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Jamaica Wedding – Rockhouse Hotel 

Tuesday, 24 June 2014 by Ronald Hosein
Jamaica Wedding - Rockhouse Hotel. Photos by Critsey Rowe

Venue

Megan and Loren wanted all their loved ones to essentially go on vacation with them, which is why they decided to have a destination wedding in Negril, Jamaica. They envisioned having a resort exclusively for them and their guests, and the exotic Rockhouse Hotel, with its 35 villas, was the perfect option.

The original spot for the wedding was on the cliffs near the pool, but on the evening before the wedding, there was a tropical rainstorm! Wedding photographer, Critsey Rowe, who had been photographing the area all week, suggested another cliff side area on higher ground. The hotel staff all worked together to transfer the entire setup to the new location. In Megan’s words, it was “incredible.”

Theme & Décor

With nature providing such a stunning backdrop of cliffs and a jeweled seascape, the couple only had to add small, personal touches to their décor. A beautiful bamboo chuppah (canopy) was installed and accented with fresh flowers and wispy white fabric. A ‘beach chic’ look was created with clear vases of white and cream blooms amidst pops of bright pink—the perfect contrast against the glowing turquoise-blue ocean. For the evening dinner, white low-hung Chinese lanterns with intertwined fairy lights framed the dining area.

Pre-Wedding Fun 

Megan and Loren wanted guests to have as much of a fun holiday as they could, so they all went scuba diving, sunned out and went swimming from the cliffs, and simply enjoyed the mellow Jamaican vibe.

Traditions

The bride and groom, both Jewish, used sentimental and traditional elements in their wedding: they exchanged vows (which they wrote themselves) under the beautiful chuppah, did the circling ritual, and Loren did the glass breaking at the end of the ceremony.

Wedding Ensemble

Megan’s dress was by Nicole Miller, a flowing, comfortable and beachy number that suited her perfectly. She got her bronzy Prada shoes with floral accents from Sachs in New York—which she was extremely proud of getting at a steal of a deal! According to Megan, Loren took more time to find his suit than she did to get her dress! He finally found a dashing Calvin Klein one in a warm shade of taupe, reminiscent of the soft Jamaican sand.

Flowers

Only native Jamaican florals were used—white and cream. As Megan shared, why not, when the world’s most beautiful flowers grow in Jamaica?

Cake

The couple chose a delicious four-tier cake flavoured with banana and vanilla, and decorated with sprigs of fresh flowers.

Menu

Steak and lobster featured prominently on the menu to everyone’s delight. Food was prepared in-house by the Rockhouse restaurant and made from delectably fresh ingredients.

Music

The couple walked down the aisle to the strains of an acoustic guitar, and performed their first dance to a live instrumental version of ‘Steal my Kisses’ (Ben Harper) and ‘Under the African Sky’ (Paul Simon). A steel pan orchestra delighted guests during the cocktail hour, and a ‘rocking’ eight-piece band had them on their feet all night at the reception.

Photos by Critsey Rowe

cakeChuppahCritsey RowedecorEnsembleFlowersfunJamaicaJewishmenumusicRockhouse HotelthemeTraditionsvenuewedding
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Eat Local – Create Taste Mmm…memories

Monday, 23 June 2014 by Ronald Hosein

By Cynthia Nelson

When choosing the locale for your Caribbean destination wedding, be sure to take in one of the most important cultural aspects of the country: the food! There is much to explore and sample, so be sure to pick your favourites and let them be deliciously reflected in your menu.

 You’ll quickly realise how similar our food is across the Caribbean states. There are certain dishes that you’ll find throughout the region, with signature twists added by each country to make it their own.

Rice ‘n Peas, Macaroni Pie, Stews, Curries, Ground Provisions, Fried Bakes, and Fried (sautéed) Salt Fish are among the dishes we all share. But, the differences in these dishes across countries stem from both the preparation and names given. For example, ‘bakes’ are also known as “Johnny Cakes” in Jamaica, Anguilla, and St. Croix, while Grenadians and St. Lucians call them “floats”. These irresistible little breads are further categorized into “fried bakes”, “roast bakes” and even “baked bakes”.

So, as you travel across the region to celebrate your special day, be sure to enjoy some of the local fare for unforgettably tasty memories!

Cynthia Nelson is a Journalist, Author & Photographer. Tastes Like Home – My Caribbean Cookbook (IRP 2010). She blogs at: www.tasteslikehome.org Write to her at: Cynthia@tasteslikehome.org

Recipes

Bakes/Floats

fbakes2

Yield: 1

INGREDIENTS

  • 3 cups all purpose flour
  • 3 teaspoons baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 1 tablespoon sugar
  • ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1 tablespoon butter (salted or unsalted)
  • 1 ¾ cups lukewarm water to knead dough
  • Neutral-tasting oil for deep-frying

DIRECTIONS

  1. Mix the flour, baking powder, salt, sugar, and cinnamon in a large bowl.
  2. Rub butter into flour mixture.
  3. Add water to the flour mixture to make dough. Do not add all of the water at the same time. (Amount of liquid needed varies according to the composition of flour and temperature of surroundings.) Start with 1 ¼ cups and work your way up from there. When the dough comes together, knead for 2 – 3 minutes.
  4. Place dough in a lightly oiled bowl. Rub some oil over the dough and cover with plastic wrap. Let dough rest for at least 30 minutes, but no longer than 1 hour.
  5. Cut dough into 12 equal pieces and form into balls. Cover and let rest for 10 minutes.
  6. Line a large bowl with a kitchen towel as well as some paper towels.
  7. Heat oil in deep pan on medium heat until hot. Test the oil by breaking off a piece of dough and adding it to the oil; if it sinks and rises almost immediately, the oil is ready. If you have a thermometer, it should register at 325 degrees F.
  8. Lightly flour a work surface and rolling pin. Take one piece of dough and roll into a disc: about 3 inches diameter and ¼-inch thick.
  9. Add to the hot oil and fry until browned on both sides. (Once added to the oil, the bake initially sinks, but floats to the surface as it puffs and cooks. Flip the bake over and cook the other side.) Reduce heat if bakes are browning too quickly before the insides are cooked.
  10. Repeat steps 8 and 9 above until all the bakes are fried.
  11. Serve the bakes warm. Cut along the sides of the bake to create a pocket and fill with fried (sautéed) salt fish, smoked herring, cheese, ham, or fried fish. Or, cut open completely and slather with your favourite topping.

Fried (Sautéed) Salt fish

fried-saltfish

Note: This recipe requires overnight preparation before cooking

Yield: 3 cups

INGREDIENTS

  • 10 ounces de-boned or boneless salt fish
  • Water
  • 3 tablespoons oil
  • 1½ cups thinly sliced onions
  • 2 sprigs fresh thyme
  • Finely minced hot pepper to taste
  • 1 cup chopped tomatoes
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • Black pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS

  1. Night before cooking: Rinse the fish and add to a large bowl of very hot water. Cover bowl and let fish soak overnight.
  2. Next day: Drain fish and add to a pot of water on the stove. Let boil for 6 – 8 minutes. (The key here is to remove only the salt that is in excess, not all of it. Taste a small piece of the fish; it should not be overly salty.)
  3. Drain the cooked fish well. When cool enough to handle, crumble into small pieces.
  4. Heat the oil in a pan until hot, but not smoking. Add onions and sauté until translucent, about 2 – 3 minutes.
  5. Add thyme and hot pepper and continue to cook for another minute.
  6. Add tomatoes, salt, and black pepper and cook for a minute.
  7. Add salt fish and cook partially covered for 5 – 7 minutes.
  8. Serve with bakes, roti, rice, bread, or ground provisions.

Punch de Crème Bread Pudding

sliced-pudding7

Yield: 1 (9 x 13) dish

NOTES

  1. You will need a large roasting pan in which the 9 x 13 dish can sit comfortably for a hot water bath (bain marie).
  2. Baking the pudding directly in its dish is also fine. The top, bottom and edges will get brown and crusty, which is quite yummy. However, the look and texture of the baked pudding will be different from the one that has been cooked gently and indirectly in the hot water bath.
  3. For the bread pudding to truly absorb the custard, it must soak in the mixture for at least 6 – 8 hours. Overnight is ideal. This long period of absorption will also improve the texture of the bread pudding when baked.
  4. Bread rolls (such as tennis rolls) can be used in place of regular bread. To get the true Punch de Crème flavour, I would advise against using breads or rolls that are already flavoured or spiced.

INGREDIENTS

  • Punch de Crème (recipe follows)
  • 8 cups cubed bread (preferably 1 – 2 days old)
  • ½ cup golden raisins (sultanas)
  • 2 tablespoons melted butter (preferably unsalted)
  • Boiling water

For Punch de Crème:

  • 6 eggs
  • 3 cans full cream evaporated milk
  • 2 cans condensed milk
  • 2 teaspoons Angostura Bitters
  • 1 ¼ cups dark rum or more to taste
  • ½ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
  • Zest of two limes (substitute with orange)

DIRECTIONS

For Punch de Crème:

  1. Add eggs and lime zest and whisk until frothy.
  2. Add evaporated milk, condensed milk, bitters, nutmeg, and rum. Whisk to incorporate.

For bread pudding:

  1. Add the bread to a large bowl or container.
  2. Pour the Punch de Crème over the bread. Using a large spoon or spatula, keep pressing the bread into the custard until the bread is heavy with the liquid. Cover the bowl and refrigerate overnight.
  3. When you are ready to bake the bread pudding, remove from refrigerator and let it come up to room temperature.
  4. Scatter and fold in the raisins.
  5. Meanwhile, put a kettle of water on to boil.
  6. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
  7. Brush the 9 x 13” baking dish with the melted butter, and then pour the bread pudding mixture into the dish. Place dish with the bread pudding in the larger roasting pan for the hot water bath.
  8. This step of adding hot water to create the bath can be done in two ways:
    • Pour the boiling water into the roasting pan on the countertop and then carefully transfer the pan and dish to the oven, or
    • Place the roasting pan (containing the dish of bread pudding) in the oven and then carefully pour the boiling water into the roasting pan. Let the water come halfway up the sides of the dish with the bread pudding.
  9. Bake for 50 – 60 minutes, or until a knife inserted comes out clean.
  10. Remove roasting pan from the oven and wait about 20 minutes for the water to cool. Remove dish with the bread pudding and place on a wire rack to continue cooling. Serve warm, at room temperature, or cold. (Note: If you want to add more booze to this bread pudding, then serve drizzled with Amaretto liqueur.)
AnguillaBakesBread PuddingFloatsfoodFriedJamaicaJohnny cakesPunch de CrèmerecipesSalt Fish
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