A few months ago, I received a voice mail from the fabulous Marilyn Cornelius, Head of the University of Technology School of Hospitality. I called back, we agreed to meet and I went on campus. Little did I know that day would change my life and put a lot into perspective, such as the privilege of my education abroad and what I have experienced in order to share with others. I was offered a chance to lecture at the school. I was both flattered and intimidated. I have teaching experience, but in a completely different realm, when I taught English as a foreign language part-time in Paris when I was juggling jobs and studying.

I was reluctant at first, as I didn’t know how I was going to be able to squeeze in the time with my other commitments. Then a voice said to me, you are always preaching to others to give back. I said back to the voice, but I do, and the voice responded, but not at this level… these kids would be an awesome challenge. Good job I listened to Cornelius’s encouragement and that inner voice. I’ve had the most interesting, humbling and wonderful experience lecturing food media to FSM3, a third-year group.

In the course, I covered: Writing, Food Styling, Recipe Development For Different Media and Photography. I opened the door to my world to this impressionable and bright bunch who I have no doubt will be a big part of Jamaica’s culinary landscape. Jamaica Observer Limited has a special relationship with UTECH. Each year, at the annual Jamaica Observer Food Awards which takes place on Thursday May 27, two students from the School of Hospitality become beneficiaries of a wonderful scholarship. This fact propelled me more to get inside the system of the only culinary course offered at university level in the Caribbean.

Recipe development is very important and I stressed this a lot for my class. I wanted them to understand that before a recipe is published, there is so much work behind the scenes from the research, testing and tasting phases. It isn’t an easy job, but it is so rewarding in a number of ways. We had two major recipe development labs. One of my clients, Island 62, a new Jamaican company, generously donated their products for my class to develop and test recipes, so I will be sharing a couple of those with you today. I wanted my class to understand the branding, responsibilities and ethics when working with a client and to turn their objectives into reality. The otaheite apple is also in season, and I urged my class to learn to cook seasonally with local produce. It was a challenging affair as the fruit is so delicate and not easy to work with, but they rose to the occasion in their teams and created some lovely treats.

I am very grateful to my fellow colleagues who embraced me and welcomed me into their family. They were always quick to offer advice, guide me on the inner workings of campus life and very encouraging when I felt a little lost. Special thanks to the following lecturers: Stacey Aiken, my main support system for the entire semester; my photographer when I couldn’t snap my own shots and now my dear friend Karen Harvey, who helped me craft my module; Ava Sewell Williamson, a fellow Brit who always reassured me with a good word that I was on the right track, and Donna Kelly, whose husband’s farm goodies are much appreciated in my household. My lab tech Kevin Stewart, for always being graceful under pressure, and making sure my labs lacked for nothing.

I urge all hoteliers, restaurateurs and food companies to forge a relationship with this school whether from an advisory role, offering internships or going in to give guest talks to the students from time to time. These students need constant exposure to both the tourism and food industries that they will be a part of one day. The food industry is constantly evolving, and as a food media specialist in particular, my area of expertise is blowing up the stratosphere. The Food Network, food blogs and numerous food magazines are making a major impact on the way we eat and view food. It was a pleasure for me to expose these young adults to the fact that there are other career alternatives in the food world outside of being a food and beverage manager, kitchen chef or caterer.

JuicyChef’s FSM3 Class Recipes

I am very proud today to share these five recipes which my students created using a local company and local produce. My heart swells with Pork Stuffed Otaheite Apple

pride as I watch them blossom throughout the course. Even though not all of their wonderful recipes are featured today, every single one of them tried their best throughout the semester. This is just a taste of their talent.

This is the first of two dishes created by Roschelle Bernard and Alecia Lee, two very consistent and most creative students of the semester. They described this dish as being “a rapture of succulence, sweetness and tenderness infused with culture”. Do enjoy!

Pork-stuffed Otaheite Apple

Ingredients:

3 Otaheite Apples

1lb Pork Chops

3 Tbsps, finely chopped escallion

3 oz fresh ginger

1 bundle, thyme

1/2 Tbsp tarragon (dried)

1/2 Tbsp sage (dried)

1/2 Tbsp basil (dried)

1/2 Tbsp Oregano (dried)

1/4 Tbsp paprika

1/2 Tbsp cayenne

8 Seeds pimento

4 Cloves garlic, finely chopped

1 Scotch Bonnet Pepper

1 onion, finely chopped

2 sweet peppers

Method:

Halve apples and remove seeds

Remove bones from pork chops. Slice to 1/2 inch thick and pound until tender. Slice into one-inch strips.

Combine seasonings, herbs and spices in a bowl. Mix thoroughly.

Season pork chops with herb mixture. Cut sweet peppers into 1/2 inch strips.

Sauté pork and sweet peppers.

Stuff apple halves with sautéed pork. Bake for 20 minutes at 375F.

Serve with desired starch. (In this case, they served theirs with heart-shaped sweet potato wedges)

Cinnamon Otaheite Apple Crepes.

This delicious sweet dish would be lovely for breakfast or brunch. This recipe was created by Audra Smith and Jodian Nesbeth, two individuals who never fail to produce simple yet elegant dishes.

Crepes

Ingredients:

4 eggs

1 cup of flour

1/2 cup of milk

1/2 cup of water

1/2 tsp Salt

2 tbsps melted butter

Method:

Sift flour and salt together in a bowl

Combine eggs, butter and milk, then add to the flour and salt

Mix until combined evenly and rest for 20 minutes.

Heat crepe pan and grease lightly.

Measure 1/4 cup batter to the pan and tilt pan to spread batter.

Once crepe has bubbles rising to the top, loosen the edges with a spatula and flip crepe over. After about 15-20 seconds, remove crepe from the pan. Repeat with the rest of the mixture

Otaheite Apple Filling

Ingredients:

6 Otaheite Apples,

1 cup of sugar

1/2 tsp salt

2 cups of water

1 1/2 tbsp cinnamon

Vanilla to taste

Nutmeg to taste

Method:

Wash apples, remove the seeds and roughly chop the apples

Place chopped apples into a pot and cover with water

Add sugar and salt, cinnamon, vanilla and nutmeg

Bring to a boil until apples turn transparent and remove from heat

Place crepe on a platter and fill with Otaheite apple filling. Fold crepe to resemble an omelette or server as a wrap. Dust crepe with icing sugar. Serve immediately

Optional: Can be also served with a scoop of Vanilla Ice Cream.

Otaheite Apple Crisp

Many desserts using the American apple, can be substituted with the Otaheite. Alicia Lindsay shows us how. Her description of this dish is ” a sweet succulent otaheite apple crisp topped with crunchy healthy oats and nuts with just the right hint of cinnamon”.

Ingredients:

2 cups of Otaheite apples, peeled and thinly sliced

1 tbsp granulated sugar

2 tbsps All Purpose Flour

1/4cup rolled oats

1/4 cup brown sugar

1/8 cup All Purpose Flour

1/4 tsp cinnamon (or nutmeg)

1/8 cup margarine

1/8 cup chopped nuts

Vanilla ice cream (optional)

Method:

Preheat oven to 375ûF.

Place otaheite apples in a small baking dish. Toss with 2 tablespoons of granulated sugar

For the topping, in a medium bowl, combine flour, oats, brown sugar and cinnamon (or nutmeg).

Add cut butter and rub together until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in the nuts and sprinkle over the apple filling.

Bake for 30 minutes or until the fruit is tender and the topping is golden. Cool slightly; if desired, serve warm with ice cream

Tilapia and Sweet Corn Cheddar Chowder

This gorgeous silken soup was created by Steffi Sealy and David Butler whose mystery basket contained Tilapia and Island 62 sweet corn kernels. Their description of this dish is “this chowder teases the tastebuds with mild hints of scotch bonnet and garlic, coupled with the unique aroma of Island 62 whole kernel corn”.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cans Island62 Whole Kernel Corn

1/2 cup retained corn liquid

3 Tilapia fillets

1 onion, diced

1 clove garlic

1/4 tsp Scotch Bonnet Pepper

4 Tbsps Butter, softened

2 Tbsps Flour

1/4 cup sweet pepper

1 cup of Cheddar

1 cup of cream

1 cup of water

2tsp salt

1 tsp white pepper

Method:

Add butter to the saucepan and melt. Sauté onions, garlic, scotch bonnet and sweet peppers for five minutes.

Add the corn and 2 tbsps of flour to make a roux and cook for two more minutes.

Add corn fluid, water, salt, pepper, and when it begins to simmer add the fish.

After seven to eight minutes, add the cheddar, stir to combine well then add cream and heat through.

Spicy Tilapia Corn Fritters with Tomato Basil Dipping Sauce

This is the second contribution from Alecia and Roschelle, my creative divas who described this dish as being “a southern gourmet twist on a traditional Jamaican appetizer”. They both made top scores on their practicals and written assignments and as I had promised the class, the ones with the highest grades would be rewarded with a feature in my column.

Ingredients:

2 cans Island 62 whole kernel corn

1/2 cup flaked Tilapia, deep fried

1/4 cup flour

1/2 cup breadcrumbs

1/2 Tsp Salt

1 Tsp Thyme

1 Tsp Rosemary

1/2 Tsp Ginger

2 eggs, lightly beaten

1 Tsp Paprika

1 Tsp Cayenne Pepper

4 Large Escallions, finely sliced

1/4 Cup diced red and green sweet peppers

1 Small Scotch Bonnet Pepper

Lime Juice, to taste

Water, enough to bind

Vegetable Oil, for frying

Method:

Sift together the flour, baking powder, salt in a bowl. Add thyme, rosemary and ginger.

Add egg, lime juice, and water and stir vigorously with a wooden spoon. Add the corn, tilapia, and escallion and mix until combined.

Heat a large frying pan on medium high heat. Add enough oil to generously coat the bottom of the pan.

When the oil is hot yet not smoking, spoon about 2 heaping tablespoons worth of fritter batter into a mould placed in the pan to form one fritter, patting it down with the back of the spoon as soon as it is in the pan, Work in batches and leave about 1/2 inch between the fritters in the pan.

Let cook for 2 to 3 minutes on each side, flipping the fritters when they are nicely browned on one side. Repeat with the next side; when finished, remove and place on a plate lined with paper towels to absorb excess fat. Serve immediately with dipping sauce.

Tomato Basil Dipping Sauce

1/2 Cup finely diced tomatoes, 1 cup tomato sauce, 1 tbsp dried basil, 1/2 tbsp dried oregano, 1/4 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp pepper sauce, 1/4 cup chicken stock, 1/2 cup white wine.

Method:

Add all the ingredients in a small saucepan and stir over medium heat. Allow the sauce to cook for 5-10 minutes until thick.

A special warm thanks to the University of Technology School of Hospitality.

Thanks also to Island 62 for providing products for my class and hiring a couple of my students as summer interns.

Next week I will be bringing you more of my weekly recipes in collaboration with my sponsors MegaMart.

Contact me at info@juicychef.com

Bon Appétit!