At Couples Resorts we believe the recipe
for a deeper connection consists of three primary things – Tranquil
Days, Intimate Nights and Romantic Always. If couples can strive to
share at least one tranquil day and one intimate night a month
together, then romantic always will be a constant.
In honor of the upcoming holidays, my culinary team and I have
created a special menu in our “Just for Two” section, which you can
share with your friends and family. The recipe infuses local
Jamaican flavors to provide the perfect new twist to a traditional
Thanksgiving meal.
Bon Appetite!
Chef Stefan Spath
Corporate Executive Chef, Couples Resorts
Refreshment:
*Instead of a wine pairing for this newsletter’s appetizer,
Chef Spath had one of the bartenders mix-up a great Jamaican
Thanksgiving mojito, sure to start your holiday off right.
Jamaican Cranberry Mint Mojito
1/2 cup
Aged Brown Rum
1 tsp
Honey
1 small piece
Ginger
To taste
Fresh mint
1 cup
Cranberry juice
1 cup
Club soda
Dried cranberries
In a cocktail shaker, combine fresh mint with honey and
ginger. Smash all ingredients with a muddler. Add brown rum,
cranberry juice and club soda together with ice. Shake
quickly and strain directly into a martini glass. Serve with
a tip of fresh mint and a couple of dried cranberries.
Appetizers:
Sauté Island Greens
(makes enough for two couples)
1
bunch
Fresh calalloo (spinach as alternative) - washed, picked
(leaves only) and drained
1
bunch
Pak choy - washed and cut into 2” wide strips
1
small
Leeks - cut in 3” strips
1
each
Sweet pepper - cut in ¼ then sliced
thinly
2
each
Tomatoes - cut in halves, sliced
thinly
1 small bunch
Scallion - chopped
1 twig
Thyme
2 cloves
Garlic - finely chopped
1 small
Onion - sliced
3 tbsp
Olive oil
1/4 cup
Water
To taste
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
In a heavy skillet heat olive oil. Add onions, scallion and
garlic, and sauté. Add leeks and sweet peppers, sauté for
one minute. Add all other ingredients and sauté for one
minute. Add ¼ cup of water, cover and steam vegetables until
done. Adjust seasoning with salt and ground black pepper.
Be careful not to overcook vegetables, they should be still
green.
Sour Cream Mashed Yellow Yam
(makes enough for two couples)
2 1/2 cups
Yellow yam
1/4 cup
Milk
2 oz
Butter
Pinch
Nutmeg
Pinch
Cinnamon
1 cup
Sour cream
To taste
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Small bunch
Chives – finely chopped
Peel and dice yam. Keep in water to stop from going brown.
Rinse yam several times in warm water. Bring water to a
boil, add salt and boil until done.
Drain and allow to ‘steam out’ for five minutes. Using a
potato ricer, mash yams. Add butter and milk as well as
nutmeg and cinnamon. Whip with a whisk until all ingredients
are thoroughly combined. Add salt and black pepper for taste
and fold in sour cream last.
Finish dish with chopped chives.
Please note – if yam is not available, sweet potatoes make
an excellent substitute. Please note that there is a
difference in Jamaica between yam and sweet potatoes.
Main Course:
Papaya Ginger Glazed Whole Roast Turkey
(makes enough for
two couples)
*Chef Stefan Spath recommends pairing this main course with
a full bodied Zinfandel from California. This wine will
balance very well with the strong flavors of the turkey.
1 each
About 20lb whole dressed turkey
To taste
Coarse sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 small bunch
Scallion
1 small bunch
Thyme
4 cloves
Garlic
1 medium size
Onion
1/4 cup
Olive oil
1 each
Ripe papaya - peeled and de-seeded
2 tsp
Ginger - grated
1/2 cup
Honey
3 tbsp
Brown rum
Rinse the outside and cavities of the turkey under cold,
running water. Cut away and discard any fat remaining on the
bird. Place the turkey on several layers of paper towels to
drain. Using additional paper towels, pat the outside and
cavities dry. Sprinkle cavity liberally with salt and
pepper.
In a food processor, blend scallion with the thyme, peeled
garlic and peeled onion as well as the olive oil. Rub this
‘seasoning mix’ on both the inside and outside of the
turkey. Place in refrigerator to marinate for three hours.
In the meantime, blend the papaya, ginger, honey and rum in
a food processor.
Pre-heat the oven to 300 degrees Fahrenheit. Place turkey
breast side up, on a wire rack in a shallow roasting pan.
Brush the turkey with the papaya glaze and place it in the
oven. Continue brushing the turkey with the glaze every 30
minutes until it is all used up. Roast the turkey until an
internal temperature of at least 180 degrees Fahrenheit
(check regularly with a meat thermometer). If the turkey
gets too brown before it reaches this temperature, cover it
loosely with aluminum foil.
Remove the turkey and allow standing for at least 30 minutes
prior to carving.
For the turkey sauce, prepare standard turkey gravy. After
removing the turkey from the pan, remove excess oil. Put
roasting pan on the fire or back in the oven and add a dash
of brown rum. Deglaze pan and add turkey gravy. Strain and
serve with turkey.
Dessert:
Passion Meringue Pie
(makes enough for two couples)
*Chef Stefan Spath recommends pairing this dessert with a
very sweet ‘sticky’ dessert wine. Wines from the Cote du
Beaune region in France would be a great accent to the dish.
Sweet Pastry
1/2 cup
Sugar
7/8 cup
Butter (unsalted)
2 cup
Flour
2
Egg yolks
Rind of 1 lemon
Mix butter with sugar, add lemon rind and egg yolks. Add
flour and mix quickly but be careful not to over-mix.
Refrigerate for about one hour. Roll out and line tartlet
mold. Bake until golden brown (fill tartlet with greaseproof
paper and line with rice).
Passion Curd
1 cup
Sugar
1 1/4 cup
Water
10 oz
Passion fruit concentrate
2 oz
Corn starch
2 oz
Butter
6 each
Egg yolks
2
Lemons - just the zest
Boil water, passion fruit concentrate, sugar and lemon zest.
Thicken mixture with corn starch (mix with some of the water
before boiling it). Allow to boil for about 30 seconds.
Remove from stove, add butter and the yolks (one at a time).
Put the mixture back on the stove and allow it to thicken
while stirring constantly. Pour it into pre-baked tartlet
shells and allow to cool completely.
Meringue
6
Egg whites
A pinch
Cream of tartar
4 tbsp
Granulated sugar
Place egg whites into a very clean bowl. Add cream of tartar
and begin to whip. Slowly add granulated sugar. Whip until
very stiff.
To finish: Pipe meringue on top of passion fruit tart
(either with a plain nozzle or you may choose to just spoon
it on). Brown with a blow torch or in a very hot oven.
