22 May 2014
We asked tropical food experts Grace Foods to give us their suggestions for the ideal dinner party to bring a taste of the islands to your table.
Pre-dinner Canapés & Cocktails
- Jerk Rosti with Coconut Prawns
- Serves: 20 people (makes 20 canapes)
- Preparation Time: 20 mins
- Cooking Time: 20 mins
Ingredients
- 2 large white potatoes
- 2 tsp of Dunns River Jerk Seasoning Powder
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- 450 grams prawns - peeled and deveined
- 1 medium onion, sliced
- 3 cloves garlic, sliced finely
- 1 tbsp grated fresh ginger root
- 3 tbsps butter
- 2 tsps ground coriander
- 1 tsp turmeric
- 1 tsp chilli powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 2 tbsps white cane vinegar
- 2 tbsp tomato ketchup
- 250ml Grace Coconut Milk
- 1 lime
- Handful of coriander leaves, chopped
To make the Jerk rosti
- Peel and grate potato.
- Spread grated potato onto a clean tea towel. Gather up tea towel and squeeze, to remove some but not all the water from the potato.
- Open tea towel and season potato with Dunns River Jerk Seasoning.
- Heat oil in a frying pan over a moderate heat.
- Take marble size portions of potato mix and squeeze gently together. Place potato ball in pan and pat down to form disc.
- Gently fry, until golden brown on edges. Turn over and repeat.
- Once cooked remove, and keep warm.
To make the Coconut prawns
- Heat butter in a heavy saucepan, add onion and garlic, stir gently until soft.
- Mix spices and seasoning to a paste with vinegar and tomato ketchup.
- Add mixture to the pan and fry for 3 minutes, stirring continuously.
- Stir in Grace coconut milk and simmer for 10 minutes. Add prawns and allow to cook in sauce for 5 minutes.
To assemble
Take each rosti and top with one single prawn, coat with a little of the sauce, a squeeze of lime and top with fresh coriander leaf. Th is dish can be eaten warm or cold.
Pre-dinner Canapés & Cocktails
- Caribbean Pimms
- Serves: 6 people
- Preparation Time: 10 mins
- Cooking Time: 0 mins
Ingredients:
- 250ml Pimms No 1™
- 4 cans Grace Ginger Beer
- 1/2 cucumber, chopped
- 1 apple, cored and chopped
- 1 orange, sliced
- 3 strawberries, sliced
- Handful fresh mint leaves
Optional ingredients
- 1/2 lime, sliced
- 1/2 lemon, sliced
- 2-3 fresh pineapple, chopped into chunks
Method
- Mix all ingredients together in a large glass pitcher.
- Serve chilled or over ice, but it’s better chilled.
Starters
- Spicy Caribbean Pumpkin Soup
- Serves: 4 people
- Preparation Time: 20 mins
- Cooking Time: 45 mins
Ingredients
- 50g (2oz) butter
- 1kg (2.2lbs) pumpkin, peeled and diced
- 2 onions, chopped
- 2 tbs Encona West Indian Original Hot Pepper Sauce
- 2 beef tomatoes, chopped
- 1.1 litre (2 pints) vegetable stock
- Crème fraîche or Grace Premium Thai Coconut Milk, to serve
Method
- Melt the butter in a large saucepan and fry the pumpkin and onions for 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes and S cook for 3-4 minutes.
- Stir in the stock and bring to the boil. Cover and simmer for 30-45 minutes, until the pumpkin is tender and breaks down.
- Allow to cool slightly, then purée with a food processor, liquidizer or hand blender. Do not over fill blender.
- Return to clean pan, heat through and season to taste.
- Top with a blob of crème fraîche or coconut cream. Great to serve outdoors at bonfi res or on Halloween with crusty bread.
Main Courses
- Jamaican Jerk Chicken served with Rice & Peas
- Serves: 4 people
- Preparation Time: 30 mins – plus marinating time
- Cooking Time: 30 mins
Ingredients
For the Jerk Chicken:
- 4 chicken thighs and 4 chicken drumsticks
- 1 bottle of 142ml Encona Jamaican Jerk BBQ Sauce
- 1 tbsp parsley, chopped for the rice
- 200g long grain rice, soaked for 10 minutes then rinsed and drained
- 1 onion, finely chopped
- 400ml Dunns River Coconut Milk
- 300ml chicken stock
- 1 tin of Dunns River Red Kidney Beans, rinsed and drained
- 3 bay leaves
- 1 lemon grass stalk, root slightly crushed Salt and milled black pepper.
Method
- Wash and dry the chicken pieces.
- Make 3-4 slashes across the skin-side of the chicken about 1cm deep. Place the chicken into a bowl and pour over the Encona Jamaican Jerk BBQ Sauce, chopped parsley and mix well.
- Cover the chicken with clingfilm and ideally leave to marinate overnight in the fridge or for a minimum of 2 hours.
- Cook the chicken over a medium heated barbecue or under a grill for 25-30 minutes, turning occasionally and brushing with any left over marinade.
- Meanwhile, to make the rice, add the onion, coconut milk, chicken stock, bay leaves and lemon grass to a medium saucepan and bring to a simmer. Add the rice and simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- After 15 minutes, add the red kidney beans, parsley and season with salt and pepper.
- When the rice has softened, transfer to a serving bowl and serve with the Jerk chicken. Enjoy!
Desserts
- Coconut Panna Cotta served with seasonal fruits
- Serves: 6 people
- Preparation Time: 15 mins
- Cooking Time: 2 hours – includes chilling time
Ingredients
- 2 x 400ml cans Grace or Dunn’s River Coconut Milk
- 400ml whole milk
- 100g caster sugar
- ½ tsp grated nutmeg
- 6 sheets fi ne-leaf gelatine or 2 x 12g sachets powdered, unfl avoured gelatine
Method
- Pour the coconut milk and milk into a medium sized saucepan, add sugar and nutmeg.
- Bring to the boil for 5 mins then remove from the heat.
- Soak gelatine in cold water for 5 minutes or until soft . Add the gelatine and whisk into the mixture until dissolved. (Powdered gelatine can be added directly to the mixture). If you have difficulty dissolving the gelatine, return the mixture to a gentle heat for 1-2 mins.
- Pour equally into 6 dessert dishes and place in the fridge for at least 2 hrs until fi rm with a slight wobble.
- Serve with chopped pineapples or strawberries. This dish can be made the day before.
