Obviously, we all enjoy the amazing variety and quality of the restaurant scene in St Barth. But one of the great things about renting a villa is that they come with kitchens. And although some of the appliances found therein are (how to put it?) a little French, they're easily sorted out. With great fresh fish, vegetables, and reasonably priced French wines readily at hand, even a culinary knucklehead like me is tempted to try their hand cooking "chez moi". In my case, this also offers a cheap source of entertainment for my wife, who seems to enjoy watching the chef's thrills and spills (more of the latter than the former).
So first, where to get the goods? (This will be "old hat" for Forum veterans.) Finding fresh fish can be a little hit and miss: The fish market in Gustavia is a good place to start, if you're a early riser, because most days, the good stuff is gone by 7:30-ish. Also, they're closed Sundays. But on a good day, they'll usually have mahi, reef fish (which I'm not sure are a good idea due to reports of Ciquatera), and if you're lucky, langouste and tuna. A more dependable source for fresh seafood and good beef is Meat My Fish in Camaruche. As many of you know, it's run by a lovely couple, and given a day or two's notice, they can track down langouste for you.
Although Kevin and others have much more extensive sources for groceries and wine, we tend to mainly rely on the neighborhood AMC and Oasis in L'Orient. (In addition to being a mediocre chef, I'm also lazy.) The AMC stocks foie --which I can't resist-- and other goodies, while the Oasis has a nice selection of wines.
I'm not sure posting recipes is standard practice for the Forum, but here are some of my favorites for cooking in. They're all relatively quick and easy. (Good thing for me.)
First, an apero--Ti Punch. There all sorts of recipes out there (and I'd like to hear about others' favorites), but here's the one I've been using. I borrowed this from Ann Vanderhoof's book, "An Embarrassment of Mangos" ( a fun read, BTW):
Ti Punch--
--1 1/2 oz. rhum agricole
--1/4 oz. pure cane sugar
--1/4 oz. freshly squeezed lime juice.
Combine in a measuring cup, stir, and serve over one cube of ice.
Next, for the starter, seared foie gras with mango chutney--
Mango Chutney:
--Two medium-sized mangos cut into 1—1.5 cm squares
--1 cup brown sugar
--½ cup apple cider vinegar
--½ cup water
--½ tsp cardamom seeds
--2 cinnamon sticks (or ½ tsp ground cinnamon)
--½ tsp ground cloves
--½ tsp ground ginger
--½ cup golden raisins
Simmer for about 15 minutes, then remove the cinnamon sticks. Serve hot or cold. It can be prepared hours (or even days) ahead of time.
Seared Foie Gras:
--Use a chilled lobe of foie gras, or if you can find it, the pre-sliced version.
--With a hot knife (heated under the kitchen tap is fine), cut the lobe into 1/2 inch slices.
--Heat a saute pan under "high" until it just starts to smoke. (This step is essential: If you don't get the pan sufficiently hot, you'll end up with a large quantity of very expensive melted duck fat.)
--Sear for 30 seconds or until browned on each side. (Watch this stuff carefully: It burns in a heartbeat. Also, if your having a so-called naked villa day--see previous posts-- I'd strongly advise wearing an apron for this part. Burning duck fat is like napalm and will stick to and burn anything it touches. Need I say more?)
--Once done, blot with a paper towel to remove the extra fat and serve on a bed of baby greens with the chutney. A baguette is mandatory here, by French law.
Finally, Grilled Langouste with Dill-Pernod Sauce:
--4 lobsters
--6 ounces salted butter
--2 shallots (diced)
--¼ cup fresh dill (diced)
--3 tablespoons Pernod or Ricard
--2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
--½ tsp. ground pepper
--sea salt
--8 dill sprigs for garnish
In 2 oz. of the butter, cook the shallots until soft (but not brown, of course): about 3 minutes
Add the remainder of the butter, dill, Pernod, lemon juice and cook for another minute. Some people also add any juices from cutting the lobsters in half (see below)
You can do all the cooking of the lobsters on the grill, but we steamed them (whole) for 5-6 minutes before grilling. Either way, halve the lobsters with knife and shears (careful with this one, since a trip to the local ER would be a definite buzz kill at this point), pour on the sauce and place them on the grill (set to high). If you’ve already steamed them, just put them cut side up and grill for about another 5 minutes. Keep basting with the sauce.
If you’ve not steamed them beforehand, grill the lobsters cut side down for about 3 minutes, then cut side up for another 6-8 minutes (depending on the size of the lobster).
Serve with small dishes of the sauce, if you like.
If you still want dessert at this point, you're on your own, and you're a better man (or woman or person, depending on your gender) than I am. A little rhum, though, wouldn't hurt.
Sorry for the long post, but thought you might enjoy.
Bon appetit!
Photos (probably lousy)
to follow:
So first, where to get the goods? (This will be "old hat" for Forum veterans.) Finding fresh fish can be a little hit and miss: The fish market in Gustavia is a good place to start, if you're a early riser, because most days, the good stuff is gone by 7:30-ish. Also, they're closed Sundays. But on a good day, they'll usually have mahi, reef fish (which I'm not sure are a good idea due to reports of Ciquatera), and if you're lucky, langouste and tuna. A more dependable source for fresh seafood and good beef is Meat My Fish in Camaruche. As many of you know, it's run by a lovely couple, and given a day or two's notice, they can track down langouste for you.
Although Kevin and others have much more extensive sources for groceries and wine, we tend to mainly rely on the neighborhood AMC and Oasis in L'Orient. (In addition to being a mediocre chef, I'm also lazy.) The AMC stocks foie --which I can't resist-- and other goodies, while the Oasis has a nice selection of wines.
I'm not sure posting recipes is standard practice for the Forum, but here are some of my favorites for cooking in. They're all relatively quick and easy. (Good thing for me.)
First, an apero--Ti Punch. There all sorts of recipes out there (and I'd like to hear about others' favorites), but here's the one I've been using. I borrowed this from Ann Vanderhoof's book, "An Embarrassment of Mangos" ( a fun read, BTW):
Ti Punch--
--1 1/2 oz. rhum agricole
--1/4 oz. pure cane sugar
--1/4 oz. freshly squeezed lime juice.
Combine in a measuring cup, stir, and serve over one cube of ice.
Next, for the starter, seared foie gras with mango chutney--
Mango Chutney:
--Two medium-sized mangos cut into 1—1.5 cm squares
--1 cup brown sugar
--½ cup apple cider vinegar
--½ cup water
--½ tsp cardamom seeds
--2 cinnamon sticks (or ½ tsp ground cinnamon)
--½ tsp ground cloves
--½ tsp ground ginger
--½ cup golden raisins
Simmer for about 15 minutes, then remove the cinnamon sticks. Serve hot or cold. It can be prepared hours (or even days) ahead of time.
Seared Foie Gras:
--Use a chilled lobe of foie gras, or if you can find it, the pre-sliced version.
--With a hot knife (heated under the kitchen tap is fine), cut the lobe into 1/2 inch slices.
--Heat a saute pan under "high" until it just starts to smoke. (This step is essential: If you don't get the pan sufficiently hot, you'll end up with a large quantity of very expensive melted duck fat.)
--Sear for 30 seconds or until browned on each side. (Watch this stuff carefully: It burns in a heartbeat. Also, if your having a so-called naked villa day--see previous posts-- I'd strongly advise wearing an apron for this part. Burning duck fat is like napalm and will stick to and burn anything it touches. Need I say more?)
--Once done, blot with a paper towel to remove the extra fat and serve on a bed of baby greens with the chutney. A baguette is mandatory here, by French law.
Finally, Grilled Langouste with Dill-Pernod Sauce:
--4 lobsters
--6 ounces salted butter
--2 shallots (diced)
--¼ cup fresh dill (diced)
--3 tablespoons Pernod or Ricard
--2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
--½ tsp. ground pepper
--sea salt
--8 dill sprigs for garnish
In 2 oz. of the butter, cook the shallots until soft (but not brown, of course): about 3 minutes
Add the remainder of the butter, dill, Pernod, lemon juice and cook for another minute. Some people also add any juices from cutting the lobsters in half (see below)
You can do all the cooking of the lobsters on the grill, but we steamed them (whole) for 5-6 minutes before grilling. Either way, halve the lobsters with knife and shears (careful with this one, since a trip to the local ER would be a definite buzz kill at this point), pour on the sauce and place them on the grill (set to high). If you’ve already steamed them, just put them cut side up and grill for about another 5 minutes. Keep basting with the sauce.
If you’ve not steamed them beforehand, grill the lobsters cut side down for about 3 minutes, then cut side up for another 6-8 minutes (depending on the size of the lobster).
Serve with small dishes of the sauce, if you like.
If you still want dessert at this point, you're on your own, and you're a better man (or woman or person, depending on your gender) than I am. A little rhum, though, wouldn't hurt.
Sorry for the long post, but thought you might enjoy.
Bon appetit!
Photos (probably lousy)
to follow:
