There’s a whole world of food in The Americas, the landmass that stretches from Alaska and Northern Canada, through the USA, Central and South America to the icy Tierra del Fuego archipelago – with an embracing arm including the diverse Caribbean islands. Here are a few of my favourite Canadian recipes, North American recipes, Latin American recipes, Central and South American recipes and Caribbean recipes.
SouthernHam Salad The South is famous for smoked ham. It’s fried for breakfast, sliced for sandwiches and popular in this party favourite. It’s called a salad, but is really more of a dip or spread, perfect for serving alongside its retro cousins, pimento cheese dip (see video below) and devilled eggs, for an impressive start […]
Benne Wafers (Sesame Cookies) Benne (pronounced benny) is the heirloom ancestor to modern day sesame seeds. Morgan McGlone, who worked with renowned Southern chef Sean Brock at Husk in Charleston (South Carolina), tells me that even raw they have the rich, nutty flavour of toasted sesame seeds. Slaves brought benne seeds with them from Africa, […]
Beignets (New Orleans Doughnuts) Beignets (pronounced bay-nyay) are close cousins to French boules de Berlin and were brought to New Orleans by the Acadians, French settlers exiled from Canada who relocated to Louisiana in the late 1700s. Beignets are traditionally served for breakfast with bitter chicory coffee but are delicious at any time of day. […]
Aussie Solomon Gundy Get More Caribbean Inspiration Here! Solomon Gundy is a classic Jamaican spread (also called solomon-a-gundy) made from heavily salted herring so strongly smoked that the flesh turns a reddish brown (thus ‘red herrings’). The rather odd sounding name comes from the old-fashioned English term salmagundi, referring to a highly-seasoned dish made from […]
Jamaican Coconut Drops Get More Caribbean Inspiration Here! Also called simply ‘drops’, Jamaican Coconut Drops are a favourite sweet treat of Jamaicans everywhere. I love the punch the ginger adds to cut through the sweetness of these chewy toffees. Don’t be tempted to take the mixture off the stove too soon or it won’t set; […]
Caribbean Flan Get More Caribbean Inspiration Here! Caribbean flan is a simple dessert similar to a French crème caramel or Spanish flan, except it’s a bit denser. The traditional Caribbean version is based on condensed and evaporated milk as fresh milk wasn’t always readily available in the past. Caribbean flan made with coconut milk is […]
Bajan Corn Soup Get More Caribbean Inspiration Here! Hearty corn soup is popular in many parts of the Caribbean, including Jamaica, Trinidad and Barbados. This is my take on the Barbadian version inspired by a recipe Paul Carmichael gave me – I love the three different textures of corn. Bajan corn soup often contains pumpkin […]
Quesadillas with Mexican Salsa Verde I love recipes that are so simple they’re hardly a recipe at all – where great produce and flavours shine and I don’t have to do too much. That’s what these simple fried cheese sandwiches are all about, especially served with vibrant green salsa verde. Salsa verde simply means ‘green […]
While cocktails are typically served before dinner, I find some are better suited to the end of the evening. Here’s my version of five classic cocktails that are perfect after, or instead of, dessert. Make your own simple sugar syrup by combining equal quantities of water and sugar or have fun with the exciting range […]
Apple Crumble Like this recipe? You’ll love my online British cooking class! I have more of a savoury than a sweet palate, so I don’t make a lot of desserts – when I do, they have to be super quick and easy like this delicious apple crumble. If you have a sweeter palate you might […]
