Recipes from the Caribbean Deserts

GUYANA BLACK CAKE

1 1/2 lb. flour, 1 lb. butter, 1 lb. dark sugar, 1 1/2 lb. raisin, 1 1/2 lb. prunes, 1 doz. eggs, 1 lb. walnuts, 1/2 tsp. baking powder, 1/2 bottle fruit juice.

Instructions: Soak fruit in the fruit juice for a month. Grease and doubly line an 8" cake pan. Cream sugar and margarine. Add eggs one at a time beating well after each egg. Add fruits and stir well. Sift flour, baking powser and mix together. Fold flour into liquid ingredients, a littel at a time. Mix to a soft dropping consistency (using more fruit juice if needed). Add 1/2 tsp. cinnamon and vanilla. Pour the mixture into the prepared pan and bake in a slow oven at 300 degrees for 2 hrs. Sprinkle fruit juice over cake immediately after it is baked. Repeat 3 or 4 times.

GUYANA SALARA CAKE (COCUNUT CAKE)

(Preparing the coconut) 1 1/2 pkg. or 200 g. shreedded coconut, 2 1/2 Tbsp. sugar, 1/2 tsp. vanilla red food coloring
(Preparing the Dough) 3-4 cups flour, 1 egg, 1 1/2 cups water, 1 Tbsp. sugar, 1/2 Tbsp. oil, 1 Tbsp. Ferminpan yeast, 1/2 tsp. salt

Instructions: To make the dough, beat eggs, add water, sugar, oil, salt and yeast to 4 cups of flour. Mix flour with liquid and add more flour while kneading. Let rise for 20 mins. Punch down let rise again for 20 minutes. To make the coconut filling, mix the coconut, sugar essence, food coloring and 4 Tbsp. water in a pot. Boil until dry. Roll out the dough and add conconut filling on top. Spread evenly over dough. Starting at one end, roll up the dough into load. Leave to rise for 3 1/4 hrs. Bake at 350 degree for 1/2 hr. until light brown. Take out of oven and paint pancake syrup on top.

GUYANA CHINESE CAKE

400 grams black eye beans, 3 cups brown sugar, red food coloring, 3 Tbsp. vanilla, 2 eggs, pastry

Instructions: Soak black eye beans overnight. Pressure beans with water for 10 mintues. Drain off most of the water and put in a blender or food processor. Put in a pot with brown sugar and cook until it becomes thick. Add a few drops of food coloring ot obtain a dark color. Add vanilla and let it cool. Mean while, make the pastry. Roll flat and cut into 5 inches circles. Use tow circles. Then put a tablespoon of bean filling in your circles and bring the sides up together and twist to close, making a round ball. Contineu until all are done. Put in pan, brush with beaten eggs. Then using your finger put a drop of food coloring in the middle of the chinese cake. Bake until brown at 400 degrees.

POTATO BALLS

10-12 potatoes, 2 cups pea flour, 1 cup plain flour, 1 clove garlic, 2 cups water, 2 tsp. salt, 2 Tbsp. onion, 1 1/2 tsp. geera, 1 tsp. thyme, 2 large eggs.

Instructions: For the batter, mix the pea flour and plain flour together with 1 tsp. salt, 1/2 tsp. geera, and 1 Tbsp. onion. Add enough water to make a soft batter. Peel potatoes, boil (not too soft) and mash. Add the rest of the geera, salt, onions, garlic and thyme. Add beaten eggs and mix well. Form the potatoes into small balls, the size of small eggs. To deep fry, heat the oil. Next dip the potatoes into the pea mixture, turning it around so the at the potato is coverd with batter. Put into oil and fry until brownish. Add more pea flour ot batter if too thin. Add more water to batter if too thick.

CASSAVA PONE

2 sweet cassava, 1 dried coconut, 6 ozs. sugar, 2 Tbsp. butter, 1/4 tsp. vanilla, 1/4 tsp. black pepper, 1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon, 1/4 tsp. salt.

Instructions: Peal, wash and gate teh cassava and the coconut. Mix in butter using a fork. Add sugar sugar and rest of ingredients. Add enough water to bind stiffly. Put the mixture into a 1 inch thick pan and bake in a moderate oven until crisp and brown on top. Cut into squares and serve.

PUMPKIN PONE

1 lb. pumpkin, 1 dry conconut, 1 cup cornmeal, 1 cup water, 1 tsp. vanilla, 3 Tbsp. margarine, 1 tsp. cinnamon, 1/4 cup sugar, 1/2 tsp. grated nutmeg.

Instructions: Peel, wash and grate pumpkin and the conconut. Add the cornmeal, sugar and margarine. Add the water to give it a dropping consistency. Tehn add the cinnamon, nutmeg and vanilla. Mix well. Pour into a greased pan. Bake at 350 degrees until brown.

COCONUT ICE-CREAM

2 dry coconuts, 1 can evaporated milk, 1 can condensed milk, 3/4 cup cornstarch or custard powder

Instructions: Grate the coconut and add 3 cups of water. Mix and squeeze to extract the milk. Strain through a sieve. Heat the evaporated and condensed milk. Mix 1/4 cup of cornstarch or custard powder to a paste with some cold water. Stir into the milk and boil until thick. Add the coconut mixture. Keep pouring this back and forth between two containers until cool. Strain into freezer tray. When mixture is solid for an inch at the edge of the tray, remove from freezer and beat it. Then put back into freezer tray and freeze.

POLORI

1/2 pint split peas, 1 Tbsp. curry powder, 1/2 onion, 2 cloves garlic

Instructions: Soak peas in water for 5 hrs. Put onion, garlic and split peas into a food processor. Grind into a fine textured paste. Add salt and curry powder. Heat oil. Use a small tablespoon to scoop out mixture and drop into the hot oil. Fry until golden brown. Serve with mango chutney

MANGO CHUTNEY

6 green mangoes, 2 Tbsp. salt, 6 cloves, 1/2 cup vinegar

Instructions: Peel, cut and remove seeds from mangoes. Put all ingredients in a blender. Bottle and keep in the fridge.