bocas del toro
Chocolate Contest Revisit
February/19/08 10:14
So I didn't post the photo of the entry and the
recipe on February 15. My bad. We made a yummy
buttery toffee with a chocolate nib and almond base
and a chocolate glaze and a sprinkling of the nibs
and almonds on top. We didn't win, but the contest
overall was a huge success. I had the location wrong.
It was held at Hotel Limbo on Isla Colon. Hotel Limbo
bent over backwards to support the contest and
Cerutti and Family Chocolate. There were 28 entries
and over 200 people showed up to taste the delicious
entries. JoEllen Jeffers was this year's winner for a
second time. She won the first time two years ago.
Congratulations to JoEllen and to the Cerrutti's for
another great turnout.
Valentine's Day Chocolate Recipe Contest
February/12/08 15:46
Cerutti and Family Chocolate is hosting its annual
contest once again this Thursday, February 14 at the
Buena Vista in Bocas Town on Isla Colon. We have been
working diligently on a new recipe that has taken its
inspiration from a variety of sources. Today alone we
have prepared the recipe twice. I think this second
version is going to be the final version. It is both
fun and interesting to develop a recipe using the
ingredients we have directly available to us. Of
course, using the finest, deepest, darkest chocolate
around makes it even better.
And yes, I have intentionally left out what we are developing as the contest is anonymous so we don't want to put any spoilers out. We will post a picture of our entry along with the recipe on Friday, February 15.
Until then - Have a Happy Valentine's Day!
And yes, I have intentionally left out what we are developing as the contest is anonymous so we don't want to put any spoilers out. We will post a picture of our entry along with the recipe on Friday, February 15.
Until then - Have a Happy Valentine's Day!
Maduros
January/28/08 13:45
Platanos maduros are
sweet and sometimes a bit tangy. They need to be
really ripe in order to have the right caramelized
flavor and delicate texture.
Traditionally they are sliced in thin strips and fried. Throughout Latin America they are cooked differently - some places bake them to eliminate the need for the oil.
Here is one way to cook them.
4 ripe dark-skinned plantains
vegetable oil
1. Heat vegetable oil in skillet over medium heat.
2. Fully peel plantains, and cut them diagonally into approximately 1-inch wide pieces, working your way down the length of the plantain. (NOT length-wise slices).
3. Carefully place pieces of plantain in skillet.
4. Turning when necessary, fry plantains until golden brown and caramelized on the edges. The plantains will be rather soft - they're supposed to be.
5. They will be sweet - the riper the plantains, the sweeter they will be.
Traditionally they are sliced in thin strips and fried. Throughout Latin America they are cooked differently - some places bake them to eliminate the need for the oil.
Here is one way to cook them.
4 ripe dark-skinned plantains
vegetable oil
1. Heat vegetable oil in skillet over medium heat.
2. Fully peel plantains, and cut them diagonally into approximately 1-inch wide pieces, working your way down the length of the plantain. (NOT length-wise slices).
3. Carefully place pieces of plantain in skillet.
4. Turning when necessary, fry plantains until golden brown and caramelized on the edges. The plantains will be rather soft - they're supposed to be.
5. They will be sweet - the riper the plantains, the sweeter they will be.
Green Plantains
January/23/08 11:39
Platanos verde or
plantos maduros? Each have a different flavor, both
are delicious.
Plantains are not bananas. They tend to be firmer and lower in sugar content than bananas. Plantains are almost always cooked. Bananas are actually a sub-species of the plantain. There is a full explanation of the plantain and its origins here.
Platanos verde are frequently cooked into patacones. Patacones are twice fried little tastes which are probably the Panamanian equivalent of french fries. We use them in a variety of ways. Plain as a side to a sandwich. With pico de gallo (borrowed from our friends in Mexico) as an appetizer. With cream cheese, smoked salmon and a special cilantro sauce as an appetizer. A larger version as a tostado (or base) for a delicious seafood or chicken sauce.
The easiest way to make patacones is as follows:
4 large green plantains
vegetable oil
salt
Peel the plantains and cut into 3-4 pieces. Fry in hot vegetable oil. When they are golden, take them out of the oil and pound them flat. Return them to the oil and refry for a few minutes. Remove and place on absorbant paper. Sprinkle salt to taste.
Plantains are not bananas. They tend to be firmer and lower in sugar content than bananas. Plantains are almost always cooked. Bananas are actually a sub-species of the plantain. There is a full explanation of the plantain and its origins here.
Platanos verde are frequently cooked into patacones. Patacones are twice fried little tastes which are probably the Panamanian equivalent of french fries. We use them in a variety of ways. Plain as a side to a sandwich. With pico de gallo (borrowed from our friends in Mexico) as an appetizer. With cream cheese, smoked salmon and a special cilantro sauce as an appetizer. A larger version as a tostado (or base) for a delicious seafood or chicken sauce.
The easiest way to make patacones is as follows:
4 large green plantains
vegetable oil
salt
Peel the plantains and cut into 3-4 pieces. Fry in hot vegetable oil. When they are golden, take them out of the oil and pound them flat. Return them to the oil and refry for a few minutes. Remove and place on absorbant paper. Sprinkle salt to taste.
Pixbae Bread Recipe
September/18/07 09:10
Here is the recipe for
Pixbae bread. It is a delicious and moist bread that
is tasty for breakfast. In fact I had it for
breakfast this morning and my children "taxed" me so
much that I had to go and get another piece which
they again taxed. The joys of motherhood! This bread
is delicious if it is a little on the undercooked
side so it has moist pudding like pockets - but be
careful as it needs to be cooked through. We eat it
as is, or toasted with a little butter. This recipe
came originally from my Uncle Richard's first wife,
Joan. I have fond memories of this bread growing up
and eating it around the holidays. My dad likes it
toasted with butter the best.
3 cups sugar
3 cups flour
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 1/2 teaspoon allspice
4 eggs
1 cup vegetable oil
12 ounces pureed pixbae (or sweet potato or pumpkin)
2 teaspoons baking soda
3 tablespoons water
1 cup chopped nuts
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees or 340 for a convection oven. Blend dry ingredients through allspice. Add the eggs, vegetable oil, and pureed vegetable. Dissolve the baking soda in the water and add to the mixture. Add the chopped nuts. Pour into a large loaf pan or two small loaf pans. Bake for about one hour or until firm on the outside.
3 cups sugar
3 cups flour
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 1/2 teaspoon allspice
4 eggs
1 cup vegetable oil
12 ounces pureed pixbae (or sweet potato or pumpkin)
2 teaspoons baking soda
3 tablespoons water
1 cup chopped nuts
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees or 340 for a convection oven. Blend dry ingredients through allspice. Add the eggs, vegetable oil, and pureed vegetable. Dissolve the baking soda in the water and add to the mixture. Add the chopped nuts. Pour into a large loaf pan or two small loaf pans. Bake for about one hour or until firm on the outside.
Pixbae - loaded with nutrition
September/18/07 08:56
Pixbae, as
Bactris gasipaes is called here in Panama is a
delicious but somewhat difficult to cook species of
palm native to the tropical forests of the South and
Central America. You can read a ton about it here in
Wikipedia. It is a mean
looking tree but it produces some delicious
food. The tree has spines on it which are like
long needles and are not something you want to
encounter in a body part. The fruit of the tree
comes in season once a year. The natives cook it
in boiling salted water and then use it like a
potato. We have taken things to the next level.
We take the fruit, cook it in the boiling salted
water, and then peel it and puree it. Once
pureed, we use it as you would use sweet potato
or pumpkin. We have made a pie, ice cream,
salad, and a delicious bread. When one of the
trees falls, we take advantage of it and use the
heart of the palm in salads. Yummy! Here is the
link for the bread we
make here at Tranquilo Bay.
Molten Chocolate Cake Recipe
September/08/07 11:17
Here is the recipe for Molten Chocolate Cake that we
serve at Tranquilo Bay. We make it
using our friend's Dave & Linda's delicious
organic chocolate. I think it is my favorite
chocolate cake as you really get to taste the
chocolate. Use the highest cacao content
chocolate that you can find. This recipe has
plenty of butter in it to compensate for the
dryness of the high cacao content chocolate.
6 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped
8 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 ½ cup sugar
3 large eggs
½ teaspoon vanilla
1. Preheat the oven to 400 (360 convection oven) degrees. In a saucepan, bring ½ inch of water to a simmer. Put the chocolate and butter in a heatproof bowl and set it over the saucepan until the chocolate is melted. Stir; remove from the heat.
2. In a small bowl, mix the flour and sugar. In a medium bowl, whisk the eggs. Whisk in the flour and sugar, then stir in the melted chocolate until combined. Scrape into six six ounce ramekins. Bake for about 12 minutes until the edges are firm and the center is still runny. Serve the cake with a scoop of vanilla ice cream in the center while still warm.
6 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped
8 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 ½ cup sugar
3 large eggs
½ teaspoon vanilla
1. Preheat the oven to 400 (360 convection oven) degrees. In a saucepan, bring ½ inch of water to a simmer. Put the chocolate and butter in a heatproof bowl and set it over the saucepan until the chocolate is melted. Stir; remove from the heat.
2. In a small bowl, mix the flour and sugar. In a medium bowl, whisk the eggs. Whisk in the flour and sugar, then stir in the melted chocolate until combined. Scrape into six six ounce ramekins. Bake for about 12 minutes until the edges are firm and the center is still runny. Serve the cake with a scoop of vanilla ice cream in the center while still warm.