Well, it is definitely mango season on the island! They are bursting and ripe with sweetness and an ahhhhmazing flavor that you just can’t find from Mangoes with a bar code on the side. If you want to understand the true power of a mango, you have to get one fresh-picked off the tree. And the Universe is kind enough to negotiate the summer heat with the appearance of mangoes on the island. This mango flavored margarita is the perfect blend of lime and mangoes balanced with the citrus flavors of Grand Marnier and a splash of beer. Huh?! Yes, trust me, beer…it makes a subtle difference!  Read More

My friend Sayeeda Carter is one of the most amazing people I know. She invited me over to celebrate her daughter Zuma’s birthday the other day and offered me a drink called the Moscow Mule. I’d never heard of it, and asked her what it was. She said it was a combination of ginger beer, lime juice, and vodka. She had me at ginger beer, but since, I don’t usually drink I asked her to leave out the vodka. I fell in love with the flavor combination!! Lime and Ginger is right up there with Lime and Honey. Classic!! It sent my Crucian brain into overload and I HAD to figure out a way to reinvent it with a Crucian spin! Read More

The image of island life is that it is always sunny–nothing but coconut tree-lined beaches and hot tropical days! But the reality is that in the winter the temperature drops from the scorching 90’s and near 10o’s to the crisp cool 70’s. Stop rolling your eyes, that kind of temperature shift is COLD (for us)! We’ve also gone through a period on the island where it rains for days on end. Think we might have to invest in an ark if it continues. “Cold”, rainy, winter nights demand that the blankets come out.

This is our winter–spotted with island sea-blues, greens,  and bleach-white sand and our kind of “cold” weather. So, in “chilly” times like this a nice spicy hot drink to keep the tropical winter chill at bay are a MUST! My favorite cup of warmth is a spicy island-style white hot chocolate! Read More

I have come to believe that the reason why everyone raves about Starbuck’s Pumpkin Spice Latte is not just because it tastes good (although I must confess I have never tried it), but because it is one of the few times of the year that commercial food producers give our spice-starved palettes something other than salt and sugar as flavor. Mace, Cloves, Cinnamon, Vanilla, and Almond all make an appearance in this seasonal treat. Instead of using the typical pumpkin, I drew flavor from the West Indian Pumpkin that grows easily on the island, and added some other island tastes like coconut and hot ginger to spice things up even more! Try this treat on a cool Fall morning, and then listen for the sound of surf and sand in the background of this tropical feast of flavors! Read More

It seems like all at once all the fruit on the island have erupted into beautiful celestial ripening. Carambolas, Sugar Apples, Limes, and Guavas all competing for your attention, begging you to find something interesting to do with them. This week’s post is a simple recipe for how to make one of my favorite fruits, the Guava, into a juice! The guava is a succulent fruit. Words like juicy, tart, and sweet begin to offer some description, but this is one fruit you have to taste for yourself to fully understand the simple yet oh-so-complex flavor! Read More

I’ve been very impressed with the work being done on the island by not one but two of the local rum factories. Rum has been an important part of our history and the history of many other islands throughout the Caribbean. The entire economic system of the Caribbean was built on the production of sugar and all it’s derivatives. Sugar was king, and its byproduct molasses created a booming trade based on rum. Shamefully, it was also one of the primary reasons for the slave trade throughout the Americas. Rum is an elixir created by the sweetness of the earth and the sadness of history. Yes, a powerful brew indeed.

Here on the island, rum is a part of many celebratory pairings–rum Cake, rum raisin, even the classic rum and coke. There is nothing more flavorful or prevalent than rum! This recipe calls on that quintessential Caribbean flavor and at the same time takes advantage of summer’s favorite fruit flavor–the MANGO!

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So, the dangers of being a blogger and a lawyer is that there are times when life becomes so busy that you don’t blog for a considerable period of time. Has it really been that long? For those of you who kept checking in to see what new kitchen happenings I created THANK YOU! And for new friends and readers also THANK YOU! If you really enjoy the recipes you can subscribe! That way you can be notified whenever a new post arrives. I decided to share when I have something shareworthy and my schedule permits. This is my passion! Deadlines are the death of passion. So PLEASE sign up! Also, if you “Like” this on Facebook, you will get to see more kitchen happenings that don’t necessarily make it to the blog. Read More

Well, after a long Christmas Season inspired hiatus, (and some major technical difficulties) it feels wonderful to be back to blogging and sharing some of the awesome flavors that we produce here on our little rock! The holiday season was a time of family and friends gathering, and I have to say that I am still in the mood for food, friends, and family! My favorite time of day to gather everyone at our home is for that special halfway time between breakfast and lunch–Brunch. And nothing says brunch better than a mimosa! Passion Fruit mimosas anyone? Read More

I am not a regular coffee drinker. But when I do drink coffee, it has to be something a bit more special than a regular cup of brew. It must be downright delicious! In law school, an inexpensive treat for me was browsing through the isles of my favorite bookstore. It was heaven to bump into books that would offer some release from the mundane “had-to” read cases and statutes that was law school reading.

There was usually a Star BucksCoffee housed in these bookstores, and my favorite flavor was the white chocolate mocha latte. There are no large book stores with specialty coffee houses on our little Rock, so in true Contessa-style, this recipe is an homage to both my now-world and my then-world. A blending of Caribbean flavors of fire roasted cocoa beans, beaten and pounded to release their oils and full flavor, then palmed rolled into logs of pure, minimally processed, chocolate heaven. Read More

It is summer! And all the trees seem to be erupting into fertile, unending, fruit season all at once! The bees are out busy collecting fruit nectar from all the fruit flowers that hold promises for future fruit harvests. For me there is nothing more satisfying on a hot summer day than the simplicity of crunching my way into a cooling bite of Carambola.  Read More