The wonders of Jamaica

Scene inside a caf in the Blue Mountains

I should have known that when visiting Jamaica, I would love the island. I knew it when, for the first time, I saw Jamaicans faces. When I caught sight of their welcoming smiles. When I heard the way they spoke. I loved the melody of their accent, and the way the intonation marking their words made their voice go up at the end of each sentence. It sounded like a happy melody.

I like how you pronounce the word questions, I said one day to our local guide at Prospect Plantation in Ocho Rios. Thin and not looking his age, he liked to share deadpan jokes which were irresistibly funny.

Before October, I had never visited Jamaica, but I had always wanted to.

Coffee Plant

Blue Mountains Coffee

It started when, at the age of seventeen, I traveled to Canada with a teenager group, and we met Nikki.

Nikkis mother was French, his father Jamaican, but Nikki lived in Toronto, which made him Canadian too. Nikki was tall and skinny, with long dark curly hair and glasses too wide for his face. He was funny too. He was also always hungry and eating, and at night, after wed slip inside our sleeping bags under the tent, he loved to tell us stories about Jamaica. Which, despite the fact that I was still young, piqued my curiosity and made me promise that, one day, Id visit the island.

I finally did when! , two mo nths ago, I was invited with a small group of food writers to participate to a culinary tour of Jamaica.

It was exotic. Colorful and inspiring.

I took me a fair amount of time to gather my thoughts and decide what stories Id share with you. So much was packed within five days. There were so many pictures opportunities.

Perhaps, I thought, I should start with the story that happened the day we traveled to the Blue Mountains and our bus got stuck in one of the many sharp curves on the road leading to a coffee farm. It was irresistibly funny! And scary too.

Or maybe instead, I should write about the magnificent house and gardens that Robin keeps at Belcour Preserves, and how I adored sitting on the porch of her house to taste delicate foods and drinks she had kindly prepared for usall of this while watching with delight a heavy downpour surrounding us. No wonder, I thought, that the trees and flowers look so happy here!

I learned that Jamaica has a strong food culture that deserves to be seen and tasted. I learned that, unlike other Caribbean islands Ive visited before, locals grow various types of fruit and vegetables.

Thankfully, two months later, I am now finally ready to share the highlights from my culinary trip.

It starts with:

Traveling the winding! road wh ich revealed magnificent views of the Yallahs Valley and led to Clifton Mount Estate, located at an elevation of 4300 feet above sea level. From it, we embraced the majestic view of the Grand Ridge and Blue Mountain Peak at 7402 feet which, as is often the case, hid behind a layer of dense mountain mist. I could not help but love the different local scenes we witness on the way: school children wearing dark blue school uniforms; colorful tin-roofed grocery shacks; local bars; clouds hanging around the pointy steeple of a white church perched on the flank of the mountains; lush dark green vegetation which witnessed of the heavy downpours the area receives regularly.

Inspired to bake a cocoa banana bread

Lawrence and Richard Sharp, the friendly owners of the coffee farm who welcomed us to morning coffee with homemade baked sweetshello banana bread!taught us that, because of its location, Clifton Mount Estate is a premium coffee growing territory. With its carefully maintained garden, a paradise to playful hummingbirds, the old houseone of the few remaining Jamaican Great Houseslooks beautiful, somehow reminiscent of another era.

I learned that Lawrences farm is 75 percent organic, which means that only a few crops are sprayed with pesticides. Because Jamaican Blue Mountain Coffee is heavily regulated by the Coffee Industry Board of Jamaica assuring the trademarked Jamaica Blue Mountain designation, much like the French Appellation dorigine contrle (AOC)Blue Mountain coffee is fairly expensive in! compari son to other coffees grown elsewhere in the world.

Sampling a humble and delicious lunch at EITS Caf. EITS (short for Europe in the summer) is a charming open-air caf located on the hillside town of Newcastle in the Blue Mountains. The eatery is run by the petite and lovely Robyn Fox and her father. Together, they operate the caf, run Mount Edge guesthouse, and Food Basket, an enterprise selling to select supermarkets around Kingston (and by special order) herbs and vegetables they proudly grow on the farm.

There, I learned about French thyme (a variety I had never seen before), which Robins father was proud to have me taste. We also sampled Scotch bonnet pepper, an extremely spicy pepper that is traditionally used to season jerk chicken, giving the traditional Jamaican dish its unique flavor.

Scotch Bonnet Pepper
French Thyme at EITS

Lunch at EITS

Walking through the lush green gardens at Belcour Preserves where owners Robin Lumsden and her husband Michael treated us to homemade local foods and refreshments. Dating back to the 1700s, the lodge was originally a coffee farm. Today, Robin and Michael use it to grow tropical fruit and keep bees. The Lu! msdens 7 5 bee colonies produce Belcours Tropical Honey, a delicate, multiflora amber honey. They also make jams, relishes, condiments, and hot pepper sauceall using the local produce available.

Sampling street foodlike pumpkin and crawfish soup, corn on the cob and freshly cut open exotic fruitbought at street stalls found everywhere along the way. Hello avocado pear, guavas, guinep, June plum, jackfruit, papaya (Paw Paw), sorrel, sweetsop, soursop, and Jamaican mangoes, I loved you all. I am so thankful that you educated me to many varieties of fruit unknown to me before.

A Fruit and Vegetable Stand

Eating a lot of soups. Spicy soups. Pumpkin soups. I was surprised to learn that in Jamaica, pumpkin is common and eaten all year round. I was also delighted to find out that for Jamaicans, Saturday means Soup day. Whats not to love about a gathering of friends and family around a large pot of homemade soup?

Visiting Irish Rover near Ochos Rios, the first authentic Irish Pub on the island. After working as a musician in Ireland for over 40 years, owner Winston Samuels decides to retire to his homeland where he eventually opens this surprising pub. Unique and well worth the visit.

Jamaican Jerk

Watching how, at Scotchies (a rustic thatched-roof outdoors joint located in Coral Gardens near Montego Bay), the best jerk you can find on the island is made. In fact, I had never seen anything like this before: dozens of pimiento-seasoned chickens and slabs of pork grilling on open flames. I learned that its the smoke which gives the flavor to the meat. With jerk, we enjoyed sides like sliced, roasted breadfruit and yam; rice and peas (incidentally I learned that this translates as rice and beans) and festival (deep-fried cornmeal dumplings).

Fresh coconut and brown sugar

Eat the flesh of a freshly cut-open coconu t sprinkled with brown sugar. So simple. So good.

Traveling to Ochos Rios to discover exquisite beaches and swim in crystal clear turquoise waters by late afternoon before heading out for dinner.

Watching a beautiful rainbow from my room at Sandals resort in Ochos Rios.

Enjoying a traditional Jamaican breakfast. Who knew I would enjoy eating ackee and salted fish (from ackee fruit and salt cod), with rice and Callaloo and boiled green bananas so early in the morning? I really did!

Sandals Resort, Ochos Rios
Ackee and Salted Fish/Callaloo
Exotic Fruit

Jamaican Sorrel Drink (known as their Christmas drink)

Fish Jerk

Meeting lots of goats along the way.

Sampling rum. Bananas. Banana bread.

And, with the head filled with delicious memories (and the suitcase with local treats), return home inspired to prepare seasonal pumpkin! soup. And bake my own banana bread.

To celebrate the foods I sampled, and prolong the many special moments I was lucky to spent amongst Jamaicans.

Invariably, thats always what traveling to new places does to me.

To you too?

Many thanks to the Jamaica Tourist board for inviting me on this trip. Jamaica, I will be back as theres much more I am keen to sample and see.

With the combination of coconut, bananas, rum, and vanilla, I absolutely love this recipe. And I am also very happy with the texture the bread holds. My best banana bread recipe so far! The cake does not rise a lot. When I baked it, that was exactly what I was after.

Banana bread recipe with coconut, vanilla, and rum (gluten free)

You need:

• 1/2 cup (70 g) millet flour
• 1/2 cup (60 g) pecan and almond meal (half/half)
• 1/4 cup (30 g) unsweetened grated coconut
• 1/4 cup (40 g) cornstarch
• 3 tablespoons chia gel**
• 1 large egg
• 3 bananas, ripe and mashed with a fork
• 1/4 cup blond cane sugar
• 1/4 cup light Muscovado sugar
• 7 tablespoons (100 g) unsalted butter, melted
• Pinch of sea salt
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 tablespoon rum

**To make chia gel, combine 1/3 cup chia seeds with 2 cups water. Stir well, stirring once in a while. You can use the gel after 10 minutes but its even better to let it rest for 12 hours in the fridge in a closed containe! r. Use a s needed. It keeps for 2 weeks refrigerated. Thank you Irvin for the suggestion you made in my post here. That piqued my curiosity, so I had to try. And I loved the result. Alors voil !

Steps:

• Preheat your oven at 350 F and prepare an 11 by 5-inch loaf pan; set aside.
• In a large bowl, combine the millet flour, pecan and almond meals, cornstarch, grated coconut, baking powder and baking soda; set aside.
• In another bowl, stir together the bananas with the butter. Stir in the sugar, egg, vanilla, rum and chia gel. Add a pinch of salt.
• Stir in the mixture of flours until combined.
• Pour the cake batter in the pan and bake for 45 to 50 minutes, or until the blade of a knife inserted in the middle comes out dry. Let cool for a few minutes before unmolding.

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Muddy City!

My older son Ming, my hub and I arrived in Kuala Lumpur ("lumpur" means muddy) late on 10th Dec and met our my daughter at the airport as she arrived at the same from Shanghai. Can't tell you how happy we were! Wey arrived the next day, and the family was complete. Mandarin Oriental Hotel is 20 steps away from KLCC and we spent our first afternoon in the fantastic mall which was packed with Christmas shoppers. Thank you, RS, and thank God for all his favors.

The first night in KL, we hit Jalan Alor (we had wanted dinner at Fatty Crabs but the restaurant is in PJ, too fat away from the city center) and the atmosphere was just crazy, with cars passing within 1 foot of us as we sat on plastic chairs by the roadside. Used tissues were scattered everywwhere and especially under the tables, making me uneasy as I ate my fried cockles and Hokkien mee. The street was packed woth locals and tourists, all in a happy and fun mood. A couple of buskers stood in front of us singing my kids' songs (i.e. songs I don't sing to),a white guy stood in the middle of the street taking photos with his new locals friends,somebody let out a burst of confetti into the air and cried "Selamat Hari Raya!" making the diners laughed and clapped. Yi clasped her hands tightly and said "I love KL, it's as crazy as Shanghai!".

Yes, KL has its charm. It's chaotic, dirty, exciting--everything that Singapore is not. It's just funny how the two cities are so unlike. Singapore is like that aunty who comes to stay and her hair is always coiffed and she drinks tea with her pinky pointing out while KL is like the aunty who laughed with her head thrown back (and sometimes fall off her chair) and maybe even toots a little when she laughs. Which aunty am I? Guess.

RS, true to the company's spirit of excellence and style, has put together a wonderful program. Yesterday, we were taken on a walking tour of KL. The weather cloudy, warm but not hot, and our guide Mr Chee Sim was a walking! Wikiped ia who not only knew all about KL's history and architecture, but also food; where to eat and how to cook a good nyonya stew. We (except Wey, who as usual was uninteractive because he wanted to get back to his video game which Hub had confiscated) all enjoyed the tour and are so happy to have had the chance to see and learn all the interesting historic facts about KL.

OH dear, I wanted to upload photos but it's now 10:12 am and RS' car will arrive at 11 to pick us up for today's event at their factory and visitors' center. If you have time, do drop by. I think they wouldn't mind extra people there. Now I have to decide. Should I wear my jeans or that new shift dress. I wish there's a hair salon nearby.

Table of Contents

Chocolate Peppermint Roll with chocolate ganache

Own your life. Own every last bit of it.

Dont send your Christmas cards out until youre good and ready. Wear neon purple tights with a grey dress why not ? Go heavy on the gold eyeshadowtis the season. Green nail polish? Go on. Run through the rain or sleep in and skip exercise class.

Fashion your cakes into a roll and slice generous portions for yourself, and skinnier portions for other people. Pretend not to notice what youre doing.

Whatever it is: own it!

Maybe youre one of those people who thinks that rolling a cake is bonkers crazy and waaaaay to hard for you to do.

Im hear to change your heart and mind. Ok? Lets do this!

The secret to this roll cake is its spongy texture.

The spongy texture comes from eggs. Egg yolks and egg whites are separated, beaten in a mixer until thick and stiff, then folded back together.

Want to know the other good news about this cake?

Its GLUTEN FREE! I know theres no flour. Plain and simple.

There are some specific things you need to make this cake happen.

Theres 4 ounces of chocolate. Treat yourself to some fancy chocolate. Its worth it for this recipe.

Youll also need parchment paper. Essential. Dont skip this step.

Egg yolks and sugar are beaten until pale and thick then folded with melted chocolate.

Thick and pale yellow egg yolks mixed with glossy brown melted chocolate. The batter will be thick and fluffy. Amen.

Egg whites are beaten to stiff, slightly glossy peaks. Stiff like this! Egg whites that stand their ground.

The egg whites are folded into the chocolate egg yolk-y mixture. Folded and folded. Bit by bit into a fluffy chocolate batter.

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Cake batter. So sweet and innocent. Just waiting to be baked.

The baked cake come out spongy and light. Its just begging to be spread with whipped cream and rolled into a festive shape.

Are you scared of cake cracks? Sure this will happen to the best of us. Just remember this cake was born to be rolled.

Spread with a thin layer of peppermint, vanilla bean whipped cream.

Or just crazily spoon the whipped cream into you mouth. Whatever works.

This is the part that might make you want to hold your breath.

Ok it makes me want to hold my breath. Maybe its just me.

Lets roll.

Start rolling the short side of the cake. A loose roll. No biggie.

Use the parchment paper to help you roll. Use the parchment paper and peel it away.

See that giant crack through the center of the cake.

No biggie. Thats going to be in the center of the cake. Stay on your roll!

Finish with the cake seam side down.

Nevermind that little crack.

Give yourself, and the cake a little pat on the back.

Then pour chocolate all over it all the heck over it.

Crushed candy canes are a lovely last minute garnish.

Look how pretty you can make life!

Do you see all those cracks in the cake? Nope you dont see em at all. Theyre all folded and rolled up and covered in whipped cream and chocolate. Even when things go cracked whipped cream heals most wounds.

This cake is such a lovely holiday treat. Its festive and way way impressive. Its so light. Its effortless to eat. It reminds me of fluffy cake ice cream. So so dang yummy!

Dont like peppermint? Feel free to flavor your whipped cream filling with only pure vanilla, with almond extract, or orange zest and extract.

Make it yours. Own it (then share it)!

Chocolate Peppermint Roll

Makes 1 roll cake, serves about 8

adapted from Joy of Baking

Print this Recipe!

For the Cake:

4 oz semi sweet chocolate, chopped fine

6 large eggs, separated

! 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

pinch of salt

3/4 teaspoon cream of tartar

For the Whipped Filling:

1 1/4 cup heavy cream, cold

3 tablespoons granulated sugar

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract or scrapings from 1 vanilla bean

1-2 teaspoons peppermint extract (start with one teaspoon and add more according to your taste).

For the Ganache:

1 cup semi-sweet chocolate pieces

2/3 cups heavy cream

To make the Cake:

Place a rack in the upper third of the oven and preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 1712-inch baking sheet with butter or vegetable spray. Line the baking sheet with parchment paper (not foil definitely parchment), and grease and flour the paper too. The parchment should overhand the sides of the pan just an inch or so. Let the baking sheet aside.

Its easiest to separate egg yolks from egg whites when they are cold. After separating, allow them about 20 minutes to come to room temperature.

In the bowl of an electric stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, beat together egg yolks and 1/4 cup granulated sugar. Beat the eggs until they are thick and pale in color. This usually takes about 5 to 7 minutes at medium-high speed. The egg yolk mixture will pour in a thick ribbon from the beater, thats how your know theyve been beaten enough.

While the eggs are beating, melt the chocolate pieces. You can melt them in the microwave with low heat for a few seconds, stirring every once in a while as it melts. I melt chocolate over a double boiler. Place a few inches of water in a medium pan. Bring to a simmer. Place chocolate pieces in a heatproof bowl, and place the bowl over the boiling water. Stir the chocolate until it is melted completely. Turn off the heat and carefully remove the bowl from the simmering water. Allow the chocolate to cool for just a few minutes.

Add the thickened egg yolk mixture to the chocolate mixture. Gently stir together until just incorporat! ed. The addition of the chocolate to the egg yolk mixture will thicken the egg yolks further, and make the chocolate appear fluffy in texture. Perfect. Set aside.

Clean the bowl and whisk attachment of your electric mixer well. Dry them to insure that no remaining egg yolk is present. Add the egg whites to the bowl. Using the whisk attachment, beat on medium speed until frothy, about 2 minutes. Add the pinch of salt, and gradually add the cream of tartar. Increase speed to medium-high until soft peaks form. Gradually add the remaining 2 tablespoons of sugar while beating. Allow the mixture to beat until stiff peaks form.

Place the chocolate egg yolk mixture in a large bowl. Place about 1/3 of the stiff egg whites in the bowl and gently fold. Use a light hand to sweep the egg whites through the center of the chocolate mixture, up and under. Fold until just incorporated, but large egg white and chocolate streaks remain. Add another 1/3 of the egg whites and continue to fold. The batter will be glossy and fluffy. This fluff will create the desired sponge texture of the cake, so we want to deflate the egg whites as little as possible. Fold in the remaining egg whites and gently fold together until just about entirely incorporated.

Immediately transfer the batter to the prepared baking sheet. Carefully smooth into the pan creating an even thickness. Dont fuss with the batter too much. The more fussing, the more the cake deflates. If the cake batter doesnt easily each end to end, then just try to make a even rectangle. Dont sweat it.

Bake cake for 15 to 17 minutes. When done the cake will have a dry top and a spongey, bounce back feel.

Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely.

While the cake cools, prepare the whipped cream and ganache.

To make the Whipped Filling:

Place heavy cream in the bowl of an electric stand mixer with the granulated sugar, vanilla and peppermint extract. Beat to soft, whipped cream peaks. The whipped cream should hold its shape but still! be velv ety and spreadable. Allow to rest in the refrigerator.

To make the Ganache:

Place chocolate pieces in a medium bowl. Heat cream in a small sauce pan to almost boiling. The milk will be steaming hot. Pour the hot cream over the chocolate pieces. Allow to stand for one minute before whisking into a smooth and glossy chocolate sauce. Allow to rest in the fridge until thickened slightly, about 30 minutes.

To Assemble the Cake:

Allow cake to cool completely. Remove the cake, using the overhang of parchment paper, from the baking sheet. Spread with a thin layer of whipped cream filling. This doesnt need to be a thick later. When the cake is rolled, there will be ample filling.

Place the cake so that the 12-inch side is facing you. Were going to roll from the short side.

Use the parchment paper to help you. Dont worry about creating a tight roll. This isnt like rolling cinnamon rolls. Gently roll the cake, removing the parchment paper as the cake is rolled. The first roll or two will most likely crack and its being folded. Dont let this stop you. This cracking is totally normal. As the cake roll gets larger, the cake will crack less.

Gently lift cake and place on a clean serving board or plate. Allow the cake to rest for about 30 minutes in the fridge.

Remove cake from the fridge and drizzle with chocolate ganache. Allow to chill in the fridge until ready to serve. Just before serving, garnish the cake with crushed candy canes. Garnishing before will make the candy cane pieces ooze just a bit.

Cake will last, wrapped in the fridge, for up to 3 days.