Cinnamon Maple Cookies

This little cookie is quite a surprise. It’s a mix between a sweet pastry and a shortbread. There’s a lot of flavor in a little bite and a fine complexity that is derived in the rolled version. As the cookies bake, the butter, sugar, cinnamon and maple syrup meld together magically creating a golden crisp…

Fragrant Rice Pilaf

Rice is a staple which is commonly consumed by a large portion of the world’s inhabitants daily. There are long, medium and short grained rice varieties and each type has its own appearance, flavor and characteristic. Long grain rice tends to stay separate once cooked, while medium grain rice yields a stickier outcome; the best…

Citrus Magic: Lemons, Limes and Sour Oranges

It never ceases to amaze me how flavors come together in food preparation. In my opinion, cooking can be compared to alchemy. Like magic, ingredients and spices marry together to produce wondrous outcomes. A good cook seeks to balance flavors ranging from sweet, savory, spicy and acidic and transforms them into tasty delights. Too much…

Tarte à l’oignon or Creamy Onion Tart

Tarte a l’oignon is a family favorite which I was introduced to on my arrival to Haïti. It’s origins are French and it’s the type of dish that appears on Sunday Lunch tables or brunches. It is a delicious concoction of sautéed onions, a creamy filling which binds the soft caramelized onions and the buttery…

Guyana revisited : Memories of my childhood

Every now and again, I find myself reminiscing about my homeland. Although it’s been 33 years now since I left and became a member of the Guyanese diaspora, I still have fond memories of the place where I grew up and spent the first part of my life. I know a trip back to Guyana…

Cassava Coconut Pudding with Rum Raisin Sauce

Cassava is a root tuber which we in the Caribbean know well. It is actually native to this part of the world and has been cultivated in the northern portions of South America, Southern meso America and the Caribbean for ten thousand years. This starch tuber is also known as manioc or yuca. Cassava has…

Peanut Chrysanthemum Cookies

Peanut Chrysanthemum Cookies I remember those cookies fondly as a child. I was never a big fan of peanut butter, but I did like these dainty cookies whenever we had them on special occasions. The pastry was very refined and the filling was slightly sweet and peanut flavored. There was the characteristic red dot in…

Easy Delicious Cheese and Walnut Rounds

If your household dynamic is anything like mine, it’s always a good thing to have some tasty treats or snacks on hand, in addition to my family, there are always friends, houseguests passing by. As a consequence, I am always preparing either freshly baked or partially prepared goodies for the freezer. Having ready made items…

All We Need Is Love

When I was young, Valentine’s day was the day which symbolized love and all things associated with this emotion. Everyone wore something red and looked forward to receiving cards, chocolates or flowers from admirers. Little did I know at this time just how commercial this day really was. My views today are so very different…

The Most Delicious Cheesy Polenta and Ground Beef Gratin

Corn or maize and it’s bi-products are today widely used ingredients in so many products we consume. This common grain is cultivated all over the world now that we may no longer even wonder where it may have originated. If you drive through the Midwest in the USA, you will see acres upon acres of…