Fisherman's Pub Speightstown, Barbados

Good old fashioned Bajan cooking. Spent $63 (Barbados) for four. Fish cakes, flying fish, rice and peas, plantain, fried chicken, that's what we had. There was a lot on offer. Excellent value for money. I think the fish cakes would have been even better if they were served as soon as made - however it is buffet service after all!

Best Tomato Soup Ever - Hofbraeu Haus

I was in Berlin recently and ate the most fantastic tomato soup I've ever had at the restaurant Hofbraeu Haus. I

must have eaten 10 bowls. If you like beer and a party atmosphere it's a great spot. 

Chewy Granola Bars

You will need:

350g of oats

100g of a mixture of seeds and dry fruit 

60g of walnuts 

3tbsp of honey -generous 

100ml of olive oil 

100g brown sugar 

Cinnamon 

1. Mix all of the dry ingredients together.

2. Mix the honey and olive oil together. Add to the dry mixture. 

3. Pour the mixture into a grease-proof lined square or rectangular baking tin.

4. Bake at 140° for 30 minutes. 20 minutes into the bake cut square or rectangular bars into the almost set mixture. 

5. When baked remove from the oven, follow the cut lines made previously and leave to set. Remove the bars once cool

Dry mixture including goji berries and raisins

The oil and honey added to dry mixtue 

Mix well

Place in a baking tin

Shrimp Rice with Fish Trio

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I really fancied a seafood festival today. My family loves anything from the sea.

• I soaked the fish and shrimp in lemon and a sprinkling of salt for a few hours before I started cooking.
• Cook the shrimp in a mixture of white wine, olive oil and your favourite herbs. I also added chopped onions, parsley, carrots and celery. Add some smoked salmon too.
• Add basmati rice to the shrimp and stir well. This is a meal on it's own.
• Cook the fish in a mixture of white wine, olive oil, curry powder, onions and garlic.
• Doesn't take long and is absolutely delicious.

Hope you enjoy it as much as we did. Off to make a chocolate brownie birthday cake for my son now.

White wine, olive oil, onions, curry and garlic 

Shrimp, smoked salmon in white wine and olive oil

Add Basmati rice to the shrimps

Salmon, salmon with red pepper corns and sword fish added to the sauce

Ready to eat

Steamed Amerena and Marsala Pudding

You will need:

A good quality jam, I used amerena cherry.

150 g sugar

150 g butter/margarine

200g flour

2 eggs

2 teaspoons baking powder

Cream the sugar and butter together.

Add a few tablespoons of jam.

Add the eggs.

Add the flour and baking powder.

In a saucepan add about 4 heaped tablespoons of jam. Heat gently until it becomes almost liquid. Next add Marsala wine to taste.

Coat the inside of a heat-proof dish with some of the jam mixture. 

Now add the cake batter. Pour the remaining jam mixture on top of the cake batter. 

Cover with grease-proof paper and then foil.

Place the bowl inside a colander inside a saucepan of water that reaches about 3/4 to the side of the bowl. Cover the bowl with a saucepan lid.

Leave the water to boil checking periodically that there is still water in the saucepan.

The cake will take about 2 hours to cook but it will be lovely and moist. Check it every now and again.

Cream the sugar and butter

Stir in jam

Add the eggs

Add the flour

Adding Marsala

Add Marsala to the jam

The jam becomes almost like liquid

Coat the bowl

Put the mixture in the bowl

Cover with grease-proof paper

Steam the pudding

Tiramisu'

You will need:

500 ml mascarpone 

500 ml cream

150 g sugar

2 egg yolks

Cup of cold strong black coffee 

Sponge fingers

Bitter dark chocolate powder

Marsala (optional)

My family likes me to make the tiramisu' quite creamy so I have adapted the recipe to suit them. Also I don't like the idea of eating raw eggs so again I adapted the classic recipe.

Pour the cream into a heat-proof bowl. Add the egg yolks and sugar. Stir well. Place over a saucepan and allow to heat up but not boil. I added a spoonful of Marsala wine at this point but I don't always do this. A friend happened to gift me a bottle.

Whisk the cream mixture which should have thickened a bit. Remove from the heat and allow to cool.

Once the cream mixture has cooled add the mascarpone and lightly whisk. Now you can start layering. 

Place a layer of sponge fingers in a dish. You can either make one big tiramisu' or make it in individual bowls. I usually have more success if I sprinkle the coffee on the sponge fingers than when I dip them in coffee. You don't want the fingers to become soggy.

Add some of the cream mixture. Sieve cocoa powder on top of this. Start the procedure again. Continue, ending with a layer of the cream mixture covered in the cocoa powder. 

Place in the fridge for a few hours to set.

Mix the cream, eggs and sugar

Add the Marsala

Add the mascarpone

Layer the fingers

Cold coffee

Add a layer of mixture

Sprinkle on cocoa powder

You've reached the top. Now refrigerate!

Enjoy a slice

Cin Cin, Prospect, St James, Barbados

My good friend Sherry and I went to Cin Cin for lunch today. Apart from the great food and service the setting was absolutely beautiful overlooking the Caribbean Sea. I can imagine it being quite a romantic restaurant at night but it was nice to see a Mum treating her little boy to a birthday lunch.

Crab cakes with a spicy remoulade sauce

Chili shrimp penne with garlic crumb