Bahamian Recipes - Luxury Experience

This month we are proud to feature recipes from Chef Samuel Favella of The Abaco Club on Winding Bay, Abaco, Bahamas in our Chefs’ Recipes spotlight.

All you need to add is a nice rum punch, put on some island music from Bahamian Stone McEwan (read Music Scene) and you have all the makings of a great party!

Chef Samuel Favella of The Abaco Club on Winding Bay , on Abaco, Bahamas, provides our readers with the perfect Bahamian menu, beginning with two appetizers, continuing with two tempting fish entrées, a salad course, and ending with a fabulous dessert course.

Calamari Fritti

Ingredients:
5-8 inch tube cleaned with tentacles (Calamari)
All-purpose flour
Vegetable oil for frying
Chopped parsley
Grated Parmesan cheese

Preparation: Cut Calamari into small rings. Dust calamari with the flour; do include the tentacles. Fry until the rings and tentacles are crispy; drain well, place on an appetizer plate; put the sauces in squeeze bottles to create an interesting design on the plate, sprinkle with fresh parsley and Parmesan, and you have one of the best appetizers known to man.

Sauces

Basil Pesto (basic recipe or store bought)
Thai Chili Sauce
Roasted Red Pepper Aioli

Roasted Red Pepper Aioli

Preparation: In a blender, puree the roasted red peppers, add one egg yolk, 1 teaspoon of Dijon mustard and blend, slowly add virgin olive oil until the mixture is thickened, and add salt and pepper to taste.

Sushi Grade Tuna

Coat the tuna (sushi grade only) with toasted sesame seeds, sear in sesame oil only, and cook until desired temperature (usually rare).

Sauce

½	cup	soy sauce
1 ¼	cups	sugar
		fresh ginger
		wasabi, to desired heat
		garlic chili paste, to taste
1	teaspoon	sesame oil

Method: Bring soy sauce to a simmer with the sugar, cool, add the rest of the ingredients, strain and then serve with the seared tuna.

Panzanella Salad
4 portions

Ingredients:

6	ounces	mesclun (mixed baby greens)
1		red roasted pepper, sliced into strips
¼	cup	capers
½	cup	bleu cheese, crumbled
½	cup	tomatoes, diced
½	sheet pan	focaccia bread, torn by hand into small pieces
4 ½	ounces	balsamic vinaigrette

Preparation: Put the baby greens in a medium mixing bowl with the rest of the ingredients, and toss with the balsamic vinaigrette.

Balsamic Vinaigrette Ingredients:

6	tablespoons	extra virgin olive oil
9	teaspoons	balsamic vinegar
4 ½	teaspoons	minced shallots
1	teaspoon	black pepper
1 ½	teaspoon	sugar
¾	teaspoon	salt
1	teaspoon	Dijon mustard

Preparations: In a cup, whisk olive oil, vinegar, garlic, sugar, and salt until blended. Store in a covered container. Refrigerate any unused portion.

Mojo Mahi-Mahi Cuban Style

Ingredients:
Fresh mahi-mahi
Black beans
White rice
Sweet plantains
Green plantains
Mojo Sauce

Preparation: Dip the mahi-mahi into the Mojo sauce and place it on the broiler (open flame), add a small amount of the Mojo sauce when you flip the mahi-mahi; do not over cook the fish.

Presentation: Once the fish is done, put the beans all over the plate but away from the rim, put a nice portion of rice in the center of the plate, put the fish on the rice, and garnish with fried sweet plantains, green plantain chips and a fresh cleaned scallion.

Mojo Sauce

Ingredients:

½	cup	lime juice
1	cup	olive oil
1	tablespoon	garlic, chopped
2	tablespoons	freshly ground black pepper
2	tablespoons	Kosher salt
2	teaspoons	ground cumin
3		scallions, chopped
1	tablespoon	Dijon mustard

Black Beans

You can use store-bought black turtle beans and jazz them up yourself or make them the traditional way by soaking them overnight, (make sure to add a piece of ham or smoked ham hock) and cook them until they are nice and tender, making sure that they have plenty of liquid, as dry beans are no fun.

Rice

Please use Jasmine rice. Cook 1 part rice with 2 parts water until done; that’s it.

Fried Sweet Plantain

Fry the sweet plantains until they are a nice golden brown color, being careful to not overcook the plantains. Drain and set aside.

Green Plantain Chips

Peel green plantains, slice them very thin lengthwise, and fry until golden. Drain and set aside.

Garnishes: Fried sweet plantains, green plantain chips, and a scallion.

Presentation: It would be nice to be creative and serve the entrée on a banana leaf on a plate.

Seared Wahoo

Ingredients:
Fresh wahoo
Black and white sesame seeds
Sesame oil
Ginger
Wasabi
Soy sauce
Bell peppers (red and green)
Carrots
Cauliflower
Oyster Sauce
Sugar
Potatoes
Butter

Preparation: Cut the wahoo into a loin cut, (this is simple to do: cut the wahoo straight down into two long pieces, and cut into dinner portions). Coat the wahoo fillets with white and black sesame seeds, sear in a hot pan using sesame oil, and just sear the fish lightly all around, and set aside.

Make a wasabi paste.

Simmer 1-cup soy sauce and 2 cups of sugar until it is dissolved. When cool put the sauce in a squeeze bottle.

Mash potatoes with butter and cream, add salt to taste, and then add a generous portion of wasabi paste and stir into the mashed potatoes.

Stir-fry vegetables (peppers, cauliflower, carrots) cut into bite-size pieces, in sesame oil in a pan on high heat, cover to capture the steam for one minute, and then stir in a very small amount of oyster sauce, because this is very salty.

Presentation: When you are ready to plate, sprinkle the cooked vegetables all over the plate, and place the wasabi mashed potatoes right in the middle. Get your seared wahoo loin and slice it with a very sharp knife, layer it over the mashed potatoes, squeeze eel sauce over the wahoo, garnish with wasabi paste and a small ball or a pinch of some pickled ginger.

Caramelized Pineapple and White Chocolate Napoleon

Caramelized pineapple slices
White chocolate mousse
Yellow cake
Caramel sauce
White chocolate sauce
Mint leaves

Ingredients:

1	pound	white chocolate (use the best quality of chocolate, example Valrhona or Callebaut)
2	cups	heavy cream
1	cup	sugar
1	cup	water
6		egg whites

Preparation: Chop the chocolate into very small pieces. Bring the sugar and water to a boil, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Beat the egg whites in a mixing bowl until almost stiff. With the mixer running, slowly pour the sugar syrup into the egg whites. Continue to beat for a few minutes after mixing in the syrup. Now fold the chocolate into the egg whites. Stir well. Cool to room temperature. Whip the cream and gently fold into the egg white chocolate mixture. Pour into a large bowl and chill for at least 2 hours before serving.

Caramel Sauce

Ingredients:

1 ½	cups	brown sugar, packed
4	tablespoons	flour
1	cup	boiling water
		dash salt
2	tablespoons	butter
2	tablespoons	cream
		vanilla, to taste

Preparation: Mix sugar with flour in saucepan; blend well. Add water and salt. Stir while cooking for 6 to 8 minutes. If it is too thick add a little more water. Remove from heat; stir in butter, cream, and vanilla to taste.

Yellow Cake

Ingredients:

2	cups	all-purpose flour, stirred before measuring
1	tablespoon	baking powder
1	teaspoon	salt
½	cup	butter, softened
1 ¼	cups	sugar
2		eggs
¾	cup	milk
1	teaspoon	vanilla

Preparation: Mix flour, baking powder, and salt; set aside. Cream sugar and butter in a large mixing bowl, beating until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add half of the flour mixture, and then half of the milk. Add vanilla. Mix until blended; add remaining flour and milk and beat until smooth.

Fill 2 greased and floured layer cake pans or a 13x9x2-inch baking pan with the batter.

Bake at 375° for 25 to 35 minutes, or until cake springs back when lightly touched near center.

White Chocolate Sauce

Ingredients:

5	ounces	white chocolate
2 ½	ounces	heavy cream

Preparation: Both of the ingredients should be at room temperature. Melt the chocolate and then stir in the heavy cream.

Presentation: Place the caramelized pineapple slice in the center of a plate. Use a round cutter the same size as the pineapple slice to cut a thin slice of yellow cake, pipe some chocolate mousse onto the cake, repeat with another layer of cake and chocolate mousse, and garnish with a mint sprig and a small piece of white chocolate. Decorate the plate with the white chocolate and caramel sauces.

The Abaco Club on Winding Bay
P.O. Box AB20571
Marsh Harbor, Abaco, Bahamas
Telephone: (US toll-free) 1-866-605-8681
Telephone: (Worldwide)   1-843-278-0196
Telephone: (Bahamas)      1-242-367-0077 ext. 3846
Fax: (Bahamas)                 1-242-367-2930
Email: info@theabacoclub.com
www.theabacoclub.com

Please read our articles on The Abaco Club in the Destinations, Hotels and Resorts, Chefs’ Recipes, Restaurants, Music Scene, Spas and Events sections.