Peace to the World

It's been a Christmas of rings.

Christmas Fare

It's Christmas Eve and I'm a long way from home. So I made some Ponchecrema, a Trinidadian rum-laced eggnog that is very much part of our Chirstmas tradition.
This was my improvised recipe made with ingredients from the nearest grocery in the Berkshires. Ponchecrema Recipe
6 eggs
2 cans of condensed milk
2 cans of evaporated milk
Approx 18oz good rum
Good dash of nutmeg

Place first three ingredients in blender. Blend vigourously. Pour into jug. Add rum and stir. Chill. Serve in short highball glasses with lots of ice. Add dash of nutmeg before drinking.

To further get into the Chrismtas spirit - I roasted chestnuts for the first time. In the oven.



Blackberries are another novelty that we do not get in the Caribbean. So when we come across them, we buy them by the bucket. I couldn't resist hauling them out onto the counter and shooting them tonight. They are so pretty, it's hard to eat them. I always feel as if I am living out an Enid Blyton fanatasy when I eat blackberries!

Apples are apples all over the world. But I can now say that apples do taste better when eaten closer to the tree.

One of the nicest things about having a blog is that you can go back to see what you were doing one year ago.
Merry Christmas world. From me to you.

Niche 2009

I spent last weekend in Nevis for the annual NICHE food festival. It's no secret that Nevis is one of my favourite places on Earth and it was great to get back and see everyone again. We visited Mansa, the organic farmer on Friday morning and had a wonderful tour of his farm. The flower of the guava reminds me a bit of the coffee flower. It is not as fragrant but is absolutely beautiful. I find it amazing that these pure, almost virginal flowers go on to produce big, sturdy fruit. They would be beautiful on a table.

Mansa's fruit juices and wines. Ross kept saying to Mansa, what's that extra flavour in the sorrel? Bois Bande, replied Mansa proudly, Bois Bande!!!! It seems that Bois Bande does not carry the same potent response in Nevis as it does here in Trinidad. Anyway we advised to use sparingly, just in case.

Our Niche pan man.

These tomatoes are straight off the land. They look it, don't they?

Mansa uses this fruit to make jewellery. Each pod is a slighly different shade. I'm did not get the name of the tree.