that rani sada handy for that quick bite.

DINNER WITH TEAM T&T

so! we kinda left things hanging with regards to the developments of the culinary team. partly by circumstance and partly by design. the aim was to drop it on you in an interesting manner that would get as much hype as possible. so here it is. from the THRTA food and beverage competition day 1 and day 2, here are the winners who are now the trinidad & tobago national culinary team, as they were presented at the awards ceremony, hyatt regency, with minister of tourism The Honourable Dr Rupert Griffith M.P. (5th from left). from left to right: Carla Cupid (alternate Bartender) - Kapok Hotel, Isaiah Connell (Junior Chef) - Toppers Restaurant, Devon Joseph (Chef) - Chaud Restaurant, Daniyel Jones (Bartender of the Year) - Martini Makers, Rajesh Goolcharan (Chef of the Year), Kendell Mulzac (Pastry Chef of the Year) - Hyatt Regency Trinidad, Arnold Jupiter (Alternate Chef). the team would be captained by Raymond Joseph of Courtyard by Marriott! this is the crew that will represent t&t at the esteemed 'TASTE OF THE CARIBBEAN' competition, june 2012 in miami. it's a big deal.

in preparation for the big event, the team engages in a series of practice dinners that seek to recreate the competition environment. this is serious business. apart from the stresses of competition cooking, it adds the extra pressure of having to use the mystery basket ingredients provided to create a three course meal for paying customers. this round was at TTHTI, so our friends at THRTA invited us to take in some of the action. action indeed. lots of slicing...


...and dicing. made possible by sponsors MALABAR FARMS FOOD SERVICES who are providing all the ingredients for these tasty training sessions... 12 in total.


and while we're talking about sponsors, we must mention BRYDENS for supplying the ingredients for the bartender's drink as well as MARKETING & DISTRIBUTION for supplying wines to accompany the dinner. check out the drink demo in the video.


the chefs used the ingredients in a very creative manner, taking local favorites and giving them that international slant needed to win a competition like this.


it was a rush seeing them maneuver the kitchen with the intent of preparing the meals in time for the 8 o' clock dinner time that guests were invited to be seated for.


it seemed like no time at all before a calm prep turned into a fast paced production line styled plating session.


unlike the previous competition, they had to prepare way more than two plates. they had to cater the full three courses for about 32 guests.


all with the expected accuracy and consistency competition judges look for under competition rules. we were right on hand to see chef raymond inspect each plate. tight ship boy raymond.


and it was no different for the dessert. it was way more intense than we imagined.


but like first class professionals, the team displayed great skill and a lot of technical ability under the extreme conditions.


bringing a level of innovation that made us think that once again, t&t would be going in with a very difficult team to beat.


the end result was a clever menu: the appetizer was a fish trio. poached curry marinated snapper paired with mint/apple chow. deep fried cod fish tempura ochroes served with mango chutney. and pan seared red snapper atop garlic wilted patchoi accompanied by a spiced beet glaze.


the main course was a grilled pesto rubbed lamb loin in a rum enhanced reduction. sweet potato, dasheen and plantain in a roast corn blue cheese sauce served with a vegetable souse and finished with a basil oil drizzle.



but the dessert was our show stopper, mainly because of this channa brittle. a creative take on peanut brittle, using an ingredient that offered some difficulty fitting into the dishes.



it became part of a citrus zabagloine sitting on pumpkin pudding with a nutmeg tuile. Poached coconut meringue on a channa brittle accompanied by a chunky green pawpaw sauce, served with a shot of pineapple mojito at the side.

it was an exciting experience for us and we're sure a valuable learning experience for the team who would need all the practice they can get between now and the competition. our overall review: the menu was very creative with some nice twists that utilized the ingredients effectively. flavors weren't magnificent, but were enjoyable for the most part. however, some of the ground provisions didn't reach a satisfactory degree of tenderness which was the most noticeable inconsistency to us. we think that we've got a strong team with exceptional strength in dessert and beverage. it will be good to see how things progress and what the outcome of the competition will be. check out the video to find out how you can support and be a part of the demonstration dinners.