Cranberry Almond Hot Cross Buns

Here is a variation on an Easter classic.

Happy Easter!

Cranberry Almond Hot Cross Buns

Makes 12

3 cups all purpose flour

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 cup warm milk

1 packet instant yeast

1/3 cup sugar

2 eggs

3/4 cup cour cream

1 tsp almond extract

1/2 cup dried cranberries

1/2 cup coarsely chopped roasted almonds

1 egg white

Glaze:

1/3 cup confectioners sugar

2 tsp milk

1 tsp orange extract

1. Combine the flour and salt. Set aside.

2. Add the warm milk, yeast and 1 tbsp of the sugar to the bowl of a standing mixer, stir lightly with a spoon and let sit about 10 to 15 minutes until foamy. Add the eggs, sour cream and the remaining sugar. Using the paddle attachment mix until just combined. Replace the paddle with the dough hook attachment.

3. Add the flour and knead on until combined. Do not be to alarmed if you find that the dough is sticky; this is a wet and sticky dough. Remove the mixing bowl with dough to a dry place in the kitchen, cover and allow to rise until doubled in sized, between 1 to 2 hours.

4. Set the oven to 400 degrees F. Now return the bowl to the mixer and add the cranberries and almonds until evenly dispersed throughout the dough.

5. Transfer the dough to a floured work surface and lightly pat into an evenly round mass, using extra flour for your work surface to prevent sticking. Cut into 12 pieces. Shape each piece into a ball and transfer to a well greased baking dish so that they barely touch one another. Cover, set aside and allow to rise for another 1 hour.

6. Brush tops with egg whites and bake at 400 degrees F for 10 minutes. Reduce oven to 300 degrees F and bake for a further 10 to 12 minutes. Remove the baking dish from the oven and transfer unto a cooling rack. Cool buns for 2 to 3 minutes in dish, then remove and cool directly on the wire rack. While they are still warm to the touch, drizzled the glaze in a cross pattern on each bun.

To make glaze: Mix all ingredients until well combined.

Raspberry Sauce

"Got an overload of raspberries; what to do." That was a text message I received from my friend in Seattle this week. What you do is make raspberry sauce! Combine two pints fresh raspberries with a quarter cup of confectioners' sugar and two tablespoons of orange juice. Liquefy in a blender and sieve to remove the seeds. Serve over pancakes, french toast, ice cream or eat by the spoonfuls for instant springtime bliss!

Chicken and Artichoke Flatbread With Balsamic Reduction

Tonight, as I made the balsamic reduction for this flat bread, I am reminded of an odd but endearing characteristic of the Trinidadian culinary culture: all pizzerias serve ketchup (and often mustard) with pizza. Weird but true. Ketchup is not actually put on the pizza before being brought to the table but is an option which most people chose to have. In fact, so entrenched is it in our eating habits that, when the first Pizza Hut franchise was established on the island, they too recognized the association we've made with between pizza and ketchup and generously provided the condiment. I don't know how the practice started but it has been around for many years. Obviously, the concept of topping a pizza, or in this case a flat bread, with condiments has not been lost on me. While this flat bread can be made without the balsamic reduction, the sauce is a delightful addition.

Chicken and Artichoke Flatbread With Balsamic Reduction

1 roasted chicken breast, coarsely diced

1 1/2 cups artichoke hearts, sliced

1 cup grated, mild cheddar

2 tablespoons minced tarragon

Flatbread dough (see recipe here)

Balsamic Reduction (see recipe below)

1. Flatten the dough unto a pizza tray or greased sheet pan and spread half of the cheese evenly over the top. Follow with the chicken, artichokes and the rest of the cheese. Bake at 375 degrees F for 15 to 20 minutes.

2. Remove from the oven and top with the tarragon and drizzle on the balsamic reduction before serving.

Balsamic Reduction

1/2 cup balsamic vinegar

1 tbsp sugar

Whisk vinegar and sugar in a saucepan over medium heat, stirring constantly until reduced to a syrup-like consistency, about 6 to 8 minutes.

Rum and Raisin Bread Pudding with Rum Sauce

Have you ever made a dish that you just cannot wait until it’s finished cooking? You ate it hot - right out of the oven, ate it again once it’s cooled and go to bed anticipating the following day so that you can have more of it? Ok, I guess if I really think about it, many foods can fall into this category. At the moment, however, this Rum and Raisin Bread Pudding tops the list. The rum for this recipe is a Trinidadian rum (Angostura Premium 1919) given to me by my father during his visit last December. Since then, I’ve been waiting for an opportunity to cook with it. Good thing rum does not spoil but only gets better with time. And it adds a distinctly exotic yet mellow flavor to bread pudding.

Rum and Raisin Bread Pudding with Rum Sauce

Serves 6

1/4 cup raisins

1/4 cup dark rum

8 oz bread, cubed

1 cup milk

4 eggs

1/2 cup sugar

1/4 tsp nutmeg

Rum Sauce (see recipe below)

1. Pour the rum over the raisins and allow to soak for 10 minutes. Strain and reserve the liquid.

2. Whisk together the milk, eggs, sugar, reserved rum, and nutmeg. Pour over the cubed bread and toss well. Transfer to a greased 8” baking dish and sprinkle the rum-soaked raisins on top. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

3. Bake at 350 ^oF for 40 to 45 minutes. Serve warm drizzled with Rum Sauce (see recipe below.)

Rum Sauce

2 tbsp butter

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 cup evaporated milk

1/2 tsp cornstarch

1/4 cup dark rum

1. Melt the butter and sugar over medium heat until smooth.

2. Whisk the cornstarch into the evaporated milk and pour into the sugar and butter mixture. Mix well and cook for a further 15 to 20 minutes until thickened. The sauce will continue to sticken slightly after cooking.

Cornmeal-Crusted Tilapia in Coconut Curry Sauce

It has been a long time since I last cooked a curry dish. And for no real reason except that I've been busy cooking other things. But I am always drawn back to the intensity and spiciness of curries. You could say it's second nature, having come from a background where curried foods featured often in homes and restaurants.

My typical curry dishes are Indo-Caribbean (a style of cooking brought to the islands by groups of Indian indentured laborers in the 1800's.) In general, dry curry powder is added to hot vegetable oil, and toasted. At that point, some liquid ( sometimes water, coconut milk or a

mixture of both) will be added which forms the base of the sauce. Finally, raw, seasoned meat or fish is then added to the sauce and simmered until cooked.

For this curry recipe, I am doing the opposite: adding cooked fish (in this case, tilapia) to an already prepared sauce. While this method reduces the overall cooking time, in no way does it diminish the "curry-ness" of the dish.

Cornmeal Crusted Tilapia in Coconut Curry Sauce

Serves 4

4 tilapia fillets
1 cup buttermilk

1 cup yellow cornmeal

1/4 cup chopped cilantro

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp salt

1 tsp pepper

2 tbsp vegetable oil

Coconut Curry Sauce (see recipe below)

1. In a shallow dish , combine the cornmeal, cilantro, and garlic powder, and set aside. Pour the buttermilk into another shallow dish and set that aside. Season the tilapia fillets with salt and pepper.

2. Set up a work station beginning with the seasoned tilapia fillets, then the buttermilk, followed by the cornmeal mixture. Coat each fillet in the buttermilk and dredge with the cornmeal mixture, making sure that both sides get a substantial layer of cornmeal.

3. Cook the now cornmeal-coated fillets in a skillet coated with a thin layer of vegetable oil, about two tablespoons, until cooked throughout, about 3 to 4 minutes on each side. Transfer to a serving dish and pour over the coconut curry sauce.

Coconut Curry Sauce

1 small onion, diced

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 tsp yellow curry powder

2 tbsp vegetable oil

1 can light coconut milk

1/2 cup low sodium chicken stock

1. Cook the onion and garlic in two tablespoons of vegetable oil until the edges brown lightly. Add the curry powder and cook for another minute.

2. Pour in the chicken stock and coconut milk. Bring to a simmer, stirring constantly. Lower the heat and continue to cook until reduced by about a quarter and slightly thickened.