Cuisinart Pure Indulgence Frozen Yogurt, Sorbet, and Ice Cream Maker – Gadget Of The Week.

March 5, 2012June 18, 20113 Comments

What seems like a winter that would not end, is finally giving way to some beautiful weather here in Southern Ontario. Today it’s about 32 Celsius, but with the humidity if feels more like 38 Celsius, so this usually means it’s time to break out the trusty old ice cream maker we got a couple years back, for some frozen delights. If you recall the coconut ice cream recipe I shared with you last summer “A Vintage Trinbagonian Coconut Ice Cream Recipe” you’ll know that we’ve got one of those “pail” type ice cream makers, with the small motor on top which moves the container with the liquid, surrounded by chunks of ice. To finally freeze the custard-like liquid inside.

Now don’t get me wrong, some would argue that these types of ice cream makers are the best, but it’s not as convenient as some of the more modern ones. My dad would say that the best one for him would be those wooden pail ones, that you had to hand-crank. Like the one in the picture to the left (White Mountain Ice Cream Maker). By the way, if you’re old school like my dad or looking for some exercise, you can click on the picture to buy one. I’m sure many of you would have some good childhood memories of this type of vintage ice cream maker, like I do.

If it’s convenience and versatility you’re looking for, then you may want to get your hands on the Cuisinart Pure Indulgence 2-Quart Frozen Yogurt-Sorbet & Ice Cream Maker ICE-30BC that I asked for this Father’s Day! Lets hope someone was listening! Here’s why I made this the gadget of the week for June. Yea, I realize that I should title it gadget of the month.. Oh well!

Cuisinart Pure Indulgence 2-Quart Frozen Yogurt-Sorbet & Ice Cream Maker ICE-30BC

Looks sexy eh! Attractively styled and simple to use, Cuisinart’s ICE-30BC efficiently yields up to 2 quarts of frozen yogurt, sorbet, or soft-serve ice cream in as little as 25 minutes.

The 9-inch square brushed stainless-steel base houses the heavy-duty motor, bottom cord storage, and the black and chrome on/off dial. The 2-quart capacity freezer bowl has a smooth metallic silver-toned inner cavity and a deep gray hard plastic exterior with an outer diameter of 7.5 inches. Complete assembly of the unit takes only minutes, but fully freezing the cooling liquid within the freeing bowl’s double insulated walls can take from 6 to 28 hours prior to use, depending on your freezer temperature. Thoroughly freezing the canister is the key to successful results. We suggest storing the bowl in your freezer to ensure quick and easy use of your ice cream maker.

Once frozen, the bowl seats perfectly into a cylindrical opening in the base. A gray plastic mixing arm fits into the bowl and a transparent lid locks into place with an easy twist. Once assembled, a simple half turn of the dial starts the motor and the frozen bowl begins to turn. A 3-foot cord conveniently allows flexibility in positioning the base on your table or counter and a 3-inch top opening in the lid serves as a spout for adding your pre-mixed recipe ingredients.

The churning motor “hums” audibly–but not excessively–during use and features an automatic safety shutoff to prevent overheating. The clear lid allows easy viewing and monitoring of the mixing process. Soft-serve mixtures are deliciously ready in minutes and firmer consistency is easily accomplished with a few hours in your freezer. Numerous recipes are included.

I can only imagine making up a batch or two of rum and raisin (my fave) or how about some mango pineapple ice cream this summer. But wait, for you frozen sorbet lovers like Tehya and Indy, you won’t be left out. Yes, this bad boy makes Sorbet and frozen yogurt as well. I’ll just have to find some recipes or make some concoction of my own.

To own one of these Cuisinart Pure Indulgence 2-Quart Frozen Yogurt-Sorbet & Ice Cream Maker ICE-30BC, click on the link below. They’re reasonably priced and comes with a 3 year limited warranty. Convenient, durable, and actually a lot of fun, the Cuisinart’s ICE-30BC churns out homemade ice cream, sorbet and frozen yogurt you, your family and friends will enjoy during those beautiful days of summer.

CLICK HERE >> Get your very own Cuisinart Pure Indulgence 2-Quart Frozen Yogurt-Sorbet & Ice Cream Maker ICE-30BC

If you already own one of these ice cream makers, I’d love to get your feedback on it. What you like, dislike and overall performance (if you don’t mind). Leave me a comment below in the area provided. I will do the same once I get mine on Father’s Day morning and have time to put it to use… lets hope they were listening!

Happy Cooking!

Chris….

p.s. This makes a great gift as well!

Sancoche, Memories Of A Bush Cook.

May 27, 2025June 14, 201129 Comments

Sancoche, is one of those soups we make in the Caribbean which can be identified by various other names from island to island. Basically is a thick soup with everything but the kitchen sink in it. Loaded with ground provisions (yam, dasheen, cassava, eddoes, sweet potato.. etc), split peas, flour dumplings, coconut milk and some sort of salt meat or smoked bones for additional flavoring, it’s one of those meals where the ethnic fatigue kicks in after a bowl or two.

As a young fella growing up on the islands one of my favorite things to do, was go with friends when they were making “bush” cook. I grew up in the country and that usually meant most of our weekend off from school was spent in the outdoors. I recall swimming for hours in the river while this pot of soup would be bubbling away on three rocks made to support the pot while allowing room for fire wood beneath it. Usually set under the confines of the shade from a bamboo patch. With the cool temperature of the spring fed water as it makes it’s way down the mountain to the spot where we’d swim, a hot bowl of soup would definitely hit the spot. When it wasn’t sancoche, it would be fish broth, some sort of “wild” meat with provision or if times were hard for us to source ingredients it would be dasheen bush cooked in coconut milk and served with some massive flour/cassava dumplings.

Note: This pot of soup is enough to feed a small army. So you may want to cut back the ingredients list by half and it will serve 5-7 people as a main course. I usually freeze the leftovers, but for some reason the ground provisions does not reheat well after freezing.

You’ll Need…
1 1/2 cups split peas
2 lbs. pigtail (see notes below)
2 cups. pumpkin, peeled and chopped
1 lb. eddoes
1 lb. dasheen
1 lb. yam
1 sweet potato (abt 1lb)
4 medium potatoes (I used Yukon Gold)
6 cooking bananas (green fig)
12-16 small ochroes (see notes below)
1 carrot, chopped
1 bundle spinach (see note below)
5 leaves chadon beni
4 cloves garlic
1 onion
4 sprigs thyme (fine leaf)
3 scallions
1 tablespoon salt (see notes below)
1 hot pepper (I used a scotch bonnet)
1 can coconut milk (14 fl oz | 400 ml)
1 tablespoon salt
2 tablespoon vegetable oil
16 cups water
2 packs Grace cock soup (spicy) See Notes below

Notes:

Pigtail – I used salted pigtails and wish I had some salted beef to add as well. You can also use regular beef cubed, smoked bones or any sort of soup bones. I guess you could also make this with chicken as well or leave meat entirely out of it and have it vegetarian style. You’ll have to adjust the salt if you’re not using salted meats.

Spinach : The traditional thing to use would be young dasheen leaves, but since I couldn’t source any, I opted for regular spinach.

Ochroes: I used about 16 small ochroes (about 3 inches long), but all I could get was the dark green variety. Avoid those if you can and look for a lighter green variety. I find that they stand up better to the slow cooking process and the texture is a bit different than the dark green ones.

Salt : Since I used salted pigtial in this soup, I only needed about 1 tablespoon. I would suggest that you not add any salt, but taste about 15 minutes from the end and add according to your preference.

Grace Cock Soup : If you can’t get Grace Cock soup, feel free to use a couple cubes of Maggi chicken bouillon or as a matter of fact, any chicken stock/bouillon cube should work well. I use the Grace cock soup as I love the extra level of flavour it adds with it’s unique spiciness.

It looks like a lot of ingredients but as I mentioned, I’m cooking a huge pot..

The fisrt thing to do is to prepare the salted pig tails. Using a large chef knife or cleaver (or ask your butcher to cut it for you), cut into 2 inch pieces. Rinse off under cool water, then place in a deep saucepan and cover with water (not the water mentioned in the ingredients list above). Bring that up to a boil and keep it at a rolling boil for about 25 minutes. This will take some of the brine and salt the pigtails were preserved in. After the 25 minutes, drain, rinse and set aside.

In a large soup pot, heat the vegetable oil and then start adding the chopped onion, garlic, thyme, chandon beni (alternative – use 3-4 tablespoon of chopped cilantro) and scallion and cook for a few minutes on med/low heat. Then add the pieces of salted pig tail, the split peas (wash before adding) and top with about 8 cups of water. Bring this to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and allow to cook for about 45 minutes with the pot covered. This will allow the split peas and pig tail to get tender before adding the other ingredients.

While this cooks, lets get the ground provision, carrot, green banana and potatoes peeled and cut into chunks. You’ll notice that I tried my best to keep the size of each piece uniform. This will allow it to cook evenly. I cut the pieces of pumpkin a bit smaller, as I like for it to dissolve a bit while cooking so it helps to add a wonderful overall color as well as it gives it some body.

Remember to wear gloves (latex or rubber) when peeling/working with ground provisions, especially the eddoes and green bananas. Or rub some vegetable oil over your hands. This will prevent the sort of staining and avoid your hands going itchy.

After the soup base has been cooking for about 45 minutes, it’s time to add everything else. Add the ground provisions, salt, cock soup and scotch bonnet pepper (keep whole if you want the flavor and not the heat). Then trim off the stems off the ochroes and cut in 1/2 before adding to the pot. You’ll need to add a further 8 cups of water as well as the coconut milk at this point. Just make sure everything is pretty much covered by liquid.

The final step is to rinse off the spinach and give it a rough chop before adding to the pot. It will look like a lot, but it will wilt down as it cooks. Bring everything back up to a boil, cover the pot and reduce to a gentle simmer. Allow this to cook for another 45 minutes or so. Stir occasionally and don’t fret if you find that the ground provision starts to dissolve. We want this soup to be thick, like a North American beef stew.

You will notice that some stuff will start building up at the top while this boils… skim it off with a spoon and discard. Remember to taste for salt the last 15 minutes or so and adjust accordingly. For extra heat, burst the pepper near the end as well, and at this point you can remove the sprigs from the thyme.

Traditionally you’d find flour dumplings in this soup, but I simply ran out of room in my pot… yea I could hear some of you saying “where’s the dumpling Chris”. Another way to add extra flavor and some additional body to this soup, is to add a couple packs of chicken noodle soup instead of the chicken bullion or stock powder. And if you have some Goldenray butter, feel free to toss in a tablespoon or 2.

If you guys join the chat on the Facebook fan page, you’ll notice that Anthony K, made a very good observation… “you either have to try to make it or know a trini who will make it for you, (the only problem is you can’t make a small amount)…it’s great and I don’t really care for soup”. Which so true, I’ve never seen a small pot of this cooking.

Before you go, why not take a couple minutes and leave me your comments below. Even if it’s just to say hello… it’s always appreciated. And don’t forget to check out the Caribbean Cooking Videos.

Happy Cooking

Chris…

The Ultimate Jerk Pork Recipe.

May 27, 2025June 13, 2011179 Comments

Today we’ll induct yet another dish into the series “The Ultimate” (keyword search ‘ultimate’ in the search box – top right of this page for more recipes in the series). This time we’re doing one of those classic Jamaican dishes… Jerk Pork. The first time I made this dish was about 5 years ago when our friends were getting married and they were having the stag / doe and asked for us to bring along a dish. Since then, we’ve only heard good things from the many guests who were there that night. This weekend being Tehya’s birthday and knowing that my mom is a fan of jerk pork, I thought it would be perfect for the bbq we were having.

If you read the piece I did titled Jamaica One Plate At A Time, you’ll know that I went in hunt of the perfect jerk while we were in Jamaica and found (more like stumbled.. stretch our legs and use the bathroom) a spot called “Supreme Jerk Center” on our way to Negril from Montego Bay. The fella doing the jerk had some skills. Not only was the pork perfectly cooked over the open coals, but we could tell that he allowed the meat to marinate for quite some time. As the pork was infused with that authentic jerk flavor and the smoky taste from the pimento wood was divine. Though I don’t have the use of the open coals, I’m positive that my jerk pork could easily rival his.

For this recipe you’ll need to refer to the jerk marinade recipe I shared with you a few months ago or see below for quick instructions. If you don’t feel like making your own marinade, check out the selection of Jamaican Jerk Marinade and BBQ Sauces you can purchase.

You’ll Need…

Jerk Marinade

5 scallions (green onions)
5 sprigs of fresh thyme (about 1 tablespoon chopped)
2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 tablespoon brown sugar
2 teaspoon ground allspice
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon cinnamon
2 scotch bonnet peppers
1/3 cup soy sauce
2 tablespoon vegetable oil
1/4 cup vinegar
1 onion
1/2 cup orange juice
2 cloves garlic
1 teaspoon grated ginger

* Basically all you have to do is give everything a rough chop and place in a food processor or blender as I did and pulse until you get a smooth consistency.

Then you’ll need…

1 boneless pork loin (about 7-8lbs)
2 cups of the jerk marinade

Let’s get started. Give the pork loin a good rinse under cool water and pat dry with paper towels. Then place the pork in a large dish/pan and using a pairing knife, make some stabs into the meat (about 1 inch deep). This will help in the marinating process. This step will get a bit messy, so using gloves may come in handy. Remember we used scotch bonnet peppers in the marinade so you may find that your bare hands may catch on fire! Pour 1 cup of the jerk marinade over the pork loin, then using your hands, massage and work it well. You can certainly bush the marinade on, but I much prefer to work this with my hands. Now cover and leave to marinate for at least 5 hours in the fridge.

Take the pork out of the fridge about 25 minutes before you start to grill, to allow it to come back to room temperature. I’m using a gas grill to cook this but if you have a wood or coal burning grill, do your thing. Basically you want to bring the temperature of the grill to about 300 degrees and brush the grate with some vegetable oil. All you do is take tongs, grab a piece of paper towel and dip it into a bowl with vegetable oil an brush the grill.

The goal is to slow cook this so you have 2 options. Grill on the top level grill or sort of warming rack (as I did) or grill with indirect heat. The flame would be on one corner of the grill surface and the meat on the other. This way you don’t get direct contact with the meat and flame/heat.

Basically all you’re doing for the next 2.5 to 3 hours is basting every 20 minutes and turning over when you do, so the meat cook evenly. When you removed the pork loin from marinating, do save the left over marinade and add a further cup, to use for basting during the cooking process.

When I purchased my pork loin I looked for a piece with a thin layer of fat. This allows the meat to basically self-baste while cooking… so you don’t get an overly dry finished dish as the loin is usually very lean. Remember to try to maintain the 300 degrees, keep the lid on the grill closed and brush on marinade every 20 minutes or so. You will notice that it will start going dark and have a sort of burned look, but this natural. It’s just all the sugars doing it’s caramelizing thing. Good jerk is supposed to have that sort of colour… but remember – no direct heat or it will become burnt!

Do allow this to rest a bit before slicing, so some of the natural juices are allowed relax the jerked pork loin. We had over 25 people here and I still had enough to pack a doggie bag for my parents when they left. But we did have many others dishes as well. Conservatively, this is enough for about 10-15 people as a main meat side..

IMPORTANT: Be sure to use a gluten free soy sauce to meet with your gluten free dietary needs when doing this jerk pork recipe.

— Winner Wanted!—

It’s that time again – we’re giving away the following book (see below) to one lucky person for the month of June. All you have to do is leave me a comment in the comments section below (please say something about this recipe) and your name will be automatically entered to win this amazing book on organic gardening and cooking with herbs, vegetables and fruits.

Yea! Not your typical Caribbean book, but a wonderful way to learn about organic gardening and cooking. Focusing on plants that are easy to grow, Adam Caplin takes an illuminating new look at the delights and challenges of cultivating edibles, showing how they can be grown – on their own in beds and containers, in mixed borders, and decoratively with flowers – for their ornamental as well as their nutritional value. Celia Brooks Brown presents 35 mouthwatering vegetarian recipes – for soups and starters, main courses, salads and light dishes, salsas and chutneys, and sweet things. This book features glorious photography by Caroline Hughes and William Shaw.

There are two bonus ways you can have your name entered in the contest, giving you 3 chances at winning. Along with leaving a comment below, go to the Facebook fan page and/or the Youtube cooking channel and leave a comment there. I don’t care what your comment is, but it would be nice if you could tell me what you like about Caribbean food and if the recipes I share are helpful.

Here are the rules pertaining to winning the copy of “New Kitchen Garden”…

– contest is open to everyone globally

– there are 3 ways to enter your name (see above)

– 1 winner will be chosen at random (if you left 3 comments, your name will be entered 3 times)

– contest is open from June 13 – to midnight June 30.

– winner will be announced within 1 week of the official close date.

– the winner will have 1 week to contact us with mailing address

– we will cover all shipping expenses (standard mail)

I hope you take a moment to enter your name as I’d really like to mail this book out to you. It’s simple, free and a great way to experiment with some organic gardening and cooking. Good luck to everyone who enters.

—————————————————————————————->

Oye! before you go… Remember you can watch the cooking videos on the recipe channel and we’d love to interact with you on our Facebook fan page. There’s a few thousand of us already causing commesse on there… so do check it out.

Pommecythere Amchar Talkari.

May 28, 2025June 1, 201142 Comments

You’re probably wondering what the heck is wrong with Chris, when you read both Amchar and talkari as the heading of this recipe. I didn’t know if this would be considered amchar, talkari or curry Pommecythere considering I didn’t use any curry in cooking it. All I know is that the few times I had this growing up, was the occasional time I would purchase some from the many street food vendors outside the gates at our high school. Are there still food vendors outside schools today in Trinidad and Tobago?

This is the first time I was making this dish and I must say that I’m quite proud of the results.

You’ll Need…

3 Pommecythere (green / fully developed)
2 tablespoon amchar massala
1 teaspoon salt
1 scotch bonnnet pepper (any hot pepper would work)
3 cloves garlic – crushed
2 tablespoon vegetable oil
3 tablespoon brown sugar (golden.. not dark)
1 1/4 cup water
1/2 medium onion sliced thin (optional)

Note: Depending on how sour or tart your Pommecytheres are, you may need to add a bit more salt. The idea is to get a sort of savory taste, with the richness of the brown sugar and amchar massala. So if at the end you find it to be a bit tart, add a bit more salt or sugar.

Some people tend to pre-boil the Pommecythere pieces before actually cooking it in the massala. By doing so you achieve two thing. 1. Speeds up the cooking time, as it will already be tender. And 2. The pre-boiling tends to remove some of the tartness from the Pommecythere. If you decide on pre-boiling, you’ll only need about 1/4 cup water as mentioned in the ingredients listed above and you’ll cook it only a few minutes after adding all the ingredients to the pot.

If you’re wondering what Pommecythere is…

From Wikipedia : Spondias dulcis or Ambarella, (and its alternative binomial, Spondias cytherea, Malay Apple), Golden apple, is an equatorial or tropical tree, with edible fruit containing a fibrous pit. It is known by many names in various regions, including Pomme cythere in Trinidad and Tobago, June plum in Jamaica, Juplon in Costa Rica, Jobo Indio in Venezuela, and Caja-manga in Brazil.

Give the Pommecythere a good rinse under running water, then using a cleaver or heavy knife, cut through them into wedges (see pic below). Give them a another rinse if you like. Then get the other ingredients ready. You’ll notice that I didn’t bother peeling the Pommecythere as I find that the skin adds to the overall texture at the end. And you will find that the center of the Pommecythere is somewhat spiny and tough.. this is why I used a heavy cleaver to cut through them.

Heat the vegetable oil in a fairly heavy/deep pan and add the onion and garlic. Allow that to cook for a few minutes, then add the slices of pepper. Remember (I learned the hard way today) that the fumes from the pepper meeting the heated oil will be strong and cause you to cough. Open your kitchen windows and turn on the vent fan if you have one over your stove.

Allow this to cook for about 3 minutes, then add the pieces of cut Pommecythere and give it a good stir. Next up.. add the amchar massala and stir again. Now add the sugar, salt and water and bring to a boil.

After it comes to a boil, reduce the flame to between a rolling boil and simmer.. place the lid on the pot and allow this to cook for about 25-30 minutes. Basically until it’s tender and becomes a thick sort of sauce. Remember what I mentioned in the note above and check to ensure it’s not to tart or sour as we would say on the islands.

This is used as a condiment for many curry dishes, spicy snack or as a side with roti in many instances. Before you go I invite you to leave me your comments below.. even if it just to say hello. It’s always appreciated. And don’t forget to join us on facebook and do check out the cooking videos.