Plantation Organic Gardens Cayman Islands: October 2012 - Vegetable and Herb Gardening at Lat...

Plantation Organic Gardens Cayman Islands: October 2012 - Vegetable and Herb Gardening at Lat...: www.plantationhouse.blogspot.com Octobers bring much promise to gardeners here at 20 degrees North and October 2012 is no exception.  Thi...

Pineapple Coconut Chops

This week we had the greatest pleasure of cooking for an auctioned dinner party. It was a great time for all and the five courses of dinner were well received. My buddies JT, Mike Aram and Scott whipped up all the food, since I was otherwise busy with other menu items this week. Starting off was some amazing fresh summer salad with a specially made pineapple and mango vinaigrette which was one of the first parts of the dinner. A mango and a little piece of pineapple cooked down and blended to a purée with shallots and wine dressed the fresh field greens, tomato slices, cucumber chips and onion shards. The chefs also served up some of the famous Trinidadian sorrel rum punch. The sorrel drink is made from the dried flowers of a Caribbean flowering plant in the Hibiscus sp. family. Either way it served as a mixer for a bottle of dark rum, and its deep red color is similar to red wine. The fragrant notes of sweet cloves, cinnamon and lemons are very evident and then followed by the light floral notes in the beverage. The exact similar beverage is common in Mexico and is known as Jamaica, spelt exactly like the Island name of Jamaica. In Mexico, this beverage is either served hot or cold and is sweetened with sugar. It always usually is mixed or served with alcohol such as tequila. However in my case, when we added the rum that is when the party really got started! Being served over crushed ice, the potent mixture of rum and spices in the punch did quick work of more than a few honorable fallen brain cells. Oh well you win some and then you lose some. We had to follow up with the appetizer course which included a fresh mango salsa, where mango chunks were marinated in lime juice, cilantro, salt, pepper, garlic, thyme, green onions and some white wine. These were made alongside a spicy habanero and plum tomato guacamole which was served again along with a fresh baked, Jamaican styled jerked flavored flaked salmon pastry. The pastry way uniquely handcrafted in the shape of an ocean going fish and baked in a wood fired pizza oven. Let me put it this way, it’s definitely not your everyday downtown Duluth food fare choices and it tasted so Irie to these guys that at this part of the dinner, they decided that they hire us back for a second dinner party. Sweet! Later we presented an entrée of traditional Caribbean styled rice and peas and pork loins, which I adapted from my good friend Prince Paul our local reggae godfather and superstar. This rice and peas was made with kidney beans mixed in with white rice that was first fried in butter and spices before it was boiled with water. The fragrant steamed rice when cooked was mixed in with steaming hot red kidney beans that were seasoned with onions, allspice, nutmeg, thyme, garlic, habanero peppers, cumin, salt and black pepper. With the rice, there was also a side of vegetables which consisted of summer squashes that were thinly sliced along with red onions, carrots and bell peppers. The veggies were done on the wood fired grill and spiced with my grill rub made with salt, pepper, cumin, fennel, fenugreek and mustard seeds among others. The pork loin chop were marinated with a mixture of pineapple juice, garlic, coconut milk, fennel, fenugreek, cumin, coriander, cilantro, mustard seeds, lemon juice, and two splashes of dark rum. At this point in the night the drinks were flowing well and it was time to grill off of the pork and serve it off for the guests. Then the icing on the cake was the dessert course where the chef JT, skillfully made a dark chocolate rum mousse with Captain Morgan’s Blackstrap Spiced Rum. He layered the rum chocolate mousse into cocktail glasses with the sweetened chunks of jellied mangoes and pineapples. Many thanks must go out to Pam and Emily for having us over and it was especially nice to meet all of you. What a great time with good food and fine conversations.