Food at Christmas

There you go! You live and learn!

I never knew sorrel might help hypertension which mum has and so that would be an added benefit for her drinking it (not that she needs another reason 😂)

The pot of sorrel, shown, that Dh has boiled and left to brew overnight will yield about 2 of the big bottles that DeegeeDee got - maybe more.

Those 2 sorrel recipes are from Enid Donaldson’s “The Real Taste of Jamaica”. Don’t know if anyone mentioned it upthread but it’s a good book for Jamaican favourites. A friend gave it to me many years ago as she was right in thinking that I could use a lot of help in the kitchen!

Happy teaching your sons!

Oh wow! Thank you so much for this!!!!! I have saved a screenshot and I'm elated because that pot looks like my jam pot, so I am almost fully equipped! I cannot believe I will be drinking sorrel this xmas! (Well, however long it takes me to source pimento and overproof rum in tier 3).

I am 90% sure my dad has this book, or has a book like it. I'm going to ask him in the morning. My Jamaican grandparents were bakers. My grandad handled the patties and pies (puff pastry made from scratch!) and my grandma made all the rum cakes and bun (we used to take turns to stir the pot of eternally soaking fruits). They had so many Caribbean cookbooks, and my dad sort of inherited them. I really miss my grandparents. I learned it was called sorrel relatively recently. My grandma would often add blackcurrants (in season, from a bush she had), so for some reason I used to think it was her weird tasting version of blackcurrant juice lol.

Hibiscus/sorrel tea is great hot with a slice of lemon and a drop of honey. I unsure how much it helped me, but you wouldn't have seen me complaining! Especially not with a spot of rum... might try adding some the next time I catch a cold

Thank you again! I swear, I am grinning ear to ear. I looooove sorrel!

@DeegeeDee what kind of fish are you getting?

For everyone who asked why black people needed this - right here are good reasons. Jaydot please tell us how you get on.

Thank you for the pics Maggie, adding to my links as really I can do sorrel myself but Mom always does it better cough and no, I am getting the fish myself. I am self sufficient, really I am.

Jings, I get sturdy fish, whatever colour is in the fishmongers. Tend to escovitch it as am the only one who eats it so can make it hot and not worry if it doesn't come out just right. Then prawns done in garlic, butter and onions for bread dipping as I walk past the dish.

This thread has got me excited talking about all of this food, and quite nostalgic too ☺️
JayDot - your grandparents remind me of my gran who was a brilliant cook/baker who made wedding cakes, patties, the works....Shame I didn't spend a lot of time around her when she was alive and although my mum is a good cook unfortunately she never picked up the baking so I've had to figure it out.

It must have been so enriching for you growing up around those traditions. In lockdown I made beef patties and Easter bun and think, although perhaps not up to my gran's standard, she would have been pleased.

Will try hot sorrel tea - sounds just the thing for the cold nights!

DeegeeDee - you've inspired me! we kind of wing it on the Christmas meal - must have pigs in blankets for the kids and then we'll have a slow roast chicken, roast potatoes, veg and some kind of seafood. We rarely have escoveitch fish and usually only at Easter but I'm thinking we might have that this year especially since I have some frozen bammies.

On a side note, Dh told me that they are going to ban the sale of parrot fish in Jamaica in order to help preserve the reefs. Can you imagine not eating parrot fish in Jamaica 😱.

@maggiethecat yes! This is very nostalgic. I now miss the smell of cooking escovitch fish lool. We both unfortunately didn't know how good we had it until it was too late. Did she used to decorate the cakes with piping and/or little silver sugar balls?

Luckily, both my grandparents got us all involved in all the processes (like we had a choice haha), so I have been able to remember some things. My son is a very fussy eater, and I've recently been able to get him to eat chicken using a honey-soy recipe my grandmother used to make for my (Chinese/Jamaican) grandad.

JayDot500 - yes, those silver balls!! My mum always tells the story of how my 3 yo brother was at gran's and she had just finished decorating a wedding cake and he stuck his finger right in the middle of it 😂. Apparently she did not speak for hours!

Creating the memories are important. Trying telling that to my dc.....

Black cake, pastel, sorrel and ham are the essentials. Turkey too

2020 - forgot you started this thread! I’m sure your cake will be great - lots of good stuff goes into it.

Enjoy!

Good for you 2020!! They’ll only get better over the years.

Because I don’t regularly bake Xmas cake I note any tweaks and the results each year as a guide for the following year. So for example I did 2 batches this year - one where I blended about 70% of the fruit before baking and the other blended about 30%. The first was more dense/pudding like and the second was lighter and more cake like.

So next year I’ll treat the fruit according to the texture I fancy.

It’s nice to meditate while enjoying the cake you’ve worked so hard on

@maggiethecat omg, you're like a black cake scientist! That's a effective way to do it though, since so much investment (time and money!) goes into each cake.

I really love the black cakes that are more pudding textured than cakey. It's just so indulgent and you have to eat it slowly 🤤... I'd be tempted to blend the whole lot . Enjoy your cake and sorrel!

JayDot - 🤣 I have to be anal scientific about it since I only make it once a year and as you say so much time and money goes into it! But it's a labour of love that puts a smile on my face.

I'm here thinking that I don't know any other food that I'd wax lyrical about and it must be that this cake has so much heritage attached to it!

Enjoy yours too! I hope that the comfort and memories that these food provide will help us get through the rough weeks ahead 🌈

My pimento has arrived! (dances!)

Just need to wait for some other ing

Ingredients to arrive from my shop tomorrow*

(Sorry, DS just sprouted from nowhere and started button bashing at my phone with his dumpling fingers)

Whooping for you JayDot!!

Madness in the shops atm - hope your ingredients arrive ok 🤞🏽

Brussel Sprouts... anyone got any recipes or interesting 'twists'? I have two big bags from our online shop (they were 35p each online, and as someone who glosses over the important facts, such as weight/size, I have loooooads!)

@maggiethecat we got everything!

DH has sickle cell, so we're doing all of our shopping online instead of braving the crowds during these times. We've been lucky, since most of our other shops are riddled with omissions and substitutions

JayDot - will find what Dh did with our sprouts yesterday, I didn't even know I was eating sprouts!

Good that you got what you need and that your Dh will be safe.

Dh is not around to ask for the recipe but I remember making some sarkie comment when he said it was a Heston Blumenthal recipe 😂

Googled and it may have been this one. We didn't have bacon which probably adds a nice flavour but it tasted good anyway.

It reminded me of bean sprouts which we like chinese style with ginger, garlic, soy sauce and I suppose you could make that variation too. More ways to get through that ton of your order!

www.insearchofheston.com/2013/12/how-to-make-hestons-perfect-brussels-sprouts-recipe-for-christmas/