Banana Bread

I have tried a couple of different ways of making Banana Bread and the one that turns out the best is this Recipe. I have used Bajan Brown Sugar just because I had some and because I got the inspiration while I was in Barbados. The Banana Bread I had there was truly divine. I ask the chef what they did to make it so dark and delicious and she gave me a few ideas.

3 very very ripe Bananas

180g Plain Flour with 2 tsp Baking Powder and 1/2 tsp Bicarbonate of Soda

(or 180g Self raising flour with 1/2tsp Bicarbonate of Soda)

1/2 tsp Salt

140g Bajan Brown Sugar or (Light Brown Sugar)

2 Eggs

100g melted Butter

1 tsp Vanilla Extract

1 tbs Molasses

Mix the Eggs, Sugar, Butter, Molasses and Vanilla with an electric Mixer until soft and fluffy. Mash the Bananas on a plate with a fork and add to the Mix. Sift in the Flour, Salt, Bicarb and Baking Powder and stir until smooth.

Transfer this batter into a greased 750g size Loaf tin and bake in a preheated oven at 160-170C or gas 6 for about 1 hour. I found that ovens vary a lot, so adjust the temperature as you need to. If it goes to dark to quickly turn it down, if it doesn't seem to do anything much turn it up a bit.

Leave to cool slightly before turning out of the tin. Then rest ona  wire rack until cool. Though here in this house it doesn't even seem to last that long.

My Boyfriend likes butter on his and I like peanut Butter on mine. How do you like yours?

'Sweetwood Jerk Joint' Kingston Jamaica

Sometimes the best food is found in the places where you wouldn't normally even want to venture. I have said this before and I'm sure it will be true many times in the future.

We all know Jerk Chicken is the most famous of the Caribbean dishes. But have you ever tasted the real authentic thing? Because Jerk is not a seasoning or a dry rub or a sauce you dip into. Jerk is a method of BBQ'ing, that involves a marinade and a BBQ which has Sweetwood and Pimento Wood branches as major flavour and smoke components.

The branches lay accross the BBQ and the meat is placed on top. It takes 2-3 hours for a chicken to be cooked this way and obviously a lot longer for a whole side of pork. The smoky flavour that you get from cooking slowly over the wood branches cannot be replicated. In fact the meat doesn't just roast, it actually becomes smoked somewhat. After tasting it done this way once, there will be no comparison ever again.

The meat is served chopped up with a heavy cleaver. There is a Roasted Scotch Bonnet Pepper dressing condiment at the 'hole in the wall' window, where you pick up your food, that maybe too hot to handle for  some of us, but it is complex and delicious.

The meat is tender and juicy and smokey and spicy and heavy with aroma of Pimento and Thyme and Scotch Bonnet, and it is soooo good!

There must be several of these authentic Jerk Centres in Jamaica, each with their own secret recipe marinade, but I have discovered the 'Sweetwood Jerk Joint' in Kingston, a small outdoor eatery with a welcoming scent luring you in, friendly service and divine BBQ meats. Pork, Chicken, Lamb, Sausages and Fish served with the usual suspects of Rice & Peas, Festival, Roast Sweet Potato or simply Bread. They also do soup, which apparently is just called Broth, and I haven't figured out what's in it yet. Meat and vegetables they tell me, that is all. Another mystery to be solved yet I reckon.

The Sweetwood Jerk Joint is located at 78 Knutsford Blvd, by the Emancipation Park. They do not have a website, but you can 'like' them on Facebook

For my recipe of delicious Jerk Chicken check out this blog entry: Jerk Chicken