After a gap of more than two years, the Culinary Historians of Ann Arbor gathered once again to share a meal. Everyone brought a carefully researched dish following a particular theme: in this case, foods of the Caribbean. The contributions from the participants were varied and very appetizing, and I enjoyed eating them. Here are photos of some of them:
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| The bread accompanied sliced pork roast. |
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| An alternate version of Riz et Pois, with sausage. Pigeon peas are native to Africa and popular in Caribbean cuisine. |
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| My contribution: Keshy Jena from Curaçao. |
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| Tres Leches cake is popular in the Caribbean and Mexico. The recipe originated with the Nestle company to popularize their canned milk products, according to the baker of this cake. |
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| A "planter's cake," beautifully decorated! I loved the rum flavor in this dessert. |
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| The participants talked briefly about the origin and flavors of their dishes. |
My contribution: Keshi Jena from Curaçao.
Keshi Yena (or Keshy Jena) is made from an Edam cheese, hollowed out and filled with various fillings. It can also be a casserole topped with Edam or Gouda cheese. My choice for this meal was a tuna stuffing topped with Gouda cheese. I have also made this dish with chicken filling: see Keshi Yena: A Dish from Curaçao.
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| The cookbook where I found the recipe I used for Keshi Jena. I have several other Keshi Jena recipes from other Caribbean cookbooks. |
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| I used the "alternate method," and didn't follow the recipe precisely: I baked it for half an hour, not one and a half hours. |
Blog post and all photos © 2022 mae sander.
29 comments:
What a yummy educational experience!
(ツ) from Jenn Jilks , ON, Canada!
Sounds like a fun dinner and event. Your Keshi Yena looks delicious.
Take care, enjoy your day and have a happy new week!
What fun! It sounds like not only fun in the moment but fun in preparation. The photos make me want to try some of them. :)
That is a beautiful spread of food and what a fun and educational time as well. Thanks for your nice comment on my blog. I did indeed think about abandoning the blogging for a while.
Fabulous, fabulous, meal.
Everything looks delectable.
Really interesting and worthwhile post - as usual!
I want to dive into that shrimp salad photo and devour it. NOW! What a great and fun event. It all looks wonderful.
What a wonderful culinary experience. The shrimp salad looks so delicious, but I also like your dish (I love cheese). It sounds like quite some work. All the dishes look tempting - I would love to try that Tres Leches cake.
Oh it all looks so wonderful and a great way to gather and even try something new. Happy T day!
Oh, my goodness! I wish I had been there. This is my kind of food! You have made me so hungry! Happy 9th anniversary T Day!
What a fun get together, and I love how you have a food group. And I was excited to see the Costa Rican salsa. When I was in Costa Rica we used that salsa a lot. Have a great T day Mae. hugs-Erika
This sounds absolutely wonderful. So glad your grooup was able to get together again after two years. The food looks marvelous. Even the centerpiece is beautiful. Of course, I want that shrimp salad and your Keshy Jena. Maybe a little cream cheese with pepper jam, too.
There was definitely a nice selection of drinks. Thanks for sharing your Caribbean meal with us for T this week, Mae.
Mae what a fabulous dinner!Your dish and everyone else's looks absolutely delicious! How wonderful you are a part of something like that. Happy happy T day! Hugs! deb
What a lovely thing to do, and be a part of. I can't imagine fish and cheese together.
Mouth watering and it looks like fun!
Too bad I couldn't have joined you. The food looks so delicious. In the Toronto area there is a multitude of Caribbean restaurants and if we are anywhere we close we have our favourite spot to pick up jerk chicken with rice and peas. It is the BEST!!!
Oh Wow, some great looking dishes - especially that cake, the shrimp and your dish, Mae. How fun to be in such an interesting group as well. I am super impressed. I want to try some of these are my recipes have become boring again and need new life. Thanks for sharing this fabulous information and great pictures. Happy T-day and hugz
Wow, what a wonderful dinner theme and how amazing that people bring different foods for everyone to enjoy and talk about their origins - perfect 😀. I hope you enjoyed trying all the foods too. Sending you very Happy 9th T Day wishes! Hugs Jo x
What an interesting event. The dishes look really nice. Everyone had really gone to town to make it memorable.
Your Keshi Jena looks delicious, if somewhat heavy with so much cheese. Curacao is a Dutch island so the Edam cheese makes sense. But I know nothing about the Jewish population of the island. Where did they come from? Fled from Amsterdam? Or perhaps fled from Russia, passed through Amsterdam and ended up in Curacao. It's very interesting.
Happy T-Day,
Hugs,
Lisca
@Tandy -- The Tuna Melt with fish and cheese is a classic favorite in American diners, so the combination isn't so exotic here. I think your South African food is quite different from our cuisine.
@Lisca -- The Dutch Republic offered freedom of worship to the clandestine Jews of the Iberian Peninsula in the 16th century. They were merchants with international connections, and some joined the Dutch colonies in the Americas. Thus there were Jewish members of the Curaçao community from the start. The community dates to the 1650s, the previous building was built in 1674. So it's a very old community.
best... mae
I remember visiting the Jewish cemetery in Curacao!
That all looks like fun and delicious Mae. I would love some tres leches cake yum yum Happy T Day! Elle/EOTC xx
Very interesting foods that I have never tried but looks so yummy! So glad you shared.
Happy Tea Day,
Kate
My father-in-law is Cuban and my husband mostly grew up around that side of his family. I'm a very picky eater but even I love the amazing flavor that Cubans pack into their food. We always have to seek out Cuban restaurants when we visit my in-laws in south Florida. We eat it elsewhere if we can find it but it's hard to find and never quite the same. But you just made me hungry for it! Everything looks great!
Everything looks so wonderful. The food society to which you belong is a fabulous idea, so good you are able to get together again. Your dish looks and sounds amazing -- I visited your earlier link too.
Your dishes bring potluck to new heights
What a fine selection of representative dishes from the islands. I love having the place and climate to grow many of the ingredients here, and recreating Caribbean and other dishes of the tropics. Your Keshi Yena is especially interesting, and unique. I'd like to try it.
What a wonderful idea to explore and celebrate other cuisines, Mai all the food looks wonderful... Fish and cheese as in your dish sounds different as does the dessert both if which I would love to try.. Rice and peas is alreafy a favourite with us.. Thank you for sharing 😊
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