Caribbean cuisine is a delicious and exciting fusion of influences from all over the world. These traditions, techniques, and foods were absorbed from African, Cajun, Creole, Chinese, European (British, Irish, Portuguese, Spanish), Javanese/Indonesian, Latin American, Indian/South Asian and Middle Eastern cuisines. When combined with local ingredients, they created the exciting styles that are unique to the Caribbean. Freda’s passion for baking started when she was a young girl concocting her creations in the family bakery. She continued her passion for the cooking arts working as culinary arts instructor, and at her catering service, the Silver Palate Catering and Personal Chef Service. Here she placed emphasis in incorporating island ingredients and traditions into menu planning. As the tour host for Caribbean Culinary Tours, she has traveled to many different islands. Here you can find her scouting out the local farmer’s markets, bakeries or street vendors. Freda has created a wonderful cookbook of over 140 exciting recipes, collected and developed over many years. There is a wide variety of bread, cakes, cookies, pastries, pies, and puddings. Also, there are Caribbean street-foods and snacks, as well as jellies, jams, preserves and teas. The recipes have been adapted to make them suitable for an American audience. Most of the ingredients are readily available in the U.S. Quick bread (non-yeast) range from sweet, such as Mango Avocado Bread and Papaya Passion Fruit Bread, to savory such as Zucchini Bread. There is also a wide variety of yeast bread recipes to choose from. Included are the Caribbean classics such as Antigua Sunday Bread, Jamaican Fruit Buns and Dominican Mastiff Bread. The cakes and cookies section is certain to please those with a sweet tooth and will bring a broad smile to the face. It is a delicious journey around the Caribbean! You will find favorites such as Freda’s Carrot Cake with cream cheese frosting, Nassau Rum cake, and Pineapple Macaroon Cookies. Pastries, pies and puddings recipes are both sweet and savory. Sweet recipes include Cuban Guava Cream-cheese tart and Banana Bread Pudding. Savory recipes include Caribbean Lobster Quiche and Caribbean Meat Pie. There is a good selection of popular Caribbean street-foods and snacks. Who can resist the all-time favorite of Jamaican beef patties! They are full of the tropical seasonings and spices of the islands such as allspice, cumin, ginger and more. They are filled with a choice of beef, chicken, seafood or vegetables. Titiri Ackra revives memories of Dominica. Delightful fish fritters made from the small, seasonal fish found in the local rivers. Freda is passionate about preserving and continuing local, traditional Caribbean recipes and culture. This book is a deeply personal sharing of the love she has for her Caribbean cooking heritage.
