Ingredients:

2 boneless, skinless, chicken breast halves, cubed
1 egg white, lightly beaten
2 teaspoons cornstarce
2 tablespoons black bean sauce
2 tablespoons water
1 garlic clove, finely minced
1 tablespoon hoisin sauce
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
2 teaspoon Sherry
1 teaspoon sugar
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/2 cup raw unsalted peanuts
1 to 2 dried red chilies, crushed (or 1 teaspoon dried red pepper flakes)
Hot cooked rice (optional)

Procedure:

Combine chicken, egg white and cornstarch in small bowl. Mix next 7 ingredients in another small bowl. Set sauce aside. Heat oil in wok or heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Add peanuts and chilies and cook until peanuts are golden brown, about 1 minute. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside. Increase heat to high. Add chicken mixture and stir-fry until chicken is lightly browned, about 1 to 2 minutes. Reduce heat to medium. Return peanuts to wok/pan. Add sauce and blend thoroughly. Cook until heated through, about 1 to 1 1/2 minutes. Serve immediately over hot cooked rice, if desired. Makes 2 servings.

You’ll need a tall narrow mold for this beautiful Russian Easter dessert.

Ingredients:

3 (12-oz.) pkgs. large-curd cream-style cottage cheese (4-1/2 cups)
1/2 cup chopped mixed candied fruit
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
3/4 cup heavy cream or whipping cream
4 egg yolks
1 whole egg
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup finely chopped blanched almonds
5 candied red cherries, quartered
10 whole blanched almonds
3 dried apricots, cut in 18 strips

Procedures:

Place a colander in a large bowl. Turn cottage cheese into colander. Fit a plate into colander to press down cottage cheese. Weight plate with a 29-ounce can of food. Refrigerate 3 hours. Cut 2 layers of cheesecloth 14 inches square; set aside. In a small bowl, combine mixed candied fruit and vanilla; set aside. Discard cheese drippings. Turn pressed cottage cheese into a large bowl. Beat with electric mixer until smooth, increasing speed from medium to high. On medium speed, beat in butter until smooth; set aside. Pour cream into top of a double boiler. Place directly over medium heat until small bubbles appear around edge. Remove from heat. In a small bowl, beat egg yolks and whole egg until thickened. Gradually beat in sugar until mixture is pale yellow. Slowly beat in hot cream until blended. Pour cream mixture back into top of double boiler. Pour hot water 2 inches deep in bottom of double boiler. Bring to a simmer. Stir cream mixture over simmering water until it becomes a very thick custard, about 20 minutes. Remove from heat. Stir in candied fruit mixture. Place top of double boiler in a pan of ice cubes. Stir constantly until custard is cooled, about 5 minutes. With a rubber spatula, stir cooled custard and chopped almonds into cheese mixture. Wet prepared cheesecloth in cold water. Wring out excess water. Line a pyramid shaped paskha mold or a 5-1/2 inch diameter, 9-inch deep plastic or clay flower pot with a hole in the bottom. Place mold on a rack over a shallow dish. Pour cheese mixture into cheesecloth-lined mold. Fold excess cheesecloth over top. Place paskha mold cover or a heavy object on top of cheesecloth. Refrigerate overnight. Remove cover or heavy object. Turn back cheesecloth from top of mold. Invert onto a serving dish or a platter; remove mold. Gently peel off cheesecloth. Decorate paskha with cherries, whole blanched almonds and apricot strips. Makes 16 to 20 servings.

Ingredients:

4 Tuna Steaks, At Least 1 1/2 Inch Thick (About 2 Pounds Total)
1 Medium Onion, Chopped
3 Cloves Garlic, Minced
1 Pound Chopped Tomatoes
1/2 Cup Fresh, Chopped Parsley
6 Tablespoons Olive Oil
Salt And Pepper
1/2 Cup White wine
1 Cup Good quality Black Olives, Pitted And Coarsely Chopped
4 Teaspoons Salted Capers

Procedure:

Soak the capers in a bowl of water for 15 minutes. Drain and chop. In a heavy frying pan, heat 3 tablespoons of the olive oil. Once it is hot, add the onion and cook it until it is soft. Add the garlic, and cook an additional minute or two. Add the wine, and cook until it is reduced by half. Add the tomatoes and parsley, and season with salt and pepper. Cook until thickened over low heat, about 20 to 30 minutes. Season the steaks with salt and pepper, and in a separate frying pan, sear the steaks in the remaining oil on both sides for two minutes. Add the tuna steaks to the sauce with the capers and olives, and spoon the sauce over the seafood. Over low heat, cook an additional 5 minutes. Serve. Makes 4 servings.

Authentic Caribbean cuisine is truly an excellent representation of all the cultural influences the Caribbean Islands have experienced since Christopher Columbus’ landing in the late 1400’s. With a fine mixture of French Island and African recipes, Caribbean cuisine is widely prepared and enjoyed by people of all nationalities, in many areas of the United States and the world.

Caribbean food and culture was forever changed when the European traders brought African slaves into the region. The slaves ate mostly the scrap leftovers of the slave owners, so not unlike the slaves in the United States they had to make do with what they had. This was the birth of the more contemporary Caribbean Cuisine. The African slaves blended the knowledge of spices and vegetables they had brought from their homeland and incorporated them with the precious fruits and vegetables of the Caribbean Islands, as well as other staples to be found in the area. This created many one-of-a-kind dishes, because many of the produce on the islands at the time was too fragile to make it through the exportation process. Fruits most often found in Caribbean cuisine include yams, yucca, mangos and papaya fruits. Among the produce that is too fragile to be exported is the tamarind fruit and plantains (a fruit grown on a tree that is similar to the banana).

Caribbean food, while spicy, is one of the healthier options among culinary traditions from different regions. As discussed, the lush Caribbean islands are chock full of vegetables and fruits for healthy living. In addition to that, America introduced beans, corn, chile peppers, potatoes and tomatoes to the islands, broadening their palate.

When slavery was abolished on the islands, slave owners had to look else where for help. Bringing in labor from India and China, different types of dishes using rice or curry were introduced and blended into mainstream Caribbean cuisine. This is how the Caribbean favorite curry goat was born.

The Caribbean islands are in a prime location for one of their specialties–seafood. Salted codfish is a specialty on the Caribbean islands. It is usually served in a salad or stew, or at breakfast in scrambled eggs. Lobster, sea turtle, shrimp, crab, and sea urchins are also specialties on the islands. They are used to make such exotic, spicy Caribbean dishes as Antillean crab pilaf and curried coconut shrimp.

Desserts are an integral part of the Caribbean culinary experience. Sugar cane is one of the area’s chief products, so there are always an abundance of cakes, pies, and dumplings. Caribbean natives incorporate dessert into almost every meal. At Caribbean restaurants you may notice the emphasis they put on their desserts; in their culture, dessert is just as important as the main course.

Caribbean cuisine incorporates flavors from all of the different cultures that have ever graced the shores of the islands, from Africa to China to India. The flavoring in Caribbean cuisine is intense and rich, strikingly similar African and Creole food.

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