Aranitas Pancakes with Fruit Toppings
Ingredients for Pancakes: Vegetable oil for frying
3 green plantains, peeled and grated
1 minced garlic clove
1/2 tsp. each salt and pepper Ingredients for toppings: 1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup minced cilantro
1/4 cup minced mango
1/4 cup minced pineapple
1/4 cup minced tomato Preparation: Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Cut the plantains in half and grate (or process) them into thin strips. In a large bowl mix grated plantains with garlic, salt and pepper. Using 2 tablespoons grated plantain mixture for each pancake -- squeeze water or liquid out of mixture and form a small patty. Carefully set patties in hot oil and cook for about 2 minutes on each side until they are golden brown. Remove from oil and place on a paper towels to dry. Top with a small dollop of sour cream, cilantro, and your choice of minced fruit. Serve warm. Serves: About 30
Coconut Shrimp with Mango Chutney Dipping Sauce Ingredients: 1 cup all-purpose flour
1 Tbs. chili powder
1 tsp. salt
One 8-oz. package sweetened, flaked coconut
One 16-oz. package tempura batter
Water
1 lb. (50-count) medium raw shrimp, peeled, deveined
Vegetable or canola oil
1-1/2 cups commercially prepared fruit chutney
1/2 cup finely diced mango Preparation: Toss together flour, chili powder, and salt in a medium bowl until combined. Place coconut on a dinner plate and set aside. Prepare tempura batter according to instructions on box. Batter should be the consistency of pancake batter and ice cold. Pour oil 3 inches deep into a medium saucepan and heat over medium-low heat. Toss shrimp in flour until coated. Then, coat shrimp with tempura batter and roll in coconut. Drop 3-5 shrimp at a time in hot oil and cook for 1-2 minutes until golden brown. Remove with slotted spoon or wok basket and drain on paper towels. Mix fruit chutney with mango until combined. Place chutney in small dipping bowl and set on serving tray or in kale lined basket. Arrange shrimp on tray or in basket and serve hot. Serves: 50 shrimp Note: Always test how hot the oil is before cooking. The shrimp in this recipe should not take more than 2 minutes to fry. Drop a prepared shrimp into the oil. If the coconut browns too quickly your oil will be too hot and the inside may not cook thoroughly, so turn down the heat. If it does not brown quickly, the oil is not hot enough and the product will soak up the oil and be soggy. Also, the oil is not ready if the product stays on the bottom of the pot instead of immediately floating to the top surface of the oil.
Black Bean Lime Hummus with Banana Chips Ingredients: 2 cloves garlic
Two 15 oz. cans black beans, drained, rinsed
3 Tbs. lime juice
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 cup olive oil
3/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
Dried banana chips
Food processor Preparation: Place garlic in a food processor and process until minced, about 10 seconds. Add beans, lime juice, and salt and process into a puree. With processor running, slowly add olive oil in a steady stream through the feed tube. Process until mixture thickens, about 1 to 2 minutes. Add cilantro and pulse approximately 10 seconds. Spoon into bowls and serve as a dip with banana chips or tortilla chips. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Bring to room temperature before serving.
Zesty Crab Salad in Wonton Cups Ingredients: 25 wonton skins
Five 6 oz. cans cooked crab meat, drained
1/3 cup minced red onion
1/2 cup finely chopped cilantro
1/2 cup olive oil
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
4 tsp. fresh orange juice
1 Tbs. seasoned rice wine vinegar
1 tsp. minced ginger root
1/2 tsp. salt Ingredients for Garnish: 1 avocado
25 thin silvers red onion
25 cilantro leaves, rinsed Preparation: Use a round cookie cutter to size the wontons to fit into mini muffin pans. Spray pans with non-stick cooking spray. Set wonton skins in cups so that wonton forms a cup. Bake cups at 350F (175C) for 8 minutes until crisp. Cool completely. (Store unfilled cups covered in plastic wrap at room temperature for up to 3 days.) In a large bowl mix together crab, onion, and cilantro until thoroughly combined. In another bowl whisk together olive oil, lime juice, orange juice, seasoned rice wine vinegar, minced ginger root, and salt until combined. Pour over crab mixture and toss until thoroughly combined. (Crab mixture may be made one day in advance if covered in airtight container and stored in the refrigerator.) Just before serving, prep avocado garnish by cutting avocado in half lengthwise and removing the pit. Gently peel away skin and place avocado half flat side down on cutting board. Slice lengthwise to 1/16-inch thickness. Cut slices into 1-inch long wedges. Spoon 1 tablespoon crab filling in wonton cup. Garnish with avocado wedge, slivered red onion, and cilantro leaf. Serve immediately. Serves: 25 appetizers Note: Avocado pulp will brown very quickly when exposed to air. Cut avocado just before assembling hors d'oeuvres. Brush avocado with fresh lemon juice to keep from browning too quickly.
Pork Picadillo in Tortilla Cups Ingredients: 1 Tbs. vegetable oil
2 lbs. ground pork
1 tsp. salt
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
1 green bell pepper, seeded and finely chopped
1/2 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. fresh oregano leaves
1 Tbs. minced fresh parsley
1/2 cup tomato paste (puree)
1 Tbs. red wine vinegar
1/4 cup beef stock
1/4 cup chopped pimento-stuffed olives
1/4 cup golden raisins
12 large corn tortillas Preparation: Heat oil in a large stockpot over medium-high heat. Add pork and salt and cook, stirring frequently, until it begins to brown, about 5 minutes. Add garlic, onion, pepper, cumin, oregano, and parsley to pot and cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables become tender, about 5 to 7 minutes. Reduce heat to low and stir in remaining ingredients. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes, or until mixture thickens. Add salt and pepper to taste. Use a small cookie cutter shaped like a star, flower, or circle and cut out shapes from tortillas. Spray cups of a mini muffin pan with a non-stick cooking spray. Set tortilla shapes into muffin cups so shape forms a cup. Spoon 1 tablespoon picadillo filling in center of tortilla. Bake at 350F (175C) for 10 minutes until crisp. Remove from heat and serve immediately. Or, you can cool and cover them with plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator for up to 1 day in advance. Just before serving, reheat at 350 degrees (175C) for 5 minutes or until warm.
Jerk Chicken on Sugar Cane Skewers with a Blackberry Brandy Dipping Sauce (Web Exclusive) Ingredients for Jerk Chicken: 6 boneless, skinless, half chicken breasts, each cut into 6 nuggets
1 cup commercially prepared Jamaican jerk seasoning
36 sugar cane skewers
Canola oil for grill pan Preparation for Jerk Chicken: Place chicken nuggets into a large bowl and pour jerk seasoning over chicken. Cover with plastic wrap and marinate for 1 hour in the refrigerator. Spear each chicken nugget with a sugar cane skewer. Heat a lightly oiled grill pan over medium-high heat. Add skewered chicken to skillet and cook, turning chicken over after 3 minutes, until done and chicken is no longer pink, about 6 minutes total. Remove from pan and repeat cooking process with remaining chicken. Arrange on serving platter and serve hot with Blackberry Brandy Dipping Sauce on side. Ingredients for Blackberry Brandy Dipping Sauce: 2 cups seedless blackberry jam
2 tablespoons blackberry brandy or creme de casis Preparation for Blackberry Brandy Dipping Sauce: Add jam and brandy into a small microwave safe bowl or a small saucepan. Cook on low heat until jam melts. Stir mixture until blended. Bring to room temperature and pour into small dipping bowl. Serves: 36 appetizer skewers and 2 cups sauce
Tri-Color Tortilla Chips with Tomato Citrus Salsa (Web Exclusive) Ingredients: 4 cups fresh tomato salsa (commercially prepared; usually found in plastic container in refrigerated section of grocery store)
3/4 cup small pineapple chunks (canned)
3/4 cup coarsely chopped mandarin oranges (canned)
Tri-Color Tortilla Chips Preparation: Add all ingredients into a bowl and stir to combine. Cover salsa and let stand for 1 hour at room temperature before serving so flavors blend. Serve with tortilla chips. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
Orange Rum Cake with Coconut Creme Anglaise and Caramelized Plantains (Web Exclusive) Ingredients for Cake: 1 cup unsalted butter, melted, cooled
2 cups sugar
5 eggs
2 Tbs. Jamaican Rum
1 cup milk
1/2 cup orange juice
2 Tbs. fresh grated orange zest
3-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 Tbs. baking powder Ingredients for Orange Rum Glaze: 1/4 cup powdered sugar
1 Tbs. Jamaican Rum
2 Tbs. orange juice
1 Tbs. orange zest Preparation: Preheat oven to 350F (170C). Butter a 12-cup Bundt pan. Beat butter and sugar in a large bowl until combined. Add eggs, rum, milk, and orange juice and zest and beat until smooth. Sift together dry ingredients and beat into mixture until blended. Pour into prepared pan. Bake for 45-50 minutes or until knife inserted comes out clean. Cool in pan for 5 minutes and invert cake on to wire rack. Cool completely. Meanwhile make Orange Rum Glaze. Mix together powdered sugar, rum, orange juice and orange zest until smooth. Place cake on to serving platter and drizzle 1/2 glaze over top and down sides of cake. Allow glaze to set for 10 minutes and drizzle remaining glaze over cake. Cut into cake and place slices on plates to serve. Store covered at room temperature for up to 1 week. For a quick creme anglaise just use melted vanilla ice cream. To give the sauce a Caribbean feel, flavor it with coconut milk to taste. Ingredients for Caramelized Plantains: 6 plantains, peeled (about 5 lbs.)
1/2 cup unsalted butter
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup Jamaican rum Preparation: Heat butter in a skillet over medium-high heat and add plantains. Cook, stirring occasionally, until plantains begin to brown, about 8-10 minutes. Reduce heat to medium and stir in sugar and rum. Cook, stirring constantly, for 1 minute more until sugar dissolves. Remove from heat and pour into serving dish. Serve hot. Slice plantains crosswise on the diagonal into 1/4" thick pieces. Cake serves 15 and plantains serves 6 to 8
Expert Tip: In designing an hors d' oeuvre cocktail party always be sure that your hors d' oeuvres are not one in the same. For example, they should be complements that compliment each other. They could be small bite-size cold slices of lochs or a warm colossal shrimp stuffed with crabmeat. Everything should be entertaining not just from a visual perspective but appetizing as well.
RESOURCES :
Hancock Fabrics Information
Store Locator: click here.
Hancock Fabrics, Inc.
Tupelo, MS 38803
Phone: 601-842-2834
Fax: 601-842-2834
Email: consumerdiv@hancockfabrics.com
Website: www.hancockfabrics.com
Sophisticated Entertaining: Spirited Food for Grown-Up Parties
1557883459
Jeanne Benedict
(October, 2000)
To order this title from Amazon, click here.
HP Books
Caribbean Cooking: The Best Dishes of the Islands, from Soup to Bread to Dessert
Model: 1557882711
Author: John Demers
(June, 1997 -- Revised and Updated)
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H.P. Books
Culinaria the Caribbean: A Culinary Discovery (Culinaria Series)
Model: 3895089028
Author: Rosemary Parkinson
(May, 1999)
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Konemann
Island Barbecue: Spirited Recipes from the Caribbean
Model: 0811805107
Author: Dustan A. Harris
(April, 1995)
To order this title from Amazon, click here.
Chronicle Publishing Company
Website: www.chroniclebooks.com
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