Tag Archives: lime zest

Five Squash Soup and Lime Caramel Corn

Posted on by November 16, 2014

Five Squash Soup and Lime Caramel Corn is probably the most playful dish I have ever made, and that’s a compliment, to be clear. I have to say, that I am quite proud of this one from a design perspective; after years of enjoying meals made magic by chefs like Wylie Dufresne who really play with their food, I’m glad I finally stepped up and took a small stab at it. Five Squash Soup and Lime Caramel Corn was a fun dish not just for the cook, it was a joy to serve to guests at my Caribbean Thanksgiving because of its playful characteristics. One can’t help but smile when a bright orange bowl of steaming soup is before them and it’s covered in popcorn and coconut chips! But it’s not just style without the flavor to back it up. The coconut milk, curry and kaffir lime are much of the secret to creating a rather unexpected sort of squash soup. Five Squash Soup and Lime Caramel Corn has some serious zing and tang to it, which accents beautifully on top of a base of savory fennel, onion, and celery that you’d expect of a roasted squash soup. But the pièce … Continue reading →

Lime Dark Rum Cranberry Relish

Posted on by November 24, 2014

I love cranberry relish, and no matter my theme, it’s going to be at my Thanksgiving table in some form or the other. So when I took on a Caribbean menu, there was no doubt that I would still make a cranberry relish no matter how foreign cranberries may be to the Caribbean and that was enough to make this Lime Dark Rum Cranberry Relish possible. I just needed to add the right flavors and accents to make the cranberry relish fit in with some of my more traditional dishes on the menu, like the jerk turkey. I also knew that since my classic relish is raw, I would need to combine it with a sauce of some sort if I wanted to sneak in something as bold as dark rum. So here we are with a best of both worlds Lime Dark Rum Cranberry Relish that combines a cranberry sauce and cranberry relish. While you’re making the relish, be sure to keep tasting both sauces throughout both processes (which is, of course, a good general practice) because while I like things a little tart, you may not, and should feel justified in upping the sugar just a bit here and … Continue reading →

Sweet and Salty Plantains with Lime

Posted on by February 16, 2015

Even if the school calendar doesn’t rule my life anymore, March has a way of yelling Spring Break! at me like Kitty from Arrested Development. While Sweet and Salty Plantains with Lime that you have to make for yourself at home might not be quite the same as time off, warm and tropical travel, and lots of spicy food in local restaurants, they satisfy that urge, at least for a night. This year, try though I did for some warm weather, the cold and the rain seemed to follow me wherever I went, so I had to create the island feel at home with Latin snacks and drinks. I made homemade Empanadas with Sweet Potato, Beans and Goat Cheese and these Sweet and Salty Plantains with Lime (which I actually created for my Thanksgiving 2013 menu), and served them piping hot with a cool drink, in this case, my awesome Passion Fruit Batidas. But they’d be great with homemade Piña Coladas too. Part of the fun is that they’re an unexpected appetizer. Your guests will have just as much fun as you do trying new things and these Sweet and Salty Plantains with Lime will fit that bill. You can mostly … Continue reading →