Happy Holidays!

Christmas in Barbados means turkey and jug (a local recipe made of crushed pigeon peas), sorrel, punch-a-creme, mince pies and black cake, a traditional fruit cake that is made with dried fruits that have been soaked in rum for many weeks. White sand and palm trees replace snowbanks and pine trees, and all the traditions of a Caribbean Christmas run strong.

For the holidays, Crumbs Homemade produced some festive recipes using some of the traditional Christmas ingredients, including rum, dried fruit, coconut and spices. Oatmeal Cranberry White Chocolate Cookies, Rum & Raisin Holiday Bread, Tri-Chocolate Almond Biscotti, and Blueberry Gingerbread were some of the items baked for the occasion. People young and old love receiving edible gifts, especially those that are hearty and homemade.

Happy Holidays to the customers and followers of Crumbs Homemade, and best wishes for 2010!

Do Blonds Really Have More Fun?

Welcome to my world of chocolate and all the wonderful things that you can bake with chocolate. It's hard to pick a favourite, and in my view, anything made with chocolate is a winner. Add to your list these wonderful, chewy Blondies, a paler version of a classic Brownie that is loaded with chocolate chips and roasted walnuts. Brownies are usually a popular choice on any menu, and Blondies are as delicious. Be assured that you will have as much fun eating these chocolate-loaded Blondies as you would eating any version of a Brownie.

Blondies were one of the many whole wheat goods that were offered by Crumbs Homemade at Brighton Market yesterday morning. My sister, Julie, and I teamed up to bake all the goods, and were on hand to offer the products to the Market's bustling holiday crowd. Menu items included whole wheat Coconut Bread, Classic Banana Bread, Oatmeal Raisin Cookies, Chocolate Chip Walnut Cookies, Coffee Cake, Pumpkin Spice Bread, Zucchini Walnut Cake, Date Nut Squares, Oatmeal Raspberry Squares, Coconut Raisin Rock Cakes, and Cranberry White Chocolate Rock Cakes.

Rock Cakes are small but very dense mini cakes that are immensely popular with locals in Barbados. They are normally very hard to bite into, but children love to munch on them slowly and savour each sweet bite. The Crumbs Homemade version, although crunchy, is softer and more flavourful, and may require a name change because they would not be considered as hard as a "rock". Their consistency is more like a scone, and are great for breakfast, tea time, or just as a wholesome snack.

Zucchini Walnut Cake

My sister, Julie, is visiting from Boston and we will be baking a number of Crumbs Homemade delights during her stay at my home in Barbados. She is a Food Writer and Chef, a primary consultant for Crumbs Homemade, and one of the best bakers I know. Welcome back Julie!

To kick off her visit, I whipped up a Zucchini Walnut Cake, one of my sons' favourite cakes, especially when iced with cream cheese frosting. This version is unfrosted to keep the sugar content down. This wholesome whole wheat cake is loaded with grated zucchini, roasted walnuts, raisins, cinnamon and allspice, producing a moist, flavourful cake that can be enjoyed any time of the day. In fact, if you don't tell anyone that there is zucchini in this cake, they would never know!

I make Carrot Cake using the same recipe, substituting the zucchini with grated carrots. Many carrot cakes are made with crushed pineapple, but I much prefer this variety with raisins and walnuts which are a perfect accompaniment to zucchini or carrots. The smell of this cake while it is baking is absolutely divine!

Chocolate Chip Cookies at Brighton Market

Every Saturday morning, Brighton Market in St. George is one of the many places in Barbados to buy fresh fruits and vegetables. Other items sold there include beverages, baked goods, plants, local crafts, jams and condiments. Today, Crumbs Homemade offered a variety of whole wheat cookies, scones, blondies, and banana bread for sale, providing customers with more wholesome dessert/snack choices. It was clear from the response that more people in Barbados are seeking out healthier foods and lifestyles.

Sweet Mangoes

A study of fresh Mangoes (acrylic on canvas) painted by my husband, Geoffrey, earlier this year is a fitting addition to this blog, especially as it is his birthday! I will be posting his work regularly on this site as he continues to work on his collection of watercolour, acrylic and oil paintings. Geoffrey, a local Barbadian, is a landscape architect and environmental planner who paints in his spare time, primarily natural vistas, still life, and abstracts with a natural theme.

There is nothing more refreshing than a sweet mango eaten fresh off the tree. A variety of mangoes are grown locally in Barbados. Mangoes are terrific blended in fruit punches and used for chutneys, sorbets or fresh fruit salads. Mango season runs through the summer months throughout the Caribbean.

Fresh Pumpkin From Bridgetown Market

I visit the Bridgetown market every Saturday morning to purchase fruits, vegetables, and other fresh ingredients needed for my cooking and baking. Fresh pumpkin is always on my shopping list, and I look for ones which have dark orange flesh, promising to be sweet and flavourful. Barbados pumpkin is available all year around and there are a variety of different species which are locally grown.

I use fresh pumpkin primarily to make Pumpkin Ginger soup with added hot cayenne pepper, but also to add to my favourite stews and stir fry vegetable dishes. For baking purposes, I use canned pumpkin which is less watery than fresh. Our whole wheat Pumpkin Walnut Bread is loaded with raisins and roasted walnuts, and lightly spiced with nutmeg and allspice. Along with the traditional rum cakes, mince pies and fruit cakes, our Pumpkin Walnut Bread is a terrific addition during the festive season.

Chocolate Chocolate Chip Muffins

Muffins are easy to make and fun to eat, especially if they include chocolate! These chocolate muffins are especially delightful as the semi-sweet chocolate chips that are added to the batter melt into a ganache that bursts in your mouth with every bite. Made with whole wheat flour, a minimal amount of brown sugar, and lactose-free milk, these muffins are definitely a must for chocoholics.

Banana Cranberry Walnut Bread

Banana bread is a staple in many homes, and everyone has their favourite recipes. My mother made banana bread whenever there were bananas in the house going ripe. In fact, she made it so often that we nicknamed her Nana Banana!

Adapting her recipe into a more wholesome variety by using whole wheat flour and canola oil, this version is really moist and delicious. In Barbados, I grow bananas in my home garden, and prefer to pick them fresh for baking then to buy them at the grocery. Bajan bananas are really sweet, imparting a natural sweetness to the bread. That means less sugar is needed in the batter.

Banana bread is so versatile that you can enhance it to make it more festive, which is ideal for the holidays. In this variety, roasted walnuts and dried cranberries are added to boost the flavour and add more texture. Before being added to the batter, whole walnuts are roasted in the oven to bring out the nutty flavour, and are then crushed into coarse pieces. For breakfast, tea time, or dessert, this luscious banana bread is perfect for any occasion.

Scones

Scones are best served warm from the oven. Made plain or with corn meal, our whole wheat scones are loaded with raisins, cranberries, or other fruits. They are a great alternative to breads at tea time or breakfast, and can be sweetened by adding your favourite jams with every bite. Our special Oatmeal Raspberry is made with organic oats and seedless raspberry jam, a variety that is sure to please!

Apple Cake

Crisp, juicy apples are refreshing and healthy to eat, and baking with them can be equally satisfying. There are many things you can do with apples, including cakes, pies, tarts, applesauce, and baked whole apples. There is nothing nicer than the aroma of apples baking at home. My grandmother used to bake apple pies habitually, which became a trademark of her remarkable cuisine.

Loaded with tasty baking apples, this apple cake is best served with your favourite vanilla ice cream. With the right balance of tartness from the apples, and sweetness from the cinnamon and brown sugar, this whole wheat apple cake is delicious and a big hit in our home.