CARIBBEAN BON VOYAGE

• Passion Fruit Apple Sauce
• Smoked Pork Loin
• Grilled Swordfish with Caribbean Salsa
• Caribbean Salad
• Jerk Snapper
• Rumapalooza Cooler

PASSION FRUIT APPLE SAUCE

2 ½ cups of Apple Sauce (600ml)
1 cup of strained passion fruit sauce, pulp or nectar (250ml)
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract (5ml)
3 slices of peeled fresh ginger (¼ inch think), minced
¼ cup of dark Jamaican rum (60ml)
3 tablespoons of honey (or more to taste) (45ml)
1 cinnamon stick
1 teaspoon of allspice (5ml)

Combine all of the ingredients in a heavy bottomed sauce pan and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer for 15 minutes. Place in a bowl, chill and serve with smoked pork loin.

Yield: 5 servings

SMOKED PORK LOIN 3 tablespoons of fresh rosemary, chopped (45ml) 2 tablespoons of shallots, diced (30ml) 2 tablespoons of orange zest, grated (30ml) 2 tablespoons of lemon zest, grated (30ml) 3 tablespoons of olive oil (45ml) 1 tablespoon of thawed frozen apple juice concentrate (15ml) Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper to taste ½ bottle of white wine (375 ml) 5 large rosemary sprigs 2 sticks of cinnamon (halved) 1 bone in pork loin roast (5lb)

In a bowl combine rosemary, diced shallots, orange and lemon zest, oil, apple juice, salt and pepper. Place the pork loin in a large resealable plastic bag. Pour the marinade over the pork and rub it in. Place in the fridge to marinate for at least 4 hours up to 24 hours. The longer the pork marinates the better the flavour will be.

Approximately 30-40 minutes before it is time to grill, remove the pork loin from the fridge and bring to room temperature. Place the 1 handful of apple wood chips in water to soak for 30-40 minutes.

The pork is to be cooked using indirect heat. Place a drip pan on one side of the grill - the side that will remain unlit. Fill the drip pan half full with water and white wine. Add a cinnamon stick and the rosemary sprigs. Preheat the grill on the opposite side to high heat.

Build a smoke pouch. Squeeze the excess water from the soaking wood chips and place in the center of a large piece of tin foil. Add two handfuls of dry apple wood chops. Fold the foil around the chips to create a sealed package. Using a fork, poke holes in both sides of the pouch.

Place the smoke pouch directly over the heat source. Close the lid and wait for smoke. When smoke starts to billow out of the side of the grill, lower the heat under the smoke pouch to 200ºF (100ºC). Place the pork loin bone side down over the drip pan. Close the lid and leave to smoke for approximately 2-2½ hours for medium (slightly pink at the center and juicy). The internal temperature should register 170ºF in the thickest part of the roast away from the bone.

Leave the meat to rest for 5-10 minutes before slicing.

Serve with Passion Fruit Apple Sauce.

Yield: 6 servings

GRILLED SWORDFISH WITH CARIBBEAN SALSA 1/3 cup red onion, minced (75ml) 3 oranges, peeled with pith removed, seeded and halved 1½ cups of vine ripened tomatoes, chopped and seeded (350ml) 1/3 cup of fresh parsley, chopped (75ml) 1/3 cup of fresh cilantro, chopped (75ml) ¼ cup of shredded fresh coconut (unsweetened) (60ml) Juice of one lemon Juice of one lime Juice of one orange 3 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar (45ml) Splash of hot sauce 1/3 cup of extra virgin olive oil (75ml) 2/3 cup of white wine (150ml) Thyme sprigs 3 cloves of garlic, minced 3 shallots, minced 6 six-ounce swordfish steaks cut 1 inch thick

Prepare the salsa by combining the onion, orange, tomatoes, parsley, cilantro, coconut, lemon, lime, orange juice, vinegar, hot sauce and toss. Cover and place in the fridge to set up for an hour before serving.

In a bowl, combine oil, wine, thyme, garlic, and shallots. Add the swordfish steaks to a large sealable plastic bag. Pour the marinade over the swordfish steaks and place in the fridge for 30 minutes.

Preheat grill to high heat (500ºF) (5 steamboats).

Remove the steaks from the marinade and pat dry. Place the steaks on the grill and cook for approximately 4 minutes per side until opaque at the center. Avoid flare ups.

Serve with salsa on top.

Yield: 6 servings

CARIBBEAN SALAD 1 medium sized Jimica, peeled and sliced into thin matchsticks 1 can of Clementine segments 1 red onion, thinly sliced 2 cups of mesclin mix (475ml) 1 bunch of mint, chopped 1 bunch of basil, chopped 1 ripe mango, peeled, julienne 1 papaya, peeled, cubed, julienne 1 avocado, peeled, cubed 1 small head of radicchio, washed, dried and torn 1 small head of romaine, washed, dried and torn Half an English cucumber, chopped 3 green onions coarsely chopped ¼ cup of fresh basil, chopped (60ml) 1 cup of unsalted peanuts (250ml)

Dressing
½ cup of extra virgin olive oil (125ml)
3 tablespoons of sesame oil (45ml)
4 tablespoons of soya sauce (60ml)
6 tablespoons of fresh lime juice (90ml)
1 tablespoon of fresh lemon zest (15ml)
¼ cup of fish sauce (60ml)
3 tablespoons of liquid honey (45ml)
1 teaspoon of chili sauce (5ml)
Salt and pepper to taste

Combine all of the salad ingredients in a bowl and toss to mix. Whisk the dressing ingredients together and pour over salad when ready to serve. Toss gently.

Yield: 10-12 servings

JERK SNAPPER Juice of 2 oranges Juice of 2 lemons Juice of 1 lime 2 chiles, stemmed and seeded (if you like extra heat, leave the seeds in) 4 large scallions, both white and green parts, trimmed and coarsely chopped 4 cloves of garlic, chopped 2 small shallots, coarsely chopped 1 piece of ginger (½ inch) peeled and coarsely chopped 4 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro (60ml) 2 teaspoons f chopped fresh/dried thyme (10ml) 1½ teaspoons of kosher salt, or more to taste (7.5ml) 2 teaspoons of brown sugar, or more to taste (10ml) ½ teaspoon of ground allspice (2.5ml) ½ teaspoon of freshly ground black pepper, or more to taste (2.5ml) ½ teaspoon of ground cinnamon (2.5ml) 1 teaspoon of soy sauce (5ml) 1 tablespoon of Worcestershire sauce (15ml) 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil (30ml) 3 tablespoons of dark rum (45ml)

4 small fresh red snapper (1½ lbs each), cleaned and scaled with fins removed.

Squeeze the orange juice, lemon juice and lime juice into a bowl. Place all ingredients, except oil and rum, into a blender. Start the blender and slowly add the fruit juices until the mixture starts to take on a paste like consistency. Add the oil in a thin stream. Add the rum and continue to blend until the mixture is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, but easily poured.

Place the jerk seasoning in a bowl and let it rest in the fridge for at least an hour. The longer it rests, the more intense the flavours will be.

Rinse the red snapper under cold water and pat dry both inside and out. Make 3 or 4 deep diagonal slashes in the side of each fish and place in a nonreactive (ceramic glass) baking dish. Pour the rested marinade over the fish and place in the fridge to marinate for ½ hour.

Preheat the grill to high - 500ºF (5 steamboats).

Oil the grill generously to avoid sticking. Place the fish directly on the grill and cook for 8 minutes per side. Serve with lime wedges.

Yield: 4 servings

RUMAPALOOZA COOLER 46 ounces unsweetened pineapple juice 2 tablespoons of lemon juice (30ml) 2 lemons, sliced 6 ounces of orange juice (frozen concentrate) 10 ounces of club soda, chilled 20-30 ounces of rum Mix all ingredients, except club soda, and chill. Add chilled club soda immediately before serving. Serve over ice in tall glasses with straws. Yield: 12-6oz glasses

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